Captiva The Moment

I’m lucky in the sense that I have a pretty functional relationship with my sibling. And for this reason she tags along quite a bit when it comes to taking new vehicles for a spin. So looking back at a couple of past articles I have written, I always seem to be quoting her opinion. And because of this, I fear that when that life altering phone call comes, offering me my ‘prefect’ job at some major publication, I’ll be asked to pass the phone to her.

So this week, to be different, I’ll start by telling you what she thought.

Megan has always had an eye for the Captiva, describing it as a perfect ‘mommy-mobile’. Now, I have always felt that the exterior has a ‘feminine’ feel to it, with its rounded rear end, accentuated hips and house-wife SUV front end. So, in all fairness, I took one for a spin.

I managed to get my hands on the 2.4 petrol, All-Wheel-Drive version with the five speed manual gearbox. This is the mid-range Captiva and more than likely the one most people will look at if considering one. With the new CO2 tax taken into account, this model of Captiva will have a price tag of around R350 000.

After two minutes in the car, I was already chewing the end of my tongue. It has the feminine practicality of a handbag, yes, but with regards to the way it feels, it’s about as feminine as a biltong slicer. This thing is just so macho! Highlights are the utilitarian handbrake, commanding driving position, chunky steering wheel laced with buttons for the cruise control and radio, comfortable and supportive leather seats and mechanically notchy gear change – I mean that in a good, manly, kind of way.

But then there is the Captiva’s party piece…two extra seats. See, competitors in this segment are almost strictly five-seaters. A third row of seats is available on some of them, but at a cost. On the Captiva, they are standard. Add to that, that they are in fact very good seats, with plently of leg room. Setting up, or storing the ‘spare’ seats can be done with one hand. Literally, all you do is pull a lever. Brilliant!

As for the drive, I found the Captiva’s 100kW and 220Nm ample, with a noticeably gooey blob of Torque available just after the 2300 rev mark…ideal for town.

The AWD (All Wheel Drive) system means the car feels planted. ABS, ESP and EBD are there to make sure you don’t wind up in a ditch. But if you do, there are driver, passenger, front and roof airbags!

The Captiva is a fantastic vehicle, and to close I’d like to mention one last little standout feature. You can open just the rear tailgate window without needing to open the whole tailgate. I thought you could maybe use it for fishing rods or something of that nature. My sister on the other hand decided it was for when the boot was full of shopping and other baggage. You simple open the window and place the last few items on top, that way everything else doesn’t fall out. Women, you know…