SA Road Tests

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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.


ADAM stylised: Opel’s MINI challenger Rocks!

Purely for Style

Posted: 13 February 2016

The cheat sheet
Price: R287 100
Engine: 999 cc, DOHC, 12-valve, inline three-cylinder, turbocharged
Power: 85 kW between 5000 and 6000 rpm
Torque: 170 Nm between 1800 and 4500 rpm
Zero to 100 km/h: 9.9 seconds
Maximum speed: 196 km/h
Real life fuel consumption: About 7.0 l / 100 km
Tank: 35 litres
Luggage: 170 – 484 litres
Warranty: 5 years / 120 000 km; with roadside assistance
Service plan: 3 years / 60 000 km; at annual or 15 000 km intervals


Practicality is for parents. The rest of us make choices based on other criteria. After price (one with which we are comfortable) comes reliability, fuel economy and style. Some contend that image is important too. It makes them feel obliged to buy big-name machinery in order to shore up their social standing. It’s sad but somebody has to, apparently.

Most makes are decently reliable and economical these days, so the only true variable is style. Tastes vary, but once you’ve eliminated all the boring same-old saloons and people carriers, there aren’t many choices. MINI is one, but that’s really just another BMW. And while most little French and Italian cars are tres chic they don’t have quite the same essence do they? That leaves ADAM - by Opel – doing Style in spades.

We covered practically everything there is to, in our report on the ADAM Glam and again with the launch story on this car, the limited-edition ADAM Rocks. It looks cute, marches to its own drummer, is almost infinitely customisable, is filled with the latest in connect-tech and could never be confused with anything less. Then to spoil you completely, Opel gave it a hint of bad boy looks while slipping in an eight-speaker, 315-Watt Infinity sound system, its own colour range and a Fiat 500-style folding canvas sun roof. Purely for Style, you understand.

But, when all is said and done, one does need to be practical sometimes. First: Is that folding canvas sun roof weather proof? It stood outside through a torrential afternoon thunderstorm, followed by a night of steady rain. By early morning it was dry to the touch and there wasn’t a drop of moisture in its channels, so it works. Second: Does it open and close easily at freeway speeds without getting twisted? It does.

The boot is small, agreed, but is it usable? One releases the lid by touching the Opel logo then lifting from below, so there’s little chance of nail damage if that’s a concern. We only mention it because the market split is expected to be 60 percent female to 40 percent male, with a good percentage being over 35. Other ADAMs will sell mainly to under-35s, the experts say.

Its loading lip is high at 84 cm but it’s only 11 cm deep and neatly rectangular. The 50:50-split seatbacks can be laid flat while standing behind the car, thanks to accessible release loops, so it’s easy to extend. The single, right-handed, pull-down is deep enough to get a firm grip without risk of manicure damage there either.

All you’ll find under the floor board are warning triangle, tools, huge sub-woofer for the sound system and an electric pump for the runflat tyres. Unlike its less funky sisters, this one does without a spare, so keep a watchful eye open for the tyre pressure warning system.

The back seat isn’t made for tall people seated behind tall drivers, so we asked our 5’4” co-pilot to provide an alternative view. After re-adjusting the driver’s chair and steering wheel, she declared the viewpoint to be perfect and that her shins were well clear of the underdash panel. Seated behind the driver’s seat, set for her own needs, headroom was generally plentiful, although there was a small possibility of contact where the roof lining curves down at the sides. Knee space was generous, as was room for her feet.

More important for drivers is that performance is brisk and responsive, handling is lively and involving, it parks in the tiniest spaces, the hand brake and six-speed gear lever are comfortably placed, their actions are positive and the view outward is excellent through big side windows.

The point is that this car is perfect for the young and young at heart, it keeps its owners entertained and connected in more ways than one and it’s individualistic without being silly.

Test unit from GMSA press fleet

Our launch report, with more technical detail, is here

Our review of the ADAM Glam 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?
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