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Vauxhall Adam Energised 2016 review

Vauxhall Adam Energised adds a host of kit, but is limited by 1.2-litre non-turbo petrol engine

Overall Auto Express rating

3.0

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The Vauxhall Adam is a funky and colourful city car, but it remains a style-over-substance purchase – especially in Energised spec. It’ll suit those bewildered by the array of options, but it’s disappointing that Vauxhall restricts you to the weak and inefficient 1.2-litre engine. It’s not cheap, either, so unless you’re reliant on low insurance premiums we’d opt for the excellent 1.0-litre turbo instead.

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Choice is a luxury that new car buyers have in abundance nowadays. More brands are offering an ever-swelling number of personalisation options with new models, creating a dizzying amount of colour and trim combinations. 

But somebody at Vauxhall clearly had their head in a spin with all this choice, so to simplify things somewhat, the brand has launched this – the Adam Energised. 

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Essentially, Vauxhall has taken the customisation out of your hands, providing an out-of-the-box city car with some of the most popular options thrown in as standard.

Based on the Adam Jam, the Energised adds 17-inch gloss black alloy wheels, a black roof and black exterior detailing. You also get LED daytime running lights and LED tail-lights thrown in the mix. Inside, you’ll find part-leather seats, sports pedals and the Intelliink infotainment system, for which Vauxhall asks an extra £1,845 on top of the normal car. There are no other boxes to tick other than the optional OnStar system, while there is a choice of five colours and just one engine.

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That engine hints at the young city-dweller market Vauxhall is aiming this special Adam at. Buyers will make do with the 1.2-litre non-turbo petrol, producing a mere 69bhp. That lowly power output helps justify similarly lowly insurance (group three), but doesn’t do the car any favours in the way it drives.

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There’s little in the way of outright performance, and 0-62mph takes a yawn-inducing 14.9 seconds. It’s nippy enough around town, but to make progress on busy motorways requires patience and plenty of revs. It’s quite noisy at high speeds, too, while a claimed average of 53.3mpg is far from class leading in a segment famed for low running costs. For comparison, the least powerful VW up! gets from 0-62mph half a second quicker, yet claims 63mpg.

The Adam is also hamstrung with a notchy five-speed manual gearbox, and the lifeless steering means this is a world away from a MINI in terms of driver appeal. The ride is at least smoother in Energised spec than the stiff sports suspension in top models, but the bigger alloys still transmit a fair amount of road noise into the cabin. 

It’s a shame, actually, because on the surface there’s plenty to like about the Adam. It’s a good looking small car, and has a high-quality interior that a Fiat 500 could only dream of. Equipment levels are decent, although passengers aren’t very well catered for and the 170-litre boot isn’t up to much more than a small shopping trip. It’s adequate enough given the target market, though, and is a result of the Adam’s pleasingly diminutive dimensions.

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