Amsterdam is flat, vey flat. It's also full of cyclists, pedestrians, tiny bridges and other roadside hazards, making it the ideal place to test a city car.
'Karl' is Opel's new baby, a compact city car that promises affordable and economical motoring. Karl - named after Adam's son (b 1869) - is a five-seat city car built on its own unique platform. Opel stresses that unlike the highly customisable four-seat Adam, Karl will be a simple offering.
There are 10 exterior colours, three trim levels (S, SE and SC) and one engine, namely a 1.0-litre, non-turbo-charged three-cylinder petrol unit. This engine delivers 75hp and 95nm of torque. In a tiny machine that weighs less than a tonne, this is a useful amount of power, so Karl is quite lively in its class.
Opel has positioned Karl in Europe at a sub-€10,000 price point (€9,500 in Germany), but due to higher taxation Irish prices start at €11,995.
Outside, the Opel Agila replacement is pretty conventional looking. Chief Exterior Designer Carsten Aengenheyster told us that the little hatchback "needed to have a mature look outside and in". The Opel family grille, Opel 'Blade' character lines, almost vertical tailgate, clamshell bonnet and large light clusters all blend well. There are nice sculpted lines and creases around the body and even a hint of the Opel Blitz logo when viewed side-on.
Access is good but the rear doors could open wider for easy entry. It's not bad in the back, and the rear windows can wind down almost fully into the door. Aengenheyster also said that, as a designer, he'd like to see the car on 20-inch wheels. Karl's are more modest: wheel sizes range from 14-inch steel wheels up to 15 and 16-inch alloys.
The front-wheel drive car is big inside despite only being 3.68 metres long. Karl is a clear rival for the excellent and spacious Hyundai i10, the current AMPM City Car of the Year 2015. Leg and headroom are both very good for its class. The boot is tiny at 206 litres, but you can fold the rear seats to gain up to 1,013 litres of cargo space. Shoulder room is adequate up front and the driving position is good. All controls are light and easy to use.
If you spend most of your day in built-up areas you will love the 'City' steering button (SE/SC) - it allows you to have super-light steering at town speeds, while at higher speeds it switches off. The dash features well-positioned dials and controls. Hill Start Assist is standard, so no more rolling back (or forward) on slopes. All the things you need to read are set high on the dash. While there is a lot of plastic on view, fit and finish is impressive for such an affordable car.
In 2016 connectivity gets a shot in the arm with the availability of the latest generation 'Intellilink' smart phone integration. Opel's 'On Star' concierge service will also make its way to Karl. Smartphone users will also be able to use Android's 'Auto' and Apple's 'Carplay' to fully integrate their phones.
Two ISOFIX child seats can fit in the rear and the front airbag can be switched off for a child seat also. Six airbags are standard.
To keep costs low, the Euro6-compliant, all-aluminium engine is less complicated than its turbo-charged cousin, which we first saw in the new Corsa. The five-speed manual gearbox is light and well-geared. On the open road the cabin is well-insulated and refined. You can have a chat in the front at 120kph without the need to raise your voice. Fuel consumption of 4.5 litres per 100km is possible from the 104g/CO2 engine. Opel tells us that stop/start technology is on the way but demand should be low here, as there is no real tax reducing benefit.
With Karl, Opel expects to gain about 10% of the market in a full year, circa 300 cars. Karl arrives in showrooms this August.
Opel Karl is a functional machine that also has a degree of style, which will help it find a loyal following.
Michael Sheridan
