It’s taken a while but Vauxhall are finally entering the ‘premium’ city car arena. With over a million possible combinations of engine, trim and options the new Vauxhall ADAM should give you plenty of choices on the order form but can it match the premium feel of rivals such as the Audi A1, Fiat 500 and MINI?
Vauxhall ADAM
The ADAM (Vauxhall spell it with capitals) has been designed by the same team responsible for the Astra and GTC and you can immediately can see some similarities, such as the blade shape carved into the doors. There are hints of other cars too including a touch of DS3 in the roof design, a smidgen of old Ka at the rear, and perhaps a little Fiat 500 at the front.
If you’re not sure about the name ADAM, you’re even less likely to be impressed by the trim levels. There are three to choose from – JAM (fashionable and colourful), GLAM (elegant and sophisticated) and SLAM (racy and sporty). A special edition model, SPAM, was dropped after early feedback from customer focus groups.
JAM, GLAM and SLAM. Yes, really.
The engine range is limited to three four-cylinder petrol engines, all featuring stop/start technology and all connected to a five-speed manual gearbox. There’s a 1.2-litre with 70PS and two 1.4-litre engines with either 87PS or 100PS. The choice of only 4-cylinders is disappointing when you consider some of the cracking 3-cylinder engines that have come out recently, but ADAM is tipped to receive Vauxhall’s newest smaller capacity engine complete with a six-speed ‘box.
Options are plentiful. The exterior offers contrasting roof colours, wheels from 16- up to 18-inches, LED running lights and bold colours. Techy options include parking sensors, an automatic parking system, various multimedia interfaces and a touch-screen system, and even LED-lit starlight roof-liner.
Adam promises handy multimedia connections via your smart phone
One interesting feature is the multimedia system. It connects to your phone’s operating system (iOS or Android) and displays it on the dash-mounted touchscreen, allowing you to control all of your phone’s functions directly from the dashboard. The clever thing here is that it means that the ADAM’s multimedia system will always be as up-to-date as your phone – new phone, new system for the car. Not sure if it handles Windows phones though …
ADAM is coming out to play in September at the Paris Motor Show, with sales due to start in January 2013. If the daft names mean you’re struggling to take the ADAM seriously the following promotional video may not help…
