Behind the scenes at “Styling with Moms”
Leisure Wheels had a special stand at the Tyger Valley Mother’s Day weekend, with plenty of spot prizes, special offers and Suzukis on display. Pia King was there to help out the team – but barely got any work done with all the cars standing around. She tells us how she was seduced by our own stand!
By Pia King
This was a first for Leisure Wheels! A promotion aimed to give the ladies a taste of the Leisure Wheels experience. The occasion, of course, was the Mother’s Day weekend at Tyger Valley Centre. To top it off, we showed off the very fashionable little Suzuki Jimny, the very sexy Suzuki SX4 and the executive-like Suzuki Kizashi.
I was there to help promote the magazine, but there were several surprises! The Northern Suburbs belles couldn’t get enough of Leisure Wheels, and they couldn’t keep their hands off of the Suzukis! In fact, 42% of the customers who subscribed that weekend were women! Naturally, as part of the offer, readers were to be entered into the draw to WIN the Suzuki Jimny, a national competition which is running until October. We also had more than R20 000 in spot prizes to give away, sponsored by Tyger Valley.
While the girls eyed out the stylish vehicles, I couldn’t help but remember my 4×4 adventure, hosted by Cederberg 4×4. For a moment I tuned out the noisy clicking of heals, Vida-e coffee aromas and background shopping buzz, and imagined myself driving along the West Coast with a crisp breeze blowing through my hair in a fashionable 4×4.
Before I knew it, I was asking André, the Suzuki sales person, the price of the Jimny. The sturdy little 4×4 posed defiantly, as if to say it could conquer the highest of dunes! ‘R190 000,’ André interrupted my thoughts. Not a bad price for such a neat little package! I was VERY tempted. And so I sat in the drivers seat of this tantalising little vehicle, and could only dream. I did wonder where I would put all my baggage, because the boot looked a bit small, but André pointed out that you could push down the seats – and I was further impressed. Naturally, I wouldn’t need space for a tent – not for the kind of ‘camping’ I had in mind anyway.
The Suzuki SX4 was equally tempting. A very sophisticated and sporty looking lady indeed. ‘This one goes for about R225 000’ André said. I weighed it up against the Jimny and, despite it being larger inside and better suited for someone with a larger family, I thought the boot was also quite small. But, I did feel rather glamorous sitting inside. She was a beaut! A perfect look for the city and she could handle off-road too, André told me. What more could you ask for!
And finally I moved onto the Suzuki Kizashi. I’d never heard of this vehicle before. The Kizashi is a suave-looking sedan indeed, and the seats are soft and comfy. The interior smelled of leather and sophistication – the kind of elite that starts from about R300 000. I could see myself driving one of these in a few years’ time, but again, the boot seemed quite small. I came to the resolution that perhaps I just have too much stuff. Maybe I just need a smaller bag!
The Jimny seems to have the biggest pull for me, but I can see why Suzuki has a style solution for all the ladies. And there were several men who sang Suzuki praises too.
Suzuki leaves me pondering over a test drive – André’s business card is tucked away neatly in my handbag – and I’m left asking the question: ‘Should I? Would I? Could I?’
Ed – Thanks to our Cape Town team for manning the stands, and thanks to all the Leisure Wheels fans for popping by! We’re almost jealous of all the great prizes that were given away! If you didn’t know about the stand – you must not be on our Facebook page! Make sure you visit us there regularly for behind the scenes footage, news of upcoming events, prizes and extras.
P.S. Pia – you MUST have too much luggage! One of our office petrol heads had the Kizashi over the holidays, and packed two ladies’ luggage for a week long cruise into the Kizashi’s boot! We’ll have to take you on another 4×4 trip – nothing teaches ‘packing’ better than carrying tent and sundry!