Powered by the 2.0 litre diesel engine found in the Captiva AWD range, the manual transmission 2WD model will lead its segment with fuel efficiency (ADR081/01) of 7.2 litres per 100 kms. The automatic returns 8.5 litres per 100 kms.

Priced from $33,990* for the five-speed manual transmission and $35,990* for the five-speed automatic transmission, the Holden Captiva diesel 2WD models are $2,000 less than their AWD equivalents.

GM Holden’s Director of Marketing, Philip Brook, said the two new variants were great additions to the already successful Captiva range.

“For consumers who want all the benefits of a medium SUV but don’t need the performance of an AWD, the 2WD Captiva SX is the perfect solution,” Brook said.

“They get the sporty design, flexibility and turbo diesel power plus the fuel efficiency of a much smaller vehicle.”

The new five-seater 2WD Captiva will be available as an SX model which retains all the specifications of its AWD equivalent with Traction Control, Active Rollover Protection, Electronic Stability Control (ESC) and six airbags including driver, front passenger, side and curtain airbags as standard. CORRECTION: four airbags are standard (not six). Side airbags are not included as standard equipment. (Editor, 3:40 PM Wednesday 27th August, 2008.)

The 2WD Captiva SX with automatic transmission is on sale now, with the manual transmission variant scheduled to be in dealerships late September.

GM Holden is offering free side steps and roof mounted DVD player to any private customer who purchases a Captiva SX, CX or LX by 31st October, 2008, or while stocks last.