Opel Zafira Reviews

Well that didn’t take long. General Motors’ German brand Opel has been in the country just six months and it has discovered Australians love hot hatches.About one-in-four Volkswagen Golfs sold locally are the GTI version – compared to a global average of just five per cent – so it makes sense Opel would expedite the arrival of its hi-po hatch.It comes to us with a familiar name, the Astra OPC (the latter standing for Opel Performance Centre), and a similar philosophy to the world’s best hot hatches: a lot of power in a pint-sized package.The last time we had a car like this from Opel it was called the Astra VXR and wore a HSV badge (2006 to 2009). But this one is an all-new model.The price of the Opel Astra OPC starts at $42,990 plus on-road costs, which is dearer than the five-door Ford Focus ST ($38,290) and VW Golf GTI ($40,490).Bravely, the Opel Astra OPC is even dearer than the starting price of the highly regarded Renault Megane RS265 ($42,640), the world’s fastest hot hatch judging by that global benchmark, the Nurburgring. With that in mind, you'd expect the Opel to come with the works – which it does in some areas but not others.It gets leather sports seats as standard, but metallic paints adds $695 (ouch) compared to $800 in the Renault Megane RS (double ouch) and $385 in the Ford Focus ST (that’s more like it).The Astra OPC’s turbocharged 2.0-litre engine (the class staple) has the most power and torque among its peers (206kW and 400Nm), but this doesn’t translate to quicker performance (see driving).The interior has a much more upmarket appearance than the Renault (although equal to the glossy materials in the Ford Focus ST) and its superb sports seats are a win.But the Opel’s buttons and controls are fiddly to use, like setting a radio station for example. Navigation is standard – but a rear camera is not available at any price. (A rear camera is standard on the Ford and optional on the Renault and Volkswagen). Rear sensors are standard but front sensors have not been designed for the OPC’s aggressive front bumper.However, the biggest consideration for value is what the car will be worth when you go to sell it. Depreciation is the single biggest cost of ownership after the purchase price.The Renault Megane RS and Ford Focus ST don’t have the strongest resale values either (the Renault because it’s a niche product and the Ford because it is still building its reputation with the new ST badge).But the wholesale trade says the Opel brand is still too new to forecast what the Astra OPC will be worth in a few years, which means they will initially play it safe and low-ball it at trade-in time.The Astra OPC has a suspension system it calls “Flexride”, but they could easily have called it “magic carpet ride”.Despite riding on massive 19-inch wheels and Pirelli P Zero tyres (the in-vogue performance tyre among all the thoroughbred brands) the Astra OPC glides over the worst roads that our respective state governments can throw at us – despite the trillions they take in tolls (sorry, wrong forum).It has a rather low-tech (but highly effective) mechanical limited slip differential which, Opel helpfully points out, drives the front wheels. This installation of a stronger, tighter lump of metal to help get power to the road is a welcome move at a time when some other manufacturers (we’re glaring at you, Ford and Volkswagen) try to convince us that electronics can do the same job.A mechanical limited slip differential, favoured by the Renault Megane RS and the Opel Astra OPC, helps drive power to the inside front wheel in tight turns.Electronically-controlled front traction systems (which I dare not call an electronic limited slip diff as some car makers do – glaring at Ford and VW again) are okay in normal driving conditions. But when corners start to tighten they’re all but useless – despite what the brochure says.So thank you Opel (and Renault) for avoiding technology in this instance. Need further proof a mechanical LSD is the way to go? VW will offer it as an option on the new Golf 7 GTI later this year.Stunning. The car is so well proportioned and so smooth you can’t help but admire it. You may even find yourself walking around it a few times before you get inside. As mentioned earlier, the interior is a cut above most of the competition with high gloss finishes, stylish lines and superb front seats.But good design needs to go all the way in my opinion and be functional. Unfortunately the Opel audio and air-conditioning controls seem more of a challenge than a welcoming invitation to the interior. Too many buttons that take too long to figure out.We drive more than 250 cars a year and if we need to consult the owner’s manual after 30 minutes of trying, that’s a fairly good sign that it’s not intuitive. Looks great guys, but make it easier to use next time.And, if I’m honest, the 19-inch five-spoke alloy wheels on our test car looked a bit plain compared to the more dramatic-looking 20-inch wheels (a $1000 option and $1000 well spent).Six airbags, five-star safety and a three-stage stability control setting (depending on how brave you want to be). The Renault gets eight airbags (if you’re counting) but the crash score is the same.Good road holding also deserves credit here, and the Opel Astra OPC has that in spades. The Pirelli tyres are among the grippiest in the wet or dry on the road today. It’s why they’re favoured by Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Ferrari and others.The four-piston race-bred Brembo brakes are good but don’t have the same precise feel as the Renault Megane RS265 we tested back-to-back.The only blots on an otherwise impressive report card are the lack of front parking sensors or a rear camera – even as an option. A job for the facelift then.Opel has done a brilliant job of blending excellent grip and dynamics with tyres and suspension that won’t have you visiting the chiropractor every week. It’s definitely one of the better executions of ride comfort and handling prowess.In terms of outright pace, the Opel matches the Renault Megane RS265 with a 0 to 100km/h of 6.0 seconds – despite the Astra OPC having more power and torque. In reality, though, the Opel has a little more turbo lag – power delay – from low revs compared to the Renault Megane RS265, which makes the engine's awesome power less accessible.Opel likes to say its car is more capable around town than its hot hatch peers – but in addition to the turbo lag it has the broadest turning circle (12.3 metres, bigger than a Toyota LandCruiser Prado, which is 11.8m if you’re wondering).The Astra’s brake pedal travel is a little longer, as is the gearshift throw. Neither feel like a true performance car. In the Renault Megane RS265 each movement feels like you’re operating a pair of scissors, so precise are the responses.The sound of the Opel's engine sucking as much air as possible during hard acceleration is not as characterful as it is in other cars of this type. The Renault Megane RS265 rewards you with a subtle turbo whistle and crackle of the exhaust between gear changes. The Opel Astra OPC sounds like a cat coughing up a fur ball.The Astra OPC is a highly credible hot hatch – it’s just not quite as good, as complete or as affordable as the competition. If you want style and pace, buy the Opel Astra OPC. If you want the best hot hatch – for now, at least – buy the Renault Megane RS265. Or wait and see what the new VW Golf GTI is like when it arrives later this year.

Well that didn’t take long. General Motors’ German brand Opel has been in the country just six months and it has discovered Australians love hot hatches.About one-in-four Volkswagen Golfs sold locally are the GTI version – compared to a global average of just five per cent – so it makes sense Opel would expedite the arrival of its hi-po hatch. It comes to us with a familiar name, the Astra OPC (the latter standing for Opel Performance Centre), and a similar philosophy to the world’s best hot hatches: a lot of power in a pint-sized package.The last time we had a car like this from Opel it was called the Astra VXR and wore a HSV badge (2006 to 2009). But this one is an all-new model.The price of the Opel Astra OPC starts at $42,990 plus on-road costs, which is dearer than the five-door Ford Focus ST ($38,290) and VW Golf GTI ($40,490).Bravely, the Opel Astra OPC is even dearer than the starting price of the highly regarded Renault Megane RS265 ($42,640), the world’s fastest hot hatch judging by that global benchmark, the Nurburgring. With that in mind, you'd expect the Opel to come with the works – which it does in some areas but not others.It gets leather sports seats as standard, but metallic paints adds $695 (ouch) compared to $800 in the Renault Megane RS (double ouch) and $385 in the Ford Focus ST (that’s more like it). The Astra OPC’s turbocharged 2.0-litre engine (the class staple) has the most power and torque among its peers (206kW and 400Nm), but this doesn’t translate to quicker performance (see driving). The interior has a much more upmarket appearance than the Renault (although equal to the glossy materials in the Ford Focus ST) and its superb sports seats are a win.But the Opel’s buttons and controls are fiddly to use, like setting a radio station for example. Navigation is standard – but a rear camera is not available at any price. (A rear camera is standard on the Ford and optional on the Renault and Volkswagen). Rear sensors are standard but front sensors have not been designed for the OPC’s aggressive front bumper.However, the biggest consideration for value is what the car will be worth when you go to sell it. Depreciation is the single biggest cost of ownership after the purchase price. The Renault Megane RS and Ford Focus ST don’t have the strongest resale values either (the Renault because it’s a niche product and the Ford because it is still building its reputation with the new ST badge).But the wholesale trade says the Opel brand is still too new to forecast what the Astra OPC will be worth in a few years, which means they will initially play it safe and low-ball it at trade-in time.The Astra OPC has a suspension system it calls “Flexride”, but they could easily have called it “magic carpet ride”. Despite riding on massive 19-inch wheels and Pirelli P Zero tyres (the in-vogue performance tyre among all the thoroughbred brands) the Astra OPC glides over the worst roads that our respective state governments can throw at us – despite the trillions they take in tolls (sorry, wrong forum).It has a rather low-tech (but highly effective) mechanical limited slip differential which, Opel helpfully points out, drives the front wheels. This installation of a stronger, tighter lump of metal to help get power to the road is a welcome move at a time when some other manufacturers (we’re glaring at you, Ford and Volkswagen) try to convince us that electronics can do the same job.A mechanical limited slip differential, favoured by the Renault Megane RS and the Opel Astra OPC, helps drive power to the inside front wheel in tight turns. Electronically-controlled front traction systems (which I dare not call an electronic limited slip diff as some car makers do – glaring at Ford and VW again) are okay in normal driving conditions. But when corners start to tighten they’re all but useless – despite what the brochure says.So thank you Opel (and Renault) for avoiding technology in this instance. Need further proof a mechanical LSD is the way to go? VW will offer it as an option on the new Golf 7 GTI later this year.Stunning. The car is so well proportioned and so smooth you can’t help but admire it. You may even find yourself walking around it a few times before you get inside. As mentioned earlier, the interior is a cut above most of the competition with high gloss finishes, stylish lines and superb front seats.But good design needs to go all the way in my opinion and be functional. Unfortunately the Opel audio and air-conditioning controls seem more of a challenge than a welcoming invitation to the interior. Too many buttons that take too long to figure out. We drive more than 250 cars a year and if we need to consult the owner’s manual after 30 minutes of trying, that’s a fairly good sign that it’s not intuitive. Looks great guys, but make it easier to use next time.And, if I’m honest, the 19-inch five-spoke alloy wheels on our test car looked a bit plain compared to the more dramatic-looking 20-inch wheels (a $1000 option and $1000 well spent).Six airbags, five-star safety and a three-stage stability control setting (depending on how brave you want to be). The Renault gets eight airbags (if you’re counting) but the crash score is the same. Good road holding also deserves credit here, and the Opel Astra OPC has that in spades. The Pirelli tyres are among the grippiest in the wet or dry on the road today. It’s why they’re favoured by Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Ferrari and others.The four-piston race-bred Brembo brakes are good but don’t have the same precise feel as the Renault Megane RS265 we tested back-to-back. The only blots on an otherwise impressive report card are the lack of front parking sensors or a rear camera – even as an option. A job for the facelift then.Opel has done a brilliant job of blending excellent grip and dynamics with tyres and suspension that won’t have you visiting the chiropractor every week. It’s definitely one of the better executions of ride comfort and handling prowess.In terms of outright pace, the Opel matches the Renault Megane RS265 with a 0 to 100km/h of 6.0 seconds – despite the Astra OPC having more power and torque. In reality, though, the Opel has a little more turbo lag – power delay – from low revs compared to the Renault Megane RS265, which makes the engine's awesome power less accessible.Opel likes to say its car is more capable around town than its hot hatch peers – but in addition to the turbo lag it has the broadest turning circle (12.3 metres, bigger than a Toyota LandCruiser Prado, which is 11.8m if you’re wondering). The Astra’s brake pedal travel is a little longer, as is the gearshift throw. Neither feel like a true performance car. In the Renault Megane RS265 each movement feels like you’re operating a pair of scissors, so precise are the responses.The sound of the Opel's engine sucking as much air as possible during hard acceleration is not as characterful as it is in other cars of this type. The Renault Megane RS265 rewards you with a subtle turbo whistle and crackle of the exhaust between gear changes. The Opel Astra OPC sounds like a cat coughing up a fur ball.The Astra OPC is a highly credible hot hatch – it’s just not quite as good, as complete or as affordable as the competition. If you want style and pace, buy the Opel Astra OPC. If you want the best hot hatch – for now, at least – buy the Renault Megane RS265. Or wait and see what the new VW Golf GTI is like when it arrives later this year.

Opel Corsa. To the average person in the street it’s just another new brand and model adding to the vast choice of cars available to Aussie car buyers.But, as car enthusiasts will already know, Opel is not only one of the world’s oldest carmakers, but has effectively been sold in Australia for more than 30 years disguised behind our best know brand, Holden. Corsa was sold between 1994 and 2005 as the Holden Barina, arguably our best-known small car nameplate.Holden’s decision to source most of its small to medium vehicles from GM Korea (formerly Daewoo) has opened up the opportunity for Opel to sell cars here in its own right. As well as the Corsa it released the small-medium Astra and the medium Insignia sedan.Though Opel’s corporate headquarters is located within Holden’s Melbourne head office, Opel is keen to sell itself as a semi-prestige Euro brand. To this end it has adopted a similar approach to Audi and Volkswagen by using a German slogan, “Wir Leben Autos” (We Love Cars).VALUEThe current Opel Corsa is the next generation on from the Corsa / Barina that was removed from the Australian market in 2005. It’s been around since 2006 albeit with regular facelifts to keep it up to date, with the next generation model not due until 2014.Price and looks are the two biggest factors in the youth-dominated small hatch market and Corsa’s styling is neat and contemporary with wide headlamps and grille, dipping roofline and a wide, square stance.While it doesn’t stand out from its crowd of competitors in appearance it does stand out in terms of price, but for the wrong reasons - it’s between $2000 and $3000 dearer than its main rivals.Opel has targeted Volkswagen as its main competitor and the 1.4-litre Polo sells for $2000 less than the Corsa.Although Opel Corsa is available as a three-door hatch ($16,990 with manual transmission) most buyers are now looking for the convenience of rear doors. The manual Opel Enjoy 1.4-litre five-door is priced at $18,990, three grand more than the South Korean sourced 1.6-litre Barina CD manual.There are three variants, the entry-level three-door model just called Corsa, three-door Corsa Colour Edition and the five-door Corsa Enjoy.Corsa comes well-equipped with all models getting six airbags, electronic stability control, daytime running lights, rear foglamp, Bluetooth connectivity (phone only, but with voice control), USB and auxiliary sockets and steering wheel mounted audio controls.There’s a $750 Sport Pack that increases the alloy wheels to 17 inches and in gloss black and lowered suspension.The dressed-up Colour Edition variant adds front foglamps, body-coloured door handles, gloss black painted roof and exterior mirror housing, sports alloy pedals, an extended colour range together with 16-inch alloy wheels (the standard Corsa has 15-inch steels). As well as the extra two doors the Corsa Enjoy gets leather-bound steering wheel, front foglamps, FlexFloor removable boot floor that provides secure storage below the floor.The latter test car was an automatic five-door Corsa Enjoy, likely to be the biggest seller although with the optional $1250 Technology Package included it’s going to cost around $25,000 to drive it away from the showroom.TECHNOLOGYAll are powered by a naturally-aspirated 1.4-litre 74 kW / 130 Nm petrol engine mated to a five-speed manual, with four-speed automatic transmission in the Colour Edition and Enjoy only.DESIGNThere’s good interior space with no headroom problems and a pair of adults can fit with reasonable comfort in the rear seats. The seats are firm and supportive with side bolsters that were a bit too tight for the wider buttocked road tester, but will be ideal for its typical (20-something) buyer.The boot takes up to 285 litres with the rear seatbacks (split 60/40) upright, extending to 700 litres when they’re folded.DRIVINGWe’ve been able to test drive Corsa on a variety of conditions, initially on the rural-based press launch program and more recently in more relevant urban conditions during our week-long extended test.Corsa is nicely balanced with safe and predictable handling. There’s a semi-sporting feel to the steering and the ride is surprisingly comfortable for such a small car. We were impressed by how well the suspension reacted to several unexpected potholes reflecting the car’s European background.The 1.4-litre engine is capable enough in the suburban environment and on the freeway but struggled in hilly conditions where we often had to use the manual override to drop down to lower gears. We’d certainly recommend a manual gearbox if you live in hilly terrain as this will overcome the inherent power losses of an automatic.VERDICTIt’s too early to tell if GM’s Australian Opel experiment, especially its pricing structure, will be successful but sales in the first three months have been modest to say the least. This could be from the normal hesitancy of buyers in accepting a ‘new’ brand or it could be because of that ‘Euro surcharge’.Opel CorsaPrice: from $18,990 (manual) and $20,990 (auto)Warranty: Three years/100,000kmResale: N/AEngine: 1.4-litre four cylinder, 74kW/130NmTransmission: Five-speed manual, four-speed auto; FWDSafety: Six airbags, ABS, ESC, TCCrash rating: Five starsBody: 3999mm (L), 1944mm (W), 1488mm (H)Weight: 1092kg (manual) 1077kg (auto)Thirst: 5.8L/100km, 136g/km CO2 (manual; 6.3L/100m 145g/km CO2 (auto)

... is now officially a non-starter for Australia even though the first deliveries are about to begin. Too costly, it seems. But Carparazzi has already sketched how the Adam will open up into a Cabrio in 2014, and we can always dream -- but it won't be coming here. This journalist is on Twitter: @paulwardgover

Carparazzi caught the Sport Wagon during testing at Death Valley in the USA, with camouflage pointing to a new look to the nose and tail. There's also likely to be a mild interior work over.

We turn the spotlight on the car world's newest and brightest stars as we ask the questions to which you want the answers. But there's only one question that really needs answering -- would you buy one?This is the top of the range Opel Astra wagon with the diesel auto powertrain and all the fruit.Start price is $35,990 but this vehicle had options taking the price up to and over $40,000.Golf, Focus, Lancer, Mazda3, Corolla, you name it, they've got heads on them like white mice.Power comes from a 2.0-litre turbodiesel four with 121kW/350Nm output driving the front wheels through a conventional six speed automatic transmission.Remarkably well. With 350Nm of torque on tap from just 1750 revs, finding power to overtake is never a problem. Steering is tight with reasonable driver feedback and the brakes are excellent, with the auto gearbox providing nice engine braking to compliment the brakes.It's a diesel, so the answer is a big, smelly, noisy YES. That's a bit unfair, however, with the little diesel engine purring as smoothly as most petrol engines. Agricultural diesel engines appear to be a thing of the past for modern cars. Expect around 6.0 litres/100kms.In terms of fuel use, yes. Low carbon dioxide output too and the car would have a relatively green manufacturing process.Sure is. Along with a Five-Star ANCAP rating, it has six airbags, countless electronic safety devices and, for passive safety, the excellent brakes and handling keep it out of trouble.It's a tight-ish cabin, but very comfortable. Might be a little claustrophobic for those with larger frames. The load space is generous and expandable to huge. Access to the cabin is facilitated by decent size doors and the rear hatch open high and wide.Great. Certainly doesn't feel like a diesel, there's great steering feedback for a car of this kind and it has a suburb set of brakes. Steering is quite direct and the suspension tuned to give a nice balance of handling and comfort.It's a great kit, but perhaps not the greatest value for money given how many good deals are around and how cheap the near new secondhand market is.No. As enjoyable a drive as it is, at around $40,000 there's a lot of choice. If it was a little cheaper it would feature more prominently on our `wish list'. 

Opel Astra Select and Toyota Corolla Levin go head-to-head in this comparative review.

Immigrants have often found Australia an unusual settlement. Nothing bad, just different. Post-war citizens from overseas learnt that by working hard, and being patient, rewards can be substantial.Right now Opel - the German arm of General Motors that once made the Astra for Holden - must be quietly bubbling in its patience. It opened its doors on September 1 and, to the end of October, has sold 279 cars. In October it sold 105 cars - the same as Fiat.A bit like Audi's early life in Australia, in fact, but look at Audi now. If the economy stays warm and buyer confidence is buoyant, Opel has a chance. If its products correctly reflect German quality and offer value for money above a voracious pack of Japanese and Korean rivals, it will do well. Judging by the Astra, success is certainly possible.This is the Opel Astra Select CDTi - the mid-level turbo-diesel hatch that costs $33,990 with automatic transmission and an extra $2500 for possibly the car industry's most comfortable leather-trimmed, heated seats. The seat option is very expensive, especially considering all the work has gone into moulding the front two and the rear seat merely feels like a reskin.Standard kit on Select includes 17-inch alloys, sat-nav, electric park brake, dual-zone climatic aircon, front and rear park sensors, seven-speaker audio with iPod/USB connectivity and Bluetooth with voice control. Good news for doubters is the $299 once-a-year capped price service for the three-year warranty period.Externally, the Astra mirrors German functionality and efficient styling. It's more rounded in its shape than rival Golf, but that at least gives Astra its identity. The Australian Astra is the latest from the factory, introduced in Europe as a facelift in June.Aggressively slanted headlights look distinctive from the front but it's best view is the rear's boat-tail rear with its bowed window. There's room for four adults inside but rear seat legroom comes up a bit short. Boot space is class average, slightly more than Mazda3.Cabin design is attractive, well finished with soft-feel plastics and tight panel gaps, and simple to navigate. Even the myriad of centre-console switches are sized to fit human fingers and have logic in their arrangement.The turbo-diesel engine is relatively new to Astra. Based on a 2009-launched engine, it has power upgrades (now 121kW/350Nm) and stop-start for a claimed 5.9 L/100km. On my primary suburban test it achieved 7.2 L/100km. There's not a lot of skimping with chassis gear.The Astra has an additional Watts link in the rear suspension to maintain ride comfort while enhancing handling, electric steering and a six-speed automatic with manual-shift mode. The ergonomic AGR seats are superb, but an expensive option.Astra is a five-star crash-rated car with six airbags, electronic stability and traction control, active head restraints, a pedal release system in the event of a collision, heated side mirrors, auto headlights and wipers, and front and rear parking sensors. The spare is a space-saver.No masking the fact this is a diesel. The engine makes itself known at idle and audibly grumbles when pushed at low revs. But it's near silent at mid-range speeds when cruising or coasting and has a delightful surge of torque when called on at anything around 2500rpm.Personally it can be a fun engine but a the 1.6-litre turbo-petrol alternative is better, and $3000 cheaper. The auto suits it perfectly and even does a decent job of countering the low-speed turbo lag - though the manual mode of the gearbox is a better remedy.Though electric, the steering is very good both in feel and its positive input to the wheels, while the handling is good though tends to cater more for occupant comfort. It is not as firm as some rivals. Perhaps the optional seats did most of the cushioning and support. Rear vision is a weak spot but there are standard park sensors.Diesel may suit country folk but turbo-petrol 1.6 wins for city buyers. Very good hatch for individual buyers but has lots of hungry competitors.

Wow, what a good looking car. Opel's new Astra Sport hatch is right up there with the best of them in terms of style. It really cuts a fine silhouette on the street, especially the one we were driving - the top of the range Astra retailing for $33,490 for the six-speed manual.Our drive car was a $40 grand plus proposition with six-speed auto, Flex-ride chassis and adaptive forward lighting all adding two grand apiece as well as another $700 for metallic paint and a grand for the 19-inch wheels over the standard 18s.We were somewhat sceptical about Opel Australia's mission to lift itself into the premium category but this car could carry it off. It offers a premium drive feel, the interior is attractive and functional and build quality is at least the equal of the competition.But at the money, it's going to struggle against the likes of Mazda3 SP25 (two grand less), Lancer VRX (four grand less) and Ford Focus Sport (nearly six grand less).This is the newest car on the block featuring a swag of goodies including lowered sports suspension and sporty steering, rear spoiler, dual zone climate control, premium audio, satnav, seat heaters, chiropractic seats, Bluetooth phone with voice control, auto dim rear view mirror, auto wipers and head lights, cruise, electric park brake and a speed limiter among its generous equipment.But there's no paddle shift and it has a space saver spare. Minor complaints in the greater scheme of things.Power comes from a turbo 1.6-litre petrol four rated at 132kW/230Nm output. It goes better in Sport mode offering quicker throttle response and a more “live” feeling from the chassis. Fuel economy is a creditable 7.3-litres/100km for the manual, a little more from the auto which does a 0-100kmh sprint in 9.0 seconds.Comfortable with a sporty edge is how we'd describe Astra's ride which also makes the car quite handy in the twisty bits. Love the seats and the large load space but rear seat legroom is a bit tight with large front seat passengers.From the driver's seat it's all positive - nothing to complain about - goes well, plenty of roll on acceleration, smooth, quiet, controlled.It's just the price that's the issue... because the competition is stove hot.

It's being hatched in Europe to a busy baby-car market but it's too early to tell if Opel's new car will develop enough to make it here.The Opel Adam - a twist on the company originator's name, Adam Opel - is the first new nameplate from Opel since the Insignia of 2008. Opel Australia says the Adam - a three-door car the length of aHyundai Getz - isn't confirmed for sale in Australia. But the company says "it's something we will watch''."The complexity and number of options on this little car makes it a tough sell for Australia, with long delivery times and so on,'' says Opel Australia marketing boss Michelle Lang. "It is a great product though and if there is any way we can see an appetite for it here, I'll be pushing for it.'' The car was this week unveiled in the UK and shows that Opel sister company Vauxhall has adopted a fun attitude to marketing Adam.It hits the UK in three trim levels - Jam (for fashionable and colourful), Glam (elegant and sophisticated) and Slam (sporty). The fashion-led philosophy allows customisation of up to one-million different combinations. Vauxhall claims this gives the Adam the ability to be personalised in more ways than any other mass-produced car.It has 12 body colours including Purple Fiction and James Blonde, with three contrasting roof colours - I'll be Black, White my Fire and Men in Brown. Then there are three option packs - Two-tone Black or White Pack; flamboyant Twisted Pack; and bold Extreme Pack - and three external decal packages called Splat, Fly and Stripes.Even the ceiling headliners come in three versions - Sky (clouds), Fly (autumn leaves) and Go (chequered flag) - and there are 18 interchangeable decor panels on the dashboard and doors, two of which are backlit by LEDs which Vauxhall claims is an industry first. It has Opel's new IntelliLink infotainment system that connects a smartphone to the car and is the first system compatible with both Android and Apple iOS. It is the first Vauxhall to include new-generation Advanced Park-Assist that identifies appropriate parking spaces and steers the car into place. The UK will get the choice initially of three four-cylinder petrol engine specs - 52kW/115Nm 1.2-litre, 65kW/130Nm 1.4-litre and a higher-performance 75kW/130Nm 1.4 - but a three-cylinder, direct-injection turbo-petrol of about 1-litre will follow. There are no diesels and no automatic transmissions in Adam's satchel.The car would match up against the Volkswagen Up - and its Skoda Citigo clone - and Hyundai i20, Mitsubishi Mirage and Nissan Micra, so needing a sub $14,000 price tag.