Opel’s Karl is a small package with big appeal

WE’VE written extensively in these columns in recent times about the revival of the Opel brand and how, after an asphyxiating couple of years, the European arm of General Motors has had new life breathed into it and how cars such as the Corsa, Astra, Insignia, and Adam are now in the process of re-establishing the brand as a viable, serious automotive player once again, writes Declan Colley

And now we come to the latest model from Opel, the Karl which is a new five-seat city car aimed at giving the manufacturer a sturdy, economic, roomy and practical contender in a segment it has not competed in for a while now. Even when it did, it was with cars which were effectively re-badged Suzukis.

The original Opel Agila was effectively a Suzuki Wagon R+ with the German carmaker’s branding on it, while the later version of the car was also marketed by Suzuki as the Splash. Both were fine little cars, but somewhat indicative of the general malaise which had befallen Opel’s once excellent reputation.