Opel Zafira Tourer BiTurbo

This release isn’t more pleasant only as it was unexpected. Minivans are the most family-dedicated car category ever created, so they’re expected to receive items such as seven seats and DVD players for all of them. But what would be created if someone goes the other way and packs Zafira Tourer with a diesel 2.0 CDTi engine whose two turbines produce 195-hp power and 400-Nm torque, being capable of taking it from 0 to 60 mph in 8s9 and to a 135-mph top speed? According to Opel, nothing but the fastest minivan of its class.

Read more > Opel Zafira Tourer BiTurbo

Opel Antara 2013

Some days after updating Captiva in Mexico, Opel performed little changes on the European version, Antara. The crossover was already a little different from the Latin sibling, so there was no need for another facelift – actually, it would be more worth to jump to a new generation. There are some new external color options, dual-zone air-conditioner and LED door illumination became standard items and the sound system now includes USB port and Bluetooth connection. This car uses a 2.4L engine with gasoline and a 2.2L with diesel.

Read more > Opel Antara 2013

Opel Cascada

Is there a better way of driving than with the whole sky above you? The European side of GM now releases its third whole new product in such a short time, in a very commendable strategy of recovering from the current financial crisis of its homeland. This kind of car has a whole different focus from its urban siblings, and Opel recognizes that at first by this cabriolet’s construction, but also by placing Cascada (Spanish for “waterfall”) in a special spot of their showroom. But you can read more details about all this in the s article.

Convertible cars usually have this big emotional appeal also because this car style has been strongly associated with the high performance models. There was built a double image to expose to the public, where the automakers usually offer the same level of luxury and technology but in two different “wrappings”: the cabriolet or roadster receives the ones who only want to enjoy the weather in a fancy car, while the coupes attract the high-speed fans with the better aerodynamics that only a closed-roof car can provide. But Cascada ends up looking for a different kind of customer because it doesn’t focus at the highest top speed. Opel’s latest release makes direct competition with Peugeot 308 CC, Renault Mégane Cabriolet and VW Golf Cabrio, for example. They’re based at the mid-sized line of their brands and don’t try to seem different from them at all. Instead, they want to catch those buyers who normally would take a sedan or a station wagon, but having this option decide to travel with the family in bigger style. They come only with two doors to maintain the informal personality, instead of looking like a sedan who lost its roof, but seating four is their biggest conceptual difference from the roadsters: those are the roofless part who focus at the performance, therefore take only two occupants.

As what was said at the beginning of this article, Cascada will have this special attention at Opel’s showroom due to the fact that this brand works with many urban categories, therefore focusing at hatchbacks, sedans and minivans instead of coupes and cabriolets – before this one they had the TwinTop versions of Astra J and Tigra B, some years ago. But Cascada is more different than these ones when it comes to the structure, because its platform is exclusive, combining parts from Astra and Insignia. This explains the car’s design, which starts looking very much like Astra but changing into a whole different style, still using lots of Opel’s design rules but with a really classy result, without any excesses of strong lines in order to compose a solid, sophisticated look which ends at one of the better-looking rears of its category. All this external talent is followed by an elegant interior, with high-quality materials and complete trim levels. However, as it comes with a much stronger charisma than the urban Astra line, it seems that Opel would like to sell it a little separated from its base, in order to also seduce some of the Insignia buyers. They all must be pleased to choose between the lots of engine options that will be available, the ten external color options or the three options for the fabric roof, whose operation takes only 17 seconds.

Read more > Opel Cascada

Opel Mokka

This one is already popular in Europe. Unfortunately it’s also widely known that Opel’s current financial situation isn’t good, but they are following the right path. Instead of watching their cars become older and only reduce the prices to keep the good sales, Opel is investing at new products. Entering at new categories and showing whole new projects, with very nice style and high quality. They could really increase their sales by expanding the offering to more countries, but until that happens it’s worth to show their youngest child.

Mokka is nothing more than a Buick Encore with minor design changes, but this is the opposite of a bad thing. This is a global GM project which also turned out into Trax, the Chevrolet and Holden’s version. Its importance comes from being the group’s very first attempt of debuting among the compact crossovers, since the late Chevrolet Tracker was only a rebadged Suzuki Grand Vitara from that time’s generation. It doesn’t take too much attention at city traffic to see how popular this kind of car has become, with a huge variety of sizes, prices and brands. GM has always offered several options of SUVs and most recently also crossovers, but never a small one, capable of competing with cars like Fiat Sedici. Now they did as their rivals: took an urban platform and drew a smaller and lighter crossover, with lots of resemblance with the street cars both inside and outside. Although sharing a lot of pieces, Trax (which will go to Brazil as Tracker) features some design differences in order to suit better its public, which will be the emergent markets. This blog explains with more details at its own article, but the focus was making it resemble bigger models at the same time it brings some urban luxuries, to result a city car with the visual “toughness” of a SUV.

However, Mokka (and therefore Encore, too) has a different proposal. While Trax’s lines try to make it seem longer, the German brother’s want to make it compact and nimble. The idea is to attract both the customers who want more than a hatchback and the ones who don’t need the bigger size of an SUV with a formula that can attract many kinds of people, since middle-aged women to groups of early-twenties friends. The interior seems to follow the latest trends such as several color options to console and seats coating, but the central big touchscreen is missed: the entertainment system is controlled by a big button panel beneath the air outlets. But this car has plenty of space for four occupants (a fifth one is welcome since doesn’t ask for much space) and a high level of security and comfort items. And when it comes to engines, this coffee-named crossover will offer three options: the intermediate option is an 1.7 diesel with 130 hp, while with gasoline the entry one is the 1.6 16v with 115 hp and the top one the 1.4 turbo with 140 hp. Mokka is being exposed at the Paris Motor Show, but its sales have already started at some European markets already with excellent results: Opel has already received more than 25,000 requests of their first small crossover.

Read more > Opel Mokka

Opel Adam

Depois de diversas especulações sobre seu futuro, sendo a maioria não muito positivas, a Opel mostra plena disposição de se revigorar. Esta divisão da GM já apresentou amplos planos de reestruturação da linha de modelos e da produção, de forma que seu futuro tem tudo para ser brilhante. Parte dele, aliás, acaba de se anunciar com a chegada do Adam. Este subcompacto já foi flagrado várias vezes ao redor da Europa, e agora chega com vasto potencial para enfrentar a recém-firmada categoria dos compactos de imagem.

É interessante analisar as interpretações do conceito de um segmento determinado que cada marca faz quando lhe coloca um modelo seu. Anos atrás, a VW e a Mini tiveram a ideia de reeditar Beetle e Cooper, na ordem, mas apenas com a ideia de dar certo espaço à nostalgia no contexto atual, oferecendo um carro com todas as tecnologias mais recentes mas estilo que não nega a origem nas décadas anteriores. Esse caminho foi seguido pela Fiat com o 500, mas quando vieram Audi A1 e Citroën DS3 a ideia foi outra. Eles procuraram atrair abusando da modernidade e se valendo da premissa de não precisar se dedicar a espaço generoso ou desempenho arrebatador – são carros que se compram exclusivamente pelo apelo emocional. Fato é que, por mais retorcidas sejam essas fórmulas, esse nicho de mercado ganhou força. Pode-se dizer, aliás, que já virou um segmento estável em vários mercados. E isso é o que explica a investida da Opel com seu mais novo lançamento… e também o fato de que ela não perdeu a oportunidade de também expor a sua interpretação particular.

Afinal, de qualquer ângulo é fácil de ver que o Adam parece tão futurista e até “fashion” quanto o DS3, por exemplo, mas ao mesmo tempo tem toques retrô que aludem ao Cinquecento. A dianteira destaca a grade com farois elevados e a curiosa solução de acima do filete cromado usar acabamento horizontal e abaixo em colmeia. As laterais formam uma combinação de muito bom gosto entre o ar retrô da linha cromada que contorna as janelas e as separa do teto, que por sua vez pode vir em cor contrastante, e a modernidade dos vincos fortes e de forma parecida aos usados nos demais Opel atuais. A traseira apresenta um corte mais comedido, mas também tem seus talentos por combinar as lanternas em formato irregular com as luzes de neblina e ré em simples círculos. É um resultado muito bom, e que se posicionará abaixo do Corsa, que na Europa continua sendo o compacto familiar da linha. Aliás, o nome do carrinho é uma homenagem ao fundador da marca, Adam Opel – tal qual a Ferrari fez com seu super(hiper)esportivo Enzo Ferrari.

A cabine deste carro foi projetada para agradar tanto quanto o exterior, e da mesma forma. Espaço nunca é o forte desse tipo de carro, mas seus quatro ocupantes estarão fascinados pelo painel que mistura várias partes na mesma cor da carroceria, e que ostenta no console central uma touchscreen de 7”. Este ímã do público jovem concentra uma central de entretenimento com Bluetooth e conexão para smartphones Apple e Android, além de uma infinidade de funções. Outro aspecto em que ele apresenta opções intermináveis é a personalização: teto e carroceria podem vir em várias combinações de cor, existem vários tipos de rodas e de pintura para elas, e ele pode ganhar detalhes de alta criatividade, como o forro do teto simulando estrelas. Suas versões são Glam, Jam e Slam, e inicialmente ele será movido apenas a gasolina, oferecendo um 1.2 e duas opções de 1.4, sempre com câmbio manual de cinco marchas e fartura de tecnologias como a ecoFLEX, que inclui o sistema start/stop para otimizar consumo e emissões. A estreia do modelo está prevista para o Salão de Paris, e as encomendas começarão logo depois.

Read more > Opel Adam