South Africa has experienced three models: the entry-level Adam, Adam Jam and the range-topping Adam Glam. Er, yeah, we know… Anyway, each derivative has a choice of custom options, dealer-fittable accessories and a wide selection of paint colours.
And thus far we’ve tested the chocolate and maroon colours in Jozi and Durban, respectively.
Adam is named after the company’s founder, Adam Opel, who not only made cars and bicycles but also invented the sewing machine in 1862. So the car also pays homage to the brand’s long and illustrious heritage, claims the automaker.
There are only two petrol engine choices. The first is a 1.4 Ecotec four-cylinder making 74kW /130Nm. This engine is only fitted in the base Adam, is mated to a five-speed manual gearbox, has a claimed combined fuel-consumption of 5.3 litres/100km and 125g/km CO2 emissions.
Top speed is 185km/h and 100km/h comes up in 11.5sec.
It’s different but still distinctively Opel. The nose has a lower grille to help produce the ‘friendly’ face.
Adam: Eight funky colours: Purple Fiction, I’ll Be Black, Let It Blue, The Greyfather, James Blonde, Saturday White Fever, Silverwalker, Red ‘n Roll.
It comes with full colour-coding, 15” alloy rims, daytime running lights, front fog lights, heatable and powered external mirrors, leather-bound multi-function steering-wheel with rake/reach adjustment, cruise control with a speed limiter, a radio/CD audio system with USB, aux and Bluetooth support and five speakers, trip data computer, chrome instrumentation rings, ‘flexi’ cup holders, tinted electric windows; colour-coded key fob, ‘Japan Paint’ interior décor, black cloth upholstery, split/folding rear seats, speed-sensitive power steering, manual aircon and a pollen filter.
Adam Jam: Same eight paint colours, builds on standard Adam features; drive assistant display, 16” alloy rims, diode daytime running lights and brake lights; IntelliLink system* with seven premium speakers, parking sensors, black upholstery, and side mirror caps matched to the roof colour.
It also has blind-spot alerts which warn of a vehicle in that zone, at least up to 140km/h.
*Opel says IntelliLink, as with other smartphones, includes pre-loaded apps for an integrated driving experience such as StitcherT, TuneIn Internet radio; BringGo – a navigation app; and support for Siri when an Apple iPhone is connected.
Four option Jam packs are exclusively available:
• Twisted Pack:White or black roof;
• OPC-Line pack:17” alloy rims and body kit
• Twisted OPC-Line Pack: Combines Twisted and OPC-line packs
• Xreme Pack: Black or white roof, OPC-Line body kit and 18” alloy rims with custom spoke treatment and coloured clips.
Adam Glam: Over and above Jam specifications, Glam has a ‘Sight and Light’ pack, auto aircon, eight multi-colour ambient light settings, either a glass roof or a 64 Starz headliner, 17” alloy rims, ‘Tinted steel’ interior decor and black upholstery. Six paint colours with exclusive Purple Fiction and A Star is Born paint options with matching purple interior highlights on the facia, steering wheel, gear lever, handbrake and seats.
The Sight and Light pack has auto headlights control with tunnel recognition, auto wipers with vehicle speed-dependent regulation and an auto-dimming interior mirror.
There are six airbags, ABS with EBD and BAS, ESP Plus, hill-start assistant, pre-tensioning front seat belts, Opel’s pedal decoupling system, bonnet pedestrian protection, IsoFfix child seat anchor and a rigid passenger cell with high-tensile steel construction and crumple zones.
There’s also individual tyre-pressure monitoring with tyre load indicators and the automatic advanced park assistant which helps the driver park hands-free.
Perhaps Lunga (Product Communication Manager at GMSA) should at least answer the Eve issue or kanjani?
Price ranges between R200 000 and R250 000
Verdict: Its uber cool and consumes less fuel!
Performance: 1-10 (7)
Fuel: 1-10 (8)
