Saturn Vue Comes Back to Life as the Chevrolet Captiva Sport for Rental Fleets

Meet General Motor’s newest offering in the world of rental vehicles; the Chevrolet Captiva Sport. Even though GM makes no word of the Saturn brand in the press release, most of you will probably see the Vue hiding behind the Chevy bow-tie on the grille. And that’s about the only difference between the Vue and the 2012MY Captiva Sport, which is also sold under various nameplates in more than 50 markets across Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, the Middle East and South America.

However, unlike its Saturn twin, the Captiva Sport will only be sold to fleet customers in the USA, with deliveries set to start in the fourth quarter of 2011. The Captiva Sport will be offered in LS and LT models, with four trim packages, including an all-wheel-drive model (LTZ).

The base LS can be equipped with either an Ecotec 2.4-liter direct-injected four-cylinder or a 3.0-liter direct-injected V6 engine, both matched to a fuel-saving six-speed automatic transmission. The higher grade LT (FWD) and LTZ (AWD) models get the V6 engine as standard.

All models feature standard 17-inch alloys, XM Satellite Radio, six-speaker sound system, four-wheel disc brakes with antilock, traction control, StabiliTrak electronic stability control, air conditioning, power locks and windows (with driver’s express down) and remote keyless entry.

The LT adds OnStar and Bluetooth phone connectivity, while the LTZ also gets a rear-view camera, leather trim package, a 10-speaker sound system and a sunroof.

CHEVROLET CAPTIVA SPORT

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SATURN VUE

Holden Captiva 7 Series II Facelift with More Powerful Engines and Reduced Pricing

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.

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