Neuwagen Christian Kölbl 2023

I admit, I'm not that familiar with it, you don't buy something like that every day, and it's far too expensive. I've always had second-hand ones, that was enough for me. But now, with electrics and all that, Kölbl Chris made me a great offer and I've been friends with him since kindergarten, although he wasn't selling cars back then of course.

When the car arrived, I thought it was really nice. Sure, the cheapest plastic deserts, some with a wooden look, something from Zwickau back then, but now it comes from China, but apart from that it had everything you need. Forwards, backwards, left, right, everything was there. And leather seats. Although the leather wasn't quite genuine, it was a bit sticky. But it's good, increases lateral support, Chris said.

I thought the smell was still okay, like a new car, freshly peeled out of the plastic wrap, or maybe still under it. But I thought it would fade quickly. And that's the problem, because it doesn't. Chris said that this is a feature of the manufacturer's, that every half hour a little new car fragrance is blown in via the ventilation system. To emphasize the quality and high-quality appearance of the materials in the long term, says Chris. You can't turn it off. It's in the leasing contract, of course, on page 23 under XXVI.24-3-c. Pretty small print. No one reads that!

I can't get out of the leasing contract, says my lawyer. But the contract includes fully comprehensive insurance. I'm going to Berlin now, to a bad neighborhood. The barbecue lighter is already in the trunk. Maybe a leasing contract isn't so bad after all.

-----------------------

It was Christian Kölbl's declared aim to capture the smell of new cars, presumably those of higher quality, with leather seats and such. He succeeded to a certain extent, in that the knots of plastic (along with some paint and ozone) that permeate the fragrance are reminiscent of the interior of a new car that has been left in the sun for a little too long. The fragrance also fills the room for the first half hour.

What doesn't make me think so much of new cars is the violet, which is floral here, but unfortunately doesn't want to evoke any association with gasoline. The leather is a post-modern faux leather, as we know it from Ombre Leather or Tuscan Leather and hate it, or like it, it should be. Towards the base, it becomes a little woody and there is also a slight gum note, as if it contained galbanum. The whole thing is consistently 100% synthetic, which I really like here. The initially expansive silage quickly recedes to a pleasant level and the fragrance stays there for a long time.

I don't think Neuwagen is as bad as it is sometimes rated here, but it's nowhere near as good either. Mr. Kölbl is actually an artist and so I would have liked the fragrance to be more artistic and less wearable: more lacquer and solvents, pungent plastic with plasticizers, violets with petrol in their blood and a little bit of cable fire to go with the rubber. I wouldn't prefer to wear it for that reason, but it would be more fun. As it is, it's just a subtly spicy, post-modern faux leather loaded with flowers.

You can take a look at the maker's thoughts on the fragrance on the website, it's quite interesting.

Thanks to Floyd, I'll stick with my Skoda!

-----------------------

Further information about car leasing here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgUolOiIiko