Vauxhall Adam review (AutoExpress)

[ne_one]

Vauxhall Adam
AutoExpress
November 6, 2012

Naming a car after the boss of the company worked out well for Ferrari, with the Enzo – but will it be a similar success story for the Adam? It’s named after the founder of Vauxhall’s sister company, Adam Opel, and it’s predicted that over half of Adam buyers will be new to Vauxhall.

The stakes are high for this car, then – and the competition is fierce. The aim with the Vauxhall Adam was to take on retro rivals like the Fiat 500 and MINI, while offering an interesting alternative to the straight-laced Audi A1.

There’s a choice of three petrol engines: a 69bhp 1.2-litre and a 1.4-litre with 86bhp or 99bhp. All come with a five-speed manual gearbox and the option of stop-start – and as a result they emit between 119g/km and 129g/km of CO2 and claim to return fuel economy of well over 50mpg.

We tested a 99bhp 1.4-litre model with stop-start. It doesn’t sound like a recipe for driving thrills, and we were worried it would feel sluggish with its official 0-60mph time of 11.5 seconds. But on the road, the keen engine thrives on revs and gives the Adam an eager, nippy character.

The Adam is a smart and fun-filled city car. It’s exciting to drive with a bold image that takes in-car customisation and gadgets to new heights for this market – so there’s plenty here to praise. But the cramped rear and lack of a sub-100g/km model could put off buyers who are already spoiled for choice. Still, the Adam is well priced against its competitors if you don’t go mad on the options, and deserves to be a success.

Full article at link.

[rueben44]

Man the people at Opel know how to syle a car like no one else. They are just spot on with almost everything they come out with.

[Quixote88]

The more I see the Adam the more I like it... Throw the 1.4T from the Sonic in the Adam and I'd take it as my grocery getter...
Buick Apollo anyone?

With the proper engine/tranny choice, I truly believe the Adam (or whatever they would call it at Buick) could give the Fiat 500 a run for its money in North America...

[sledgehammer777]

(or whatever they would call it at Buick)...

Skylark, Century, Dunbar, Special?

[Quixote88]

Skylark, Century, Dunbar, Special?

The way things have been going with Buick (and GM in general), I doubt they would use any past names on a new model, so all of your suggestions, and mine, would probably be ruled out...

Buick "Adam" would have no meaning; Buick "Dunbar" would leave folks scratching their heads...

Buick "Atom" works for me...

[Smee]

Man the people at Opel know how to syle a car like no one else. They are just spot on with almost everything they come out with.

Agreed. Some of the best designed vehicles at GM are Opels.

[bronco5280]

I love this little car and would really love to see it come stateside to go up against the MINI and 500. Do it GM, you have proven that you can be taken seriously on the small car front, now bring a premium package in this size to Buick!

[BBDOS CV8]

Hopefully the success of the Spark will convince GM to take a punt on this. It could add a very nice stream of value for Opel, if it added 20-30,000 sales a year, and handy pocket money for GM US; plus give Buick an even more youth-tinged edge. That little 1.4 is a great little jigger in the heavier Corsa, so in a light car it would be a very enjoyable drive. 99hp doesn't sound like much, but it's very flexible and no doubt capable of great economy.

[emh]

Hopefully the success of the Spark will convince GM to take a punt on this.

"Punt" is one of those words that just doesn't translate well from Australian to American

[usayjim]

The model to watch for is the the 5 door concept Adam with the rear door openers hidden in the roof back quarter panels . The look is more balanced and the paint scheme solid color from top to bottom . A brilliant design that offers small size , fits into the same market segment , offers better use of space and would be a great fit for zippier engines . This concept vehicle is in GM Authority , check it out !

[usayjim]

Easiest way to view 5 door model is google search : Opel Adam spotted completely undisguised ( from GM authority 3 july 2012 )