Holden bolsters Captiva 5 offering

HOLDEN has added a new flagship LTZ variant to its ageing Captiva 5 range and fitted a new-generation six-speed automatic transmission, with the hope of boosting its presence at the smaller end of the medium SUV market.

The new LTZ specification adds heated electrically adjustable leather seats, 19-inch alloy wheels and rain-sensing wipers, with pricing starting at $32,990 plus on-roads for the front-drive petrol and $36,990 for the all-wheel-drive turbo-diesel.

Both Captiva 5 and larger, differently styled seven-seat Captiva 7 will now get a ‘new generation’ six-speed automatic transmission, and the diesel variant gets a revised final drive ratio to improve drive quality.

Meantime, the regular Captiva 5 entry version has been re-badged as the Captiva 5 ‘LT’, with prices unchanged.

The current-generation Captiva has been around since 2009 and has to go up against more recent offerings in a fiercely competitive market.

Captiva 5 sales this year are up 19.9 per cent, but still trail behind much newer rivals such as the Mazda CX-5, Nissan X-Trail and the Honda CR-V.

Holden Executive Director of Sales and Marketing Philip Brook is hoping the new and improved Captiva will appeal to a wider range of potential SUV customers.

“SUV buyer expectations are changing. More and more customers are looking for a richer equipment list and expect their SUV to have all the convenience features normally reserved for more premium models.

The upgrades give us a great opportunity to increase Holden’s presence in the booming SUV market, particularly at the smaller end of the market” he said.

2013 Holden Captiva pricing*

LT 2WD, 2.4 Petrol	$27,990
LT 2WD, 2.4 Petrol (a)	$29,990
LT AWD, 2.2 Diesel (a)	$33,990
LTZ 2WD, 2.4 Petrol (a)	$32,990
LTZ AWD, 2.2 Diesel (a)	$36,990

*Excludes on-road costs.