Making its Australian debut today is the refreshed Holden Captiva 7 Series II. To avoid any confusions, the Captiva 5 Series II that we told you about in our previous post is based on the Opel Antara, while the Captiva 7 is Holden's version of the Chevrolet model of the same name that's sold in Europe.
The latest Series II version of the seven-seater Captiva enters the new model year with some styling and performance upgrades as well as reduced pricing as Holden sliced $2000 off the recommended retail tags of all equivalent Series I Captiva 7 models.
The Series II gets a completely new front-end styling with different headlamps, a re-sculpted hood, and new grille and bumper designs, plus clear lens tail lamps, restyled alloy wheels and turn signals integrated into the external mirrors.
Inside, the most significant change is the replacement of the conventional hand brake lever with a push-button electric park brake, which also creates additional space for a multi-purpose storage compartment.
Holden updated the Captiva 7's engine lineup with a 2.2-liter four-cylinder turbo diesel that puts out 23 per cent more power and 25 per cent more torque than its predecessor at 135 kW (181 HP), and a 3.0-liter SIDI V6 delivering 12 per cent more power at 190 kW (255 HP). A 2.4-liter four-cylinder gasoline unit producing 123kW (165HP) is also available.
Refinements to suspension and steering systems, and improved sound insulation complete the changes for the Series II update.
