- Olga Kokorina
- Translated by Olga Apetenok
- Ru He Fr
2018 Opel Combo Compact Van. 5th generation
The Opel Combo is a compact van, which has been produced by General Motors under the Opel brand since 1986. It had three-door cargo and five-door passenger modifications. Currently, the market offers the fifth generation of the vehicle, made in five- and seven-seat passenger versions (as of 2021). The van is produced under the auspices of the PSA Group (it owns Peugeot, Citroen, DS, Opel and Vauxhall brands).
Combo Life is the slogan, under which the dealer offers the car in Israel. Fair enough: over time, the commercial vehicle has become quite comfortable and well equipped. Unlike previous generations, the new compact van is already built on the French platform in connection with the acquisition of Opel and Vauxhall by the PSA Group.
Exterior
The new 2018 Opel Combo shares a platform with the Citroen Berlingo and Peugeot Rifter, and the similarities are obvious. The front face of the car is designed in compliance with Opel’s corporate style, but the radiator grille is higher. The structure and design of the logo, “floating” on the supporting “wings”, make the van look like Opel SUVs. Both the headlights and the niches in the massive bumper for the fog lights turned out to be larger.
The manufacturers have applied their best effort to make the heavy body look lighter by using such elements as convex wheel arches and a black rear pillar for sliding doors. The passenger Combo comes in two versions: standard and longer. In the first case, the length of the vehicle is 4,403 mm, of which 2,785 mm is occupied by the wheelbase. In the second case, the length is 4,753 mm and the wheelbase is 2,975 mm. Both options are sold in Israel. The compact van is 1,850 mm wide and 1,796 mm high.
Interior
This is the most important thing for a cargo-passenger vehicle. The interior clearly differs from that of passenger cars, the materials are simpler, but of high quality, and there is everything that a modern car should have, regardless of the body type. The vehicle features a multifunctional steering wheel (beveled at the bottom) and a simple instrument cluster with analog dials, equipped with a board computer display. The center console with an 8-inch screen of the media system and a beautiful climate unit are eye-catching. The ergonomics of the driver’s workplace are very well thought out. There is a short gear shifter, and the center console is turned towards the driver.
The new Opel Combo Life is sold in Israel in 5- and 7-seater versions. A five-seater car has a trunk of 597 liters. If you remove the rear row, this volume will turn into 2,126 liters. The sill is located very low, which facilitates the loading process, and the door opening width is an impressive 1.15 m. The rear passenger seats are rather narrow and are more comfortable for children and teenagers.
Powertrains and chassis
In Israel, the 2020 Combo comes with two engines. The first is a 1.5-liter diesel engine that generates 130 hp, providing acceleration to 100 km/h in 11 seconds and the maximum speed of 184 km/h. As for fuel consumption, the vehicle consumes 4.6-4.8 l/100 km in the urban cycle, 4.1-4.3 l/100 km in the mixed cycle and 4.3-4.5 l/100 km in the country. The second is a petrol 3-cylinder engine that generates 130 hp, providing acceleration to 100 km/h in 10.7 seconds and the maximum speed of 200 km/h. With this engine, the vehicle consumes 8.3 l/100 km in the urban cycle, 5.9 l/100 km in the country and 6.9 l/100 km in the mixed cycle. The vehicle has a front-wheel drive and an 8-speed automatic transmission.
The vehicle is based on a combined platform, the front part of which is the EMP2 platform with the McPherson strut independent suspension and the rear module comes from the third generation model with a semi-independent torsion beam. Steel springs, hydraulic shock absorbers and anti-roll bars are installed on both axles of the Combo Life. The compact van is equipped with a rack and pinion steering system with an electric power steering. The front brakes are ventilated disc brakes, the rear ones are simple disc brakes; all Israeli cars are equipped with ABS and EBD.
Trim levels and equipment
The 2020/2021 Opel Combo Life is offered in two trim levels.
- Enjoy is equipped quite well: an on-board computer, multimedia system with an 8-inch screen, Apple CarPlay and 6 speakers, adaptive cruise control, active emergency braking system, frontal collision warning system, stability control system, tire pressure monitoring, ‘mirrors - front glass’ power package, etc.
- Enjoy Plus additionally has a rear parking camera, front and rear parking sensors, wireless charging and 16-inch alloy wheels.
