MOTORING: ADAM ride is firm, so be sure you’re prepared to trade comfort for cornering ability. A slight let-down with the Adam is its steering misses the feel of a Mini’s. Vauxhall has worked hard to improve the Adam’s steering feel for its UK-bound cars and there is a definite difference between Vauxhall Adams and its Opelbadged European counterparts. We are getting the better deal, for sure, but the Mini still offers more accurate steering feel. It’s a shame Vauxhall has not also found a little extra power for the Adam’s engine while it was sorting the steering for the UK. As the car handles so well, it is crying out for a bit more oomph than the pokiest 99bhp 1.4-litre petrol engine can offer. There’s also an 86bhp 1.4, which is slower but offers economy and emissions of 55.4mpg and 119g/km of carbon dioxide that better the punchier 99bhp engine’s without feeling much slower, making it the most obvious choice for business users. If you want the most frugal Adam, the 1.2-litre petrol provides 56.5mpg and 118g/ km emissions. There’s no diesel option or automatic gearbox for the Adam. Vauxhall says the vast majority of those driving cars from this sector do not want an automatic, even if they spend most of their time in town traffic. For this reason, Vauxhall has saved the cost of developing an auto transmission and passes on the cost reduction to the customer. This means the Adam sits very neatly in size, spec and costs between the Fiat 500 and Mini, which seems like a very canny place to be. Even with these omissions, there’s a host of extras to make the Adam as individual as you want. Just as importantly as these frills, the Vauxhall Adam gets the basics right and should prove a very keen rival to the Mini and Fiat 500. FAST FACTS Model: Vauxhall Adam 1.4i Glam Ecoflex Price: £13,270 Engine 1.4-litre petrol Performance: 0-62mph: 12.5 seconds Top speed: 109mph CO2 Emissions 119g/km Combined fuel consumption 55.4mpg THE INSTRUCTOR l www.ukdic.co.uk