That New Car Smell – It’s For The Bees

I love the unique experience that each new vehicle I drive offers. It’s almost as if you are in a tangible

expression of the designer’s passion. I also love how this gives every vehicle a character.  This is why I find it easy to love a car, to hate a car, and sometimes even feel sorry for it. This weekend, I felt sorry for the new Chevrolet Captiva…

Okay, I didn’t feel sorry for it because it was a bad car; in fact, it’s a very good one. I felt sorry for it because it had served me so faithfully the entire weekend, and in our last couple of hours together, I managed to fill it with bees. I was unpacking the boot, and left the tailgate standing open between trips back and forth to the house, and on one occasion, a bunch of bees decided to make themselves at home.

So to repay my debt to the Captiva, I feel I at least owe it a decent bit of publicity – even though it would have received it anyway.

First of all, it isn’t really a brand new Captiva. It is more of a facelift with a couple of serious tweaks.

The engine line-up, for instance, has been fine tuned. The original 2,4-litre petrol engine used to produce 100 kW. In the new version, it produces 123 kW. The flagship 3,2-litre has been downsized to a 3,0-litre unit, but power is up from 169 kW to 190 kW.

Gearboxes have also been changed. Both the 5-speed manual and 5-speed automatic have been ditched in favour of a new 6-speed manual and 6-speed automatic. Plus, and this is where Chevrolet has listened to you the client, an automatic has been made available on the 2,4-litre petrol front wheel-drive model.

As for the exterior of the vehicle, the major changes are the new face, side-step and larger wheels. The new face of the Captiva features Chevrolet’s signature large duel-honeycomb grille with the Chev Bowtie in the centre. The headlights are larger and have been racked back to give the vehicle a more dominating and aggressive look. And it does look good. I found myself constantly parking in front of shops with large display windows just so that I could stare at its reflection.  

Wheels have also been swapped around. The 2,4-litre front-wheel drive models come with 17” rims, the 2,4-litre all-wheel drive model with 18” and the 3,0-litre flagship with all-new 19” rims.

Inside the vehicle has a new centre console. Two nice new touches are Bluetooth and an electronic handbrake which are standard across the entire range.

As for the safety front, the Captiva features ABS, EBD, BA and ESP – all braking acronyms that help you stay on the road. Airbags include Driver, Passenger and Curtain airbags, as well as Side airbags on the 3,0-litre.

The new Captiva comes with a factory standard 5 year/120 000km and 3 year/60 000km service plan.

The Captiva has always been a brilliant 7-seater for the money, and still remains just that. I agree with the bees - pretty sweet package.  

VW Touareg

Usually when I pick up a car, it’s a pretty laid-back affair. I rock up at the dealership, they hand me the keys and then I spend the next hour or so getting to know it. This, however, was not the case with the new Volkswagen Touareg. And this is because I met it during my time with Wiel Magazine in Cape Town. At the time it was being used as the tracking car for an editorial video shoot. And the car being ‘tracked’ was the Audi R8 V10 Spyder.

I was told to drive the Touareg and not to loose the guys in the Audi. Nice…

So let’s talk about the car, and the task it set out to do that day. We had the 3,6-litre V6 petrol version mated with Volkswagen’s 8-Speed Tiptronic automatic gearbox. This gearbox is superb and can swop gears up or down before you’ve even thought about it. The 3,6-litre V6 petrol engine is a gem, and produces 206 kW and 360 Nm. Power delivery is pretty constant and it has a beautiful V6 soundtrack to match.

The car I was driving was also fitted with the optional air-suspension system, and even though air-suspension systems have been criticised in the past, I really like this set-up. You could adjust ride height, and the firmness of the suspension. You have three options, namely Comfort, Normal and Sport.

While chasing the R8 up some mountain passes, I originally tried Comfort, which feels like you’re floating and is, ironically enough, very, very comfortable. But there is a downside, and that’s a fair amount of body roll in the corners. And with all the video equipment sliding around in the back, I decided to try Sport. This lowers the car and firms the suspension, and to my surprise, kept it extremely level in the corners. Fantastic. I then decided to stick the gearbox into Sport as well, and that’s when I discovered the Touareg’s sweet spot. Putting the gearbox into Sport causes the gearbox to up and downshift a lot faster. This combination turns the Touareg into quite a bullet, and a brilliant one at that.

Another interesting feature fitted to the vehicle I drove was ‘Lane Assist’. What this system does is monitor where the white line on the road is, and if you happen to veer over it, the steering wheel vibrates to warn you that you are moving onto the opposite side of the road.

When doing the actual tracking, I was asked to keep the car at a constant 60 km/h, which is no easy task considering I had a R2 million Audi traveling along side me in the right-hand lane and a camera man dangling out the back recording it. So I stuck the suspension back into Comfort, which ironed out every single road imperfection, and meant no bumps to take the camera man by surprise.

In closing, I know I haven’t mentioned braking systems and so on, but the honest truth is this vehicle is almost without flaw. And as you can see, my memories of it will always be fond ones. I take my hat off to Volkswagen, you’ve taken your brilliant Touareg and made it even better.

Seriously Astra-nomical

Yes, I am allowed to use overly corny headings every now and then, and this one actually fits.

You see, car manufactures are seriously being pressurised by ‘Greenies’ to cut their carbon emissions, even though out of interest sake, and to put it into a bit of perspective, the average human "exhaust emissions" - my mother says I can't use the word fart in a newspaper - amount to 8,5 tons of CO2 during their lifetime, and this figure excludes other gases such as Nitrogen, as well as the amount of CO2 we exhale.

The net result is some manufactures have decided to downsize. This means where you once had a 2,0-litre engine as your flagship, you’ll now have a 1,4 or a 1,6.

Okay, granted, normally these smaller units are turbocharged and having sampled one or two examples, I’m all for it.

And this brings me to the new Opel Astra, which is a turbocharged 1,4-litre petrol pushing out 103 kW and 200 Nm. Sadly though, the figures are only half the story, and you have to actually experience it to understand. Think of this engine as a Jack Russel – small, but oh so eager to please.

From a design perspective the front has been tapered off quite a bit and now has a very low-slung aggressive appearance. Overall, the new car appears more squat, a dash more butch than before, and I like it.

The interior is pretty top notch too. Everything fits together; there are no horrid scratchy plastics present. There’s a decent amount of standard equipment. I’d love to now tell you how great all this equipment is, but the honest truth is I don’t actually know. During my limited stint with the Astra, I decided to rather drive it than play with the radio, because it is a genuinely fun car to drive. I can tell you that an Auxiliary input is standard.

The steering is pretty sharp and offers a decent amount of feedback. The chassis feels beautifully balanced and offers ample grip when going into corners a ‘bit’ too fast. The suspension is another plus point. It is firm enough to minimise body-roll when you seriously chuck it around, but still absorbs most road imperfections – it doesn’t crash through potholes, and those are becoming pretty hard to miss.

The brakes offer really good bite too and are assisted by ABS and EBD. Other safety equipment found in the Astra include driver and passenger airbags as well as side and curtain airbags.

The Astra comes with a 5 year/90 000 km service plan as well as a 5 year/120 000 km warranty.

The Astra is a beautifully balanced car. Boy racer when you want it to be and family hatch when you don’t. I can see why it’s a 2011 SA Car of the Year finalist. Now it’s your turn…

B(S&M)W 335i

Few things in life are as pleasing as a comfortable pillow, a hot shower and a great car. Seeing as I have already managed to obtain the first two, I will draw my attention to the latter.

What makes a great car? Well, I guess it’s a matter of personal taste really. If you are young, you’ll probably want something that’s fast and will cause young girls to flock around you. If you are a successful middle-aged man, you will probably want a comfortable cruiser.

But what if you want something that can do both? And that brings me to my point. There are very few vehicles that are comfortable, good-looking – yet discrete, and when need be, fast with great handling.

Ladies and gentlemen, may I introduce to you the BMW 335i Coupe.

The 335i is the two-door coupe version of the current 3-series BMW, and has been given a bit of an update in the form of a minor facelift and an engine modification.

Styling wise, the Coupe has received a remodeled front bumper, and the headlamps have been squared off a bit more than before. The real change occurs under the bonnet, where BMW have replaced their renowned 3,0-litre, straight-six twin-turbo petrol engine with a single turbo unit.

Inside, the Coupe is typical BMW. Comfortable, everything is wrapped in leather and the fit and finish is flawless. The entertainment is fathomable, and you find what you are looking for where you expect it to be.

Start the engine and there is the slightest burble before the engine settles into a quiet idle – hinting at a naughty side.

The drive really is pure rear-wheeled driving pleasure, and with nice meaty steering is top notch. My biggest concern is the Coupe has 18-inch run-flat tyres and I was bracing myself for an incredibly harsh ride, but alas, it never came. On the contrary, the ride is very comfortable. The breaks are brilliant and the seven-speed automatic gearbox is smooth.

Then there is the engine, which has lost its two turbos and is now fitted with a single one. Even though this sounds like a bit of a step backwards, the single turbo unit produces an identical 225 kW and 400 Nm (which is the exact same torque figure as the M3) to that of the twin-turbo.

This is all good and well, but the twin-turbo setup was introduced to alleviate turbo-lag and surely going back to a single turbo will reintroduce the problem? Well, there’s no reason to beat around the bush. I haven’t had the opportunity to drive the twin-turbo, and yes, there is a bit of turbo-lag, but not enough to make an issue of it. This engine is fantastic.

And then to top it all off, there is a little button behind the gear-selector with the word ‘Sport’ on it and paddles behind the steering wheel. Push the Sport button, push the selector into Manual and tug the left paddle once or twice. Doing so brings out the 335i’s naughty side.

Running the rev-counter to the redline brings with it a constant surge of power and an iconic BMW six-cylinder shriek, two of the world’s most addictive things. Fly into a corner and the Coupe maintains its composure the whole way through, even hinting at a bit of over steer (held back by traction control).  And the best thing is, even after a ‘naughty’ drive, you don’t feel battered and bruised like you would in other sports cars. Dare I say you almost feel revitalised. 

I’m going to put my head on a block here and say the 335i is probably one of the greatest all rounder’s money can buy.

Wing-mirrors; they should be optional extras

Here’s the horrid truth – my time at both CAR and Wiel is drawing to an end, and I think security might need to forcefully remove me from the building, because I don’t want to leave.

So what made today an interesting one? Oh, just a Merc…the SLS AMG Gullwing, that’s all.

The honest truth is that there probably isn’t much that you guys don’t now about the car, so I’m going to tell you why you should try and get a spin in one before you die.

The SLS is powered by Mercedes’ 6.2-litre naturally aspirated V8. And unlike in the C Class, or the ML, it has been tweaked here and there and now produces an astronomical 420 kW and 650 Nm. The SLS is also the only AMG Merc that has been built from the ground up by AMG. Normally they just take a conventional Merc model and shoehorn a bigger motor in, but not the case with this one.

It will do 0 – 100 in 3,8 seconds, and leave you screaming right through the rev-range. That’s why I think wing-mirros should be optional extras…you don’t generally look behind you much.

The man who took me for a spin, CAR’s Ian McLaren, must think I am a complete mute because half the time I just couldn’t speak. Let me sum up the SLS in a small statement. Everytime Ian did me the favour of mashing the throttle; it felt like the resulting speed left the blood in my veins stationary because my heart just couldn’t pump against the savage thrust!

Sadly, this spine tingling acceleration was only given in short bursts, because needless to say there are always idiots who will pull out in front of you and then decide that 37 km/h is a decent cruising speed!

And this brings me to my next point, the SLS might be ‘mind-mashingly’ fast, but at the same time is mind numbingly beautiful. It is as fast as it looks, and, considering how manufactures are always striving to make their product more streamlined than the next, for one to still be able to produce something gorgeous in the process is pretty damn impressive.

To best describe the SLS, I need to leave you with the words of some random guy who hang out his car window to get a better look as we drove past…"F#K IT!" 

2011. So what's interesting?

It’s the same thing every year, manufactures release new vehicles, some are great, some are good, some are okay and others are utter rubbish. Here’s the list of cars I can’t wait to meet.

Let’s start off with the small cars, because they seem to be the thing saving car manufactures all over the world at the moment – hence Aston Martin’s even starting to build one.

The Audi A1. It might not be the sportiest thing, but with a punchy 1,4-litre TSI motor and wheels placed far on the corners of the chassis, it promises to be a blast to drive.

The BMW M1 Coupé also makes the list. Even though I can’t really see the reason for one over and above a 135i, it looks like a proper little brute. It’s powered by BMW’s renowned straight-six engine with two turbo chargers, coupled to a six-speed gearbox, pushing out 250 odd kW. What’s not to like?

Mini will be giving us the Mini Coupé this year, which is also a major wow. Very similar to the Mini Cooper in looks, the Coupé features a lower roofline with an extended rear-end, which makes for a good-looking car. Engine lineups will more than likely remain the same with a John Cooper Works being the serious bad-boy of the bunch.

Another small car, again German, and more than likely a bit cheaper than all of the above mentioned that I think will be awesome, is the next generation Polo GTI.

The GTI will boast a 1,4-liter turbo and supercharged motor good for 132 kW, which means it’ll be able to do 0 – 100 in 6.9 seconds.  

The last of the small cars I can’t wait for is the Fiat 500 turbocharged Twin Air. I know 900cc and two cylinders doesn’t sound like much fun, but as a technological innovation I think the 63 kW it produces will be pretty impressive – like a shot of tequila. Not much there, but it still leaves you wondering how it works so well.

Speaking of serious shots, there are rumors floating around that we might get the 500 Abarth here next year, and that’ll be more like taking a fat swig out the bottle! We can only hope…

In the hot hatch segment there are sister ready to do some damage. The Golf and Scirocco R. Both feature an uprated version of VW’s 2-litre TSI engine pumping out an impressive 198 kW and is electronically limited to 250 km/h. Very nice.

The big league list starts off with the upcoming BMW M5. Sadly the V10 has fallen away, but is replaced by a 4,4-litre twin-turbo V8 that has a boiling point of 413 kW. Sadly a Torque figure isn’t yet available, but we recon it’s going to be pretty impressive (some people are even entertaining the idea of as much as 1000 Nm).

Merc unveils their facelifted CL during 2011, and even though that doesn’t seem like such a major wow, what’s hiding under the bonnet of their CL63 AMG’s bonnet should send a shiver down your spine. It will be the first AMG Merc to feature Mercedes’ new 5,5-litre biturbo V8 engine with 400 kW and 800 Nm on tap.

And the last vehicle on the list is also a Mercedes. You know the SLS AMG Gullwing we have all come to love? Well, they’re going to do a Roadster version – sadly it means you lose the doors though, a minor sacrifice.

Gorgeous styling, 420 kW and 650 Nm, no roof, an exhaust note that will leave even Julius Malema speechless, and it will be here just before the end of the year. Dear Father Christmas…

Riding Shot-Gun On The Devil’s Back

As many of you may already know, I am in Cape Town and will soon be starting an internship at CAR Magazine. And to be perfectly honest, I am sick of coughing up butterflies because my stomach can no longer contain them. 

So, just to help ease or add to the tension - depends on which angle you look at it from, I was taken for a spin in a vehicle I have idolised for quite some time...the Audi R8. But not just any old R8, the new R8 V10 Spyder. 

And who took me for this spin, Hannes Oosthuizen, the Sub-Editor of CAR Magazine himself.

Mmm, don’t worry, I envy myself just thinking back. 

As for the car, ah, well, it’s as good, if not even better, than what you think it is. 

Understand my problem is that I haven’t really had the chance to drive many ‘serious’ cars, so bear with me. 

The interior is typically Audi, and whereas in most cars you have scratch around to find bits of leather, in the R8, it’s the other way around...you have to hunt to find bits of plastic. The seats are great, supportive, but at the same time very comfortable. 

The centre console houses a navigation system (standard with a Bang & Olufsen sound system), climate control, controls for the seat heaters and so on. The gearbox was Audi’s 6 speed R tronic automatic, which, at a quick glance, adds almost R45 000 to the price tag. I’m sorry, but I really don’t think it’s worth it. Plus, this is a driver’s car, and deserves a proper manual. 

Just behind the gear stick you find a couple of buttons, and honestly there wasn’t enough time to note what they all did, but there were two that did take my fancy. One is for the suspension, and if pushed firms up the suspension for even more composure in the corners. The other...is the ‘Sport’ button, and I don’t think I really need to tell you what that does. 

On the road the R8 is a breathe taking piece of art. As we drove past, construction workers   slipped off their spades, pedestrians wondered into oncoming traffic to have a closer look and traffic cops had their radar guns at the ready. 

But every now and then, Hannes would do me the favour and plant his foot, at which point in time the world would become but a blur. 

The R8 has Audi legendary Quattro system, which means grip like I have never felt before.  To give you a rough idea, we were taking corners that had a speed limit of 30 km/h at speeds well over double that - I’d love to tell you the exact figure, but during such cornering, I was discovering what the view out of my left ear looked like as my eye-balls were slowly pushed along my ear-canal. And the best part, this wasn’t even near the Spyder’s limits, there was no over-steer, no under-steer, hell, there wasn’t even a bit of tyre squeal. 

The brakes are brilliant. On numerous occasions I thought I might make my entrance through the pearly gates with the stupid ‘GP’ Jeep Cherokee that wouldn’t get out of the way plastered to my forehead. But alas, no matter how fast we where traveling when he decided to pull out in front of us, the R8 would come to a dead halt if asked to.

The engine is the same 5.2 liter V10 that is found in the Lamborghini Gallardo and produces 386 kW and 530 Nm. It does 0 - 100 in 4.1 seconds and has a top speed of 313 km/h. 

After my spin, I felt so on top of the world, I felt like telling Julius Malema he was a complete idiot and Dolly Parton that her boobs were too big. 

This is one of those cars that can make you better than a million bucks, with a starting price of ‘only’ R2.1 million. Start saving kids, because as we speak, I’m blowing the dust off my piggy bank.