Mpiletso Motumi

HAVE never been a fan of small cars. Small in the sense that when I see a two-door I squirm just at the thought of what a mission it would be to ever have back-seat passengers.

So when I got the chance to drive the Opel Adam S, my initial reaction was hesitant.

My second impression was that the car was packing a serious glam punch. The design is more on the feminine side, but with masculine touches.

It’s a looker, no doubt. I drove the white one that has all the sleek finishes – bright red top, super hot mags, leather red-and-white stitching and sports suspension, all of which come standard.

I picked the car up on a Friday evening, with my brother and his friends in tow. Needless to say, the lack of space proved difficult for the boys to move around in the back seat – it really is not kind to anyone above the age of six.

The interior’s leather Recaro seats seem out of place at first, but after a while you get used to the easy feel. I found the seats also a little unfriendly to my frame, having to adjust it constantly while trying to find a balance between my feet reaching the pedals and my back finding comfort. It’s also a bit of a reach to pull the seatbelt as the door frame is wide.

The boys loved the “bucket” seats, saying they were the perfect fit for a cruise.

But I don’t know if this car wants to be known for its cruising capabilities. It has a turbo engine, which basically changed my life.

I have never driven a turbo anything before and I am officially converted. The take-off is great, but the pick-up is just amazing.

IIt was always a pleasure seeing the faces of the owners of the cars I left behind who did not see the little number coming.

I loved the fact that even on a slight incline there was no need for an immediate change-down of gears to maintain the same speed. It picks itself up effortlessly.

Cars that are the same size as the Adam S often need a push to get over even the slightest incline.

The vehicle is steady, too, and it takes curves well. The handling never makes you feel like you are losing your balance, even when speeding. The auto-stop/start is also a really cool feature and helps save on the petrol spend.

The infotainment system – Opel IntelliLink – is touch-screen-based and allows you to connect your phone via Bluetooth, USB and AUX.

I missed the CD player option; maybe I’m a bit old school but I still like having the option of playing full albums from a CD.

I sometimes found it difficult to press the options on the touch screen – my nails are longer than average and so my fingers had to be at an angle to be able to click on some features.

The system also has the option of viewing photos and watching movies. I tried the photo gallery and I guess it would be fun to look through images with friends on a road trip – adding to the feel of the trip. The movie function, according to the manual, does not play while driving which is a bit of a schlep if you have young passengers in the car that would be entertained by it.

The Bluetooth works well; syncs contact addresses and has an easy- to-use screen for phone calls.

The steering wheel should have more function control for the system. It would make for an easier experience, considering people like to eat in the car and may not be able to press the screen without getting it dirty and quite possibly causing it to malfunction at some point.

By far my favourite feature of the car was the automatic anti-dazzle. The rear-view mirror reduces the sharp light from other cars to help visibility. It was a lifesaver for me. I have horrible night eyes and can’t stand bright lights at all, so this feature was heaven-sent.

I also appreciated the blind-spot alert light on the side mirrors. You can never be too careful these days, with faster cars and even faster drivers. It took a while to get used to the LED daytime running lights. I was initially convinced I was wasting the battery, but after reading up on it I found that they actually use less power than regular bulbs… but I still felt a bit weird knowing the lights were on all day.

I had a full tank on Friday and by Monday afternoon it was flashing low fuel, perhaps because I was a bit overzealous with the drive.

Keep that in check. It is, after all, a small engine.

Being a city car, I wished there was more boot space.

It sells for R330 000. That’s a little steep for my budget but if you’re into the looks, the turbo and the ride, and have the money to spare, you’ll definitely be more than happy to spend a little extra.