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.