SA Road Tests

Welcome

This is the home of automobile road tests in South Africa. I drive South African cars, SUVs and LCVs under real-world South African conditions. Most, but not all, the vehicles driven are world cars as well, so what you read here possibly applies to the models you get where you live.

My most recent drive is on the home page. Archived reviews and opinion pieces are in the active menu down the left side. Hover your cursor over a heading or manufacturer's name and follow the drop-down.


This is a launch report. In other words, it's simply a new model announcement. The driving experience was limited to a short drive over a preselected course. We can therefore not tell you what it will be like to live with over an extended period, how economical it is, or how reliable it will be. A very brief first impression is all we can give you until such time as we get an actual test unit for trial. Thank you for your patience.

Rockin’ with ADAM: Opel’s upscale Supermini explores its wild side

Nothing to add

Pics supplied
Posted: 13 November 2015

The numbers
Price: R273 400
Engine: 999 cc, 12-valve, three-cylinder turbocharged
Power: 85 kW between 5000 and 6000 rpm
Torque: 170 Nm between 1800 and 4500 rpm
Gearbox: Six speed manual
Zero to 100 km/h: 9.9 seconds
Maximum speed: 196 km/h
Claimed average fuel consumption: 5.0 l/100 km
Tank: 35 litres
Boot: 170 litres
Warranty: 5 years / 120 000 km
Service plan: 3 years / 60 000 km; at annual or 15 000 km intervals

ADAM Rocks. We know that. It’s also the name of the latest addition to Opel's range of small, well-built and well equipped, personal luxury cars. 

Its first claim to fame is that it’s almost impossible to run out of personalisation options. Interior and exterior mirror covers, roof and body colours, internal and external décor kits, wheels, sporty control pedals, logo bars, options and decal kits translate into, Wikipedia claims,    143 000 possible combinations.

Its second is that practically everything you need – safety, convenience, connectivity and luxury kit – is included in the purchase price. We need not belabour the point about some of its competitors, also German, being known for: “May I option that up for you Sir; a steering wheel, perhaps?” We exaggerate, of course, but only slightly.

ADAM and Mokka spearhead Opel’s drive to regroup and to bulldoze its way out of bankruptcy. The prognosis is good with the GM subsidiary on track to return to profitability by 2016 and be the Number Two passenger brand in Europe by 2022. Between 2016 and 2020, Opel will launch 29 new cars globally. Among these, South African fans can look forward to ADAM ‘S’, the hottest of the siblings, and the new Astra Hatch; both in the first half of 2016.

While ADAM does luxury, safety, build quality and versatility very well, it does “cute” pretty convincingly too. And did we mention that it’s a SA Car of the Year finalist? Winning that would be nice, but it already has two design awards, a pair of winner-in-category trophies and a nomination for T3 magazine’s Gadget Awards tucked away in its cubby.

Even we ultra-conservative South Africans are falling under its spell. Sales since its SA launch have averaged 120 per month. That’s more than a third of all product moved in its particular category – just saying.

While the above mentioned attributes are all very well, some users demand more; such as how about a powered ragtop like the one on that Princess of Cute, the Fiat 500 cabriolet? Then let’s add some more must-haves; blind spot alert and, today’s hot favourite, the self-parking feature. Then we’ll butch it up with a little (15 mm) more ride height, anthracite-coloured cladding along the sills and around the wheel arches, a six-speaker Infinity sound system, alloy pedals, front and rear skid plates and special 18” wheels with racy 35-profile rubber.  

Then we’ll make it exclusive by offering three funky, model-specific colours; Red ‘n Roll, Saturday White Fever and Goldbuster. And even more so by limiting its availability; just 150 will be coming to South Africa. Bluntly, it “rocks” – hence its name, ADAM Rocks.

For those who weren’t paying attention, ADAM is built on the Fiat-GM SCCS (Small Common Components and Systems platform) that it shares with Corsa, Fiat’s Grande Punto and Fiorino and Alfa Romeo’s MiTo. An entry-level version uses a 1400 cc naturally aspirated engine, but all others use the new, 999 cc, turbocharged three-cylinder unit found in various GM stablemates. It’s smooth, gutsy, responsive, and has lugging power ‘way beyond what its small capacity would suggest. GM’s previous small-motor champion, the 1400 turbo, just lost its “favourite” spot to this one.

Suspension is by means of McPherson struts in front and a compound crank axle with torsion tube setup at the back. Brakes are discs at both ends with ABS, EBD and EBA. As expected, it has ESP Plus, six airbags, ISOFix, powered windows and mirrors, hill start assist, cruise control with speed limiter, on-board computer, electronic climate control, automatic headlamps and wipers, remote central locking and Intellilink connectivity.

The latter is controlled via a seven-inch touchscreen and offers the usual Bluetooth plus USB, auxiliary and MP3 inputs. Preloaded are: TuneIn internet radio, Stitcher Radio for podcasts, BringGo navigation, an image and movie player, and SIRI Eyes Free voice control for iPhone users. Upholstery is a combination of cloth and vinyl. They had to trim costs somewhere, we suppose. Besides, leather is more temperature-sensitive that most of us would like.

Because this car is primarily intended for just one or two people, boot space and rear legroom isn’t prioritised, but front seat accommodations are generous. There is more shoulder room than in the family-oriented Corsa for example.

ADAM Rocks is priced about R37 000 higher than ADAM Glam, at R273 400. Our first reaction was that this could be a deal breaker but a quick mental costing, of what’s been added, changed our minds. Rocks’ appeal might be limited to buyers within a special demi-niche, or it could plunder sales from its sisters. Who knows? But it’s probably worth the premium for those who want something different. Because it ROCKS! And there’s nothing to add.

Information gathered at a manufacturer-sponsored launch event.

Our review on this car is here



What We Do

This is a one-man show, which means that every car reviewed is given my personal evaluation and receives my own seat of the pants judgement - no second hand input here.
Every test car goes through real world driving; on city streets littered with potholes, speed bumps and rumble strips, on freeways and if its profile demands, dirt roads as well.

I do my best to include relevant information like real life fuel economy or a close mathematical calculation, boot size or luggage space, whether the space is both usable and accessible, whether life-sized people can use the back seat (where that applies), basic specs of the vehicle and performance figures if they are published. In the case of clearly identified launch reports, fuel figures are of necessity the laboratory numbers provided with the release material. If I ever place an article that doesn't cover most things, it's probably because I have dealt with that vehicle at least once already, so you will be able to find what you want in another report under the same manufacturer's heading in the menu on the left.

Hope you like what you see, because there are no commercial interests at work here. As quite a few readers have found, I answer every serious enquiry from my home email address, with my phone numbers attached, so they can see I do actually exist.

Comments?
Want to ask a question, comment or just tell me you completely disagree with what I say? If you want advice or have a genuine concern, I will be happy to hear from you. All I ask is that you write something in the subject line so I know which vehicle you're talking about.