KEY POINTS:
Holden's Captiva is coming along nicely. The addition of a 2.0-litre turbo diesel engine option to the range not only makes it more competitive with its arch-rival, the Hyundai Santa Fe - it also gives the Korean Holden bragging rights over the likes of the Toyota RAV4 and Ford Territory, neither of which offer diesel engines at this stage.
The Captiva shares something else with the Santa Fe - it's a worryingly expensive vehicle. The diesel carries a whopping $3500 price premium over the V6 petrol, which means that even our mid-spec CX model breaks the $50k barrier. Ouch.
It consumes over three litres of fuel less per 100km than the 3.2-litre petrol version, but you'll still have to drive your Captiva diesel around 70,000km to break even.
Luckily, there are other reasons to opt for the oil-burner. The 2.0-litre engine, co-developed between GM-DAT and Italian specialist VM Motori, boasts 23Nm more torque than the V6 petrol and seems to suit the lazy nature of the five-speed automatic gearbox perfectly. You get more clatter than gurgle, but you'll forgive a little noise when you feel the mid-range belt of this diesel four. It's also cleaner on the CO2 emissions, of course.
The new mid-level Captiva CX specification would seem to be the pick of the bunch. You get the clever seven-seat cabin of the more expensive LX, but miss out on some of the luxury garnish like leather upholstery. That's no bad thing: one of my main complaints about the LX is the slippery and shapeless seating, but the cloth-trimmed CX is significantly more comfortable.
Holden Captiva CX Diesel
How much? $50,490
Engine and transmission: 2.0-litre turbo diesel four, 110kW/320Nm, 5-speed automatic, full-time four-wheel-drive
Performance: 0-100km/h 13.0 seconds, ADR economy 8.7 litres per 100km
