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28 TOPCAR.CO.ZA|January 2016FIRST DRIVES.Rocks embodies open-topmotoringwithafull-lengthfabricroofthat opens in just sevensecondsTHEADAM HASbeen amessiah of sorts for Opel in SouthAfrica selling over 1200 modelssince its debut last year, a figurethat accounts for ro ughly a third ofall luxury superminis sold ov er the sameperiod. What’s more , Opel is gunnin g for aneven higher market share with th eintr oduction of this, the Adam Rocks – aragtop urban crossover of sorts.In partial justification of that ‘crossover’ bit,Opel has beefed up Adam’s exterior withplastic cladding and front/rear skid plates,raised the ride height by15mm, tweaked thesuspension and widened the tracks. It lookspretty stylish as a result. While not aconvertible in the traditional sense of theword Rocks still embodies open-top motoringwith a full-len gth fabric roof that opens injust seven seconds. Inside, the architectureand switchgear remain pretty muchunchanged over the hardtop sibling, with adecent amount of spac e despite the dinky``````propor tions. As withthe regular Opel Adamthe Rocks can bepersonalised quiteextensivel y withvarious wheel clips,logo bars, side mirrors,rear-view mirror coversand stickers.Powered by Opel’s impres sive 1.0-litrethree-cyli nder turbo engine that produces85kW and 170Nm, the Rocks feels perkyfrom lowdown and is able to overcome its1088kg kerb weight with relative ease.Tractability is also exce llent but the littleengine does feel starved for power up atalti tude, especially in thehigher echelo ns of the revrange. Keep the throttle pedalpinned however, and the0-100kph sprint should becovered in less than 10 seco nds.Fuel economy is also very goodwith a quoted co mbined cycleof 5ℓ/100km (we managed8.2ℓ/100km over anundulating launch rout e). And``````the ride quality? Well, it can be quite hard attimes yet still manages to deliver a goodbalance between sporty and comfort, whilethe responsive steering allows you toconfidently scythe through corners.With no direct rivals the Opel Adam Rockslooks set to carve a successful niche for itselfin the luxury A-segment andcontinue Opel’s new-found vervein the market. While not pocketchange by any stretch of theimagination the R273400 stickerprice will attract many trendy upand comers looking to setthemselves apart from the glut ofquotidian offerings currentlydoing the ro unds.tc``````AaronBorrill``````HIGHSFun todrive,customisable``````LOWSRide quality abitharsh``````VERDICTIdeal for trendyindividuals``````OpelAdam Rocks 1.0T>PriceR273 40 0 >Engine1.0-litre 3cyl turbo,85kW@ 5 000 -6000rpm, 170Nm@ 1 80 0-4 500rpm>TransmissionSix-speed manual, fwd>SuspensionMacPhersonstrut front, torsion beamrear>Length/width/height3 747mm/1 966mm/1 493mm>Weight1 088kg>Performance9.9sec0-100kph, 196kphtop speed,5.0ℓ/100km, 115g/km CO 2 >On saleNowUp and AdamThe Opel Adam Rocks adds the convertiblecrossover treatment to an al ready good carByAaronBorrillOPEL ADAMROCKS