The Holden Captiva is a five-door medium SUV produced by GM Korea—a South Korean automaker and a subsidiary of General Motors—from 2006 to 2018. Other segment terms used to describe the Captiva are small SUV, compact crossover SUV (due to its unibody construction), and compact SUV.
Internationally, the Holden Captiva was marketed as Chevrolet Captiva. In its home market, it was called Daewoo Winstorm until 2011 and Chevrolet Captiva onwards. The Captiva was produced in only one generation, although it was closely associated with other cars produced by General Motors and its subsidiaries.
The Holden Captiva was completely phased out after the first generation. Another car, the third-generation Equinox, was introduced as the second-generation Captiva in some markets. It was actually a different model built using General Motors’ D2XX platform and was the successor to one of the cars originally marketed in the Captiva range.
Launching: 2006
When Holden launched the Captiva range in November 2006, two models were offered—the Holden Captiva (aka Chevrolet Captiva) and Captiva MaXX (aka Chevrolet Captiva Sport). Both cars were produced under the GM Theta platform, which was a platform for GM’s compact or midsize crossover SUVs.
Holden Captiva
The Holden Captiva was based off Chevrolet’s S3X concept car in 2004. It was available both in front-wheel and all-wheel drive layouts with several powertrain combinations and choices. It was offered in 5- and 7-seat versions with specs and trims in SX, CX, and LX levels. Before 2009 ended, only the 7-seater version of Holden Captiva was offered, and it was marketed as Captiva 7.
Captiva MaXX
The Captiva MaXX was actually a rebadged Opel Antara, a closely-related but different car also produced under the GM Theta platform. The Captiva MaXX continued to sell under this name until late in 2009. It was powered by a 3.2L V6 engine with 5-speed automatic transmission.
Along with the rebranding of Holden Captiva as Captiva 7, the 5-seater Captiva MaXX was similarly rebranded as Captiva 5. The Opel-based Captiva 5 was only available in 2.4L petrol engine in either front-wheel drive with 5-speed MT or all-wheel drive with 5-speed AT models.
Revisions: 2011
Captiva 7
The Captiva 7 underwent some minor upgrades in 2011 (referred to as Series II). Appearance-wise, it now sported a new front fascia inspired from Chevrolet’s AVEO T300, LED turn signals, Holden-specific grille, Altezza tail lights, upgraded console, and restyled alloy wheels and side air vents. There were powertrain upgrades, too, and the following engine options were offered:
- 3.0L SIDI alloy V6 petrol engine (Holden-sourced)
- 2.4L 4-cylinder petrol engine (South Korean-made)
- 2.2L VM Motori turbodiesel engine (South Korean-made).
Captiva 5
The 2011 facelifts for the Captiva 5 included chrome-bezelled fog lights, new tail lamp lenses, and a new insert for the mesh grille. The following were the upgraded powertrain options available:
- 2.4L 4-cylinder petrol engine (uprated), available with 6-speed MT and 6-speed AT
- 2.2L turbodiesel engine, available with 6-speed AT only
Specs and trim levels
- SX – base trim including fabric seat covers, 4-speaker audio system, Bluetooth connectivity, leather-wrapped steering wheel, 235/65 tyres on 17-inch alloys; 2.4L petrol engine as standard (with optional 2.2L diesel), front-wheel drive, 6-speed AT
- CX – Sportec bolsters on fabric seats, six-speaker CD audio system, multi-function display, fog lamps, 235/55 tyres on 18-inch alloys; 3.0L V6 engine as standard (with optional 2.2L diesel), all-wheel drive, 6-speed AT
- LX – leather-wrapped steering wheel, 7-inch touchscreen LCD that integrates satellite navigation and rearview cam, 235/50 tyres on 19-inch alloys; 3.0L V6 engine as standard (with optional 2.2L diesel), all-wheel drive, 6-speed AT
A year later, some updates were further introduced. The base SX trim was offered with rear parking sensors, while the LX level received front park assist and heated front seats.
Revisions: 2016
Captiva 7/Captiva
In 2016, the Captiva 7 was revised again. It was again sold in both five- and seven-seater configurations. Its name also reverted to Holden Captiva in Australia and Chevrolet Captiva globally.
Captiva 5
Simultaneous with the availability of Captiva in the five-seater guise, the Captiva 5 was discontinued.
Discontinuation: 2018
General Motors officially stopped the production of the Captiva model in 2018. The Holden Captiva was succeeded by two new models—the Equinox and Acadia. Holden Acadia replaced the 7-seater Holden Captiva, while Chevrolet Equinox took the place of the 5-seater Captiva 5 in the market.
Summary of Holden Captiva powertrains
The Holden Captiva range (including the Opel-based Captiva 5) was offered in the following powertrains from its earliest versions to the last:
- 2006 to 2011 – 2.4L Family II I4 petrol engine rated at 103 kW and 220 N⋅m, 5-speed MT
- 2006 to 2011 – 3.2L Alloytec V6 petrol engine rated at 169 kW and 297 N⋅m, 5-speed AT
- 2006 to 2011 – 2.0L VCDi I4 turbocharged diesel engine rated at 110 kW and 320 N⋅m, 5-speed MT and 5-speed AT
- 2011 to 2018 – 2.4L Ecotec I4 petrol engine rated at 123 kW and 230 N⋅m, 6-speed MT and 6-speed 6T40 AT
- 2011 to 2018 – 3.0L SIDI V6 petrol engine rated at 190 kW and 288 N⋅m, 6-speed 6T40 AT
- 2011 to 2018 – 2.2L VCDi I4 turbocharged diesel engine rated at 120 kW and 350 N⋅m (and 135 kW and 400 N⋅m), 6-speed MT and 6-speed 6T45 AT