First Drive: Opel Adam

The new Opel Adam goes on sale on March 23 with prices starting from €14,995

Fancy completely styling your car yourself? Well, that’s what Opel is promising with the arrival of the new Opel Adam, which had its Irish launch on Thursday.

This is Opel’s first city car and the German manufacturer says customers can have an Adam that ‘reflects their personality and style’.

With more than 60,000 exterior combinations and 80,000 interior combinations, the 1.4litre 100ps engine is practically the only thing the funky Opel Adam Jam, the chic Opel Adam Glam and the sporty Opel Adam Slam have in common.

Customisable features include alloys, upholstery and even a ceiling covered in 60 LED lights or blue sky fluffy clouds. You can also match your key colour to your car.

However, if all that choice feels a bit overwhelming, Opel will style it for you with a Twisted pack.

The cockpit in the Opel Adam is quite spacious and the test car we were driving was fitted with the LED roof lights

Standard features on the most conservative of the Adams, the entry level Opel Adam Jam include air conditioning, cruise control, Bluetooth, 16” alloys and fuel efficient Stop/Start technology.

Vintage alloys and a glass sunroof are standard on the Glam model, with climate control, sports suspension, 17” hurricane alloys and two-tone roof pack are standard on the Slam.

Meanwhile, the IntelliLink Infotainment system is a €350 option. This all-in-one media system with smartphone integration is controlled via a 7” colour touch screen and supports the TuneIn internet radio app; BringGo satnav and podcast app Stitcher. Apple’s Siri Eyes Free iPhone system will be available next month.

Armed with all this information we got to take this hardy little city car for a spin across the Wicklow mountains in the most inclement March weather, which included snow and heavy rain.

I was very impressed with the Adam Glam I was driving. With a nice peppy engine, it handled the mountain roads confidently and assuredly and glided along less challenging urban roads. It had a nice driving position and the cockpit was roomy. I also liked the digital speed readout.

While the boot looks quite small, I think that as it’s deep rather than wide it could be deceptively big.

As you’d expect, the styling was excellent, with the exterior purple colour carried through to the dash. I also liked the starlight LED ceiling lights.

Overall, I enjoyed my time in the Opel Adam and I’m looking forward to putting it through its paces in a longer test drive.

The Opel Adam will be available from March 23, with prices for the Opel Adam Jam starting from €14,995. Prices for both the Opel Adam Glam and the Opel Adam Slam start from €16,995. It qualifies for the €200 annual road tax band.

Visit the Opel Ireland website for further information.

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