You must have great courage to launch a car such ADAM. It is a statement of style and customization
that not any brand would take it, much less a German one.
But Opel thought the market is simply too big just for the Fiat 500 and then he put in his mind to make a better car
than the Italians’, from all points of view. Let's see if they succeeded.
A-segment, from which ADAM is part of, limits a bit its exterior design, so inevitably you think
of Fiat 500 or Ford Ka when you face this smallest Opel model.
But the interior of the car makes you realize how high Opel raised the bar in the mini class.
You get hit by a high level of quality and good taste that otherwise you would not find in this segment.
The cabin is very well organized, from the buttons and the storage spaces, to the items
such as ergonomics - which you cannot see it in video, but makes you
a very good impression once you get in the car.
In particular stands out the instrument cluster that look simply great - much better than in other Opel models
and even better than in many premium cars which are 3-4 times more expensive.
Even the climate setting has an interesting look.
With surprisingly good ergonomics for A-segment, good seats in front and decent back seats,
ADAM is a very pleasant companion. Given the extremely varied customization possibilities,
it is impossible not to configure an ADAM as you wish.
The IntelliLink infotainment system is very advanced and modern, as there is not any other in this class.
It can even fully take over from an iPhone applications such as
TuneIn for music and BringGo for navigation.
The tested version is a SLAM, characterized by power and sportiness. GLAM and JAM are also available,
one for nonconformists and the other one for elegant and refined people.
Overall, there are 12 body colors, three colors for the roof and 31 alloy wheel models.
Also, there are available various decorations and stickers of all kinds, so, theoretically,
there is a chance of 30.000 to see two identical ADAMs.
All the red plastic decorations inside the cabin can be replaced with others when you
get bored, just as there is the fashion for phone covers.
Besides the fact that it is an interesting aesthetic appearance, ADAM runs well too.
It is a very quiet car with unexpectedly good suspension. The wheels are 17-inch on the tested car,
to the limit between comfort and a... carriage. I would not recommend the 18-inch alloy wheels,
even if they are available and the car looks better with them.
The engine is a 1.4-liter, naturally aspirated, and develops 100 PS/HP. It is an old generation engine,
but modernized and relatively economical. In the test drive I had fuel consumption
of 7 liters/100 km for a distance of about 300 kilometers, of which more than half
travelled in the city. The start/stop system helps to reduce the urban consumption.
The engine’s problem is that it looks less powerful than it is written on paper and the gearbox
fails to highlight it properly. Nor the sound is great. It is flat, like many other gasoline Opel models.
Of course, this can be a strength for those who prefer very quiet cars.
With this engine, ADAM reaches 100km/h in 11.5 seconds.
At a price of about 16,500 Euros with VAT, the tested Opel ADAM is a car that raises
the design and customization standards in the mini class, but it could have been called
an excellent car if it had a lower price, more sporty settings for the engine and the steering,
and a trunk bigger than 170 liters.