Read Caroline’s Opel Combo Cargo review for everything you need to know about buying Opel’s compact van in Ireland.
Opel is currently fifth in sales of new light commercial vehicles in Ireland, driven by the Combo, Vivaro and Movano vans.
In the compact van market, the Combo goes up against rivals like the Peugeot Partner, Ford Transit Connect, Citroen Berlingo and Volkswagen Caddy. It’s available in two different lengths with the choice of diesel or electric powertrains.
The new Combo goes on sale priced from €26,495. This year it’s been refreshed so it was time to take a closer look to see what’s new.
Design
The Combo has been updated this year with Opel’s new Vizor face like its newest passenger cars. The key difference is a new black panel that stretches the width between the front headlamps and bears the German brand’s blitz logo. A new feature is Opel’s adaptive Intellilux matrix LED headlights, unusual for the van world. In fact the Combo is the first of the Opel LCV range to get them. They come as standard on the Sportive trim level. The base level Komfort model comes with standard halogen headlamps and handy high beam assist.
The Combo comes in two lengths: L1 and L2. There are four paint colours to choose from: Icy White, Kiama Blue, Quartz Grey and Black. Sportive models also come with body colour door handles, body colour front and rear bumpers, and body colour rail covering and moulding.
Komfort trim includes 15” steel wheels for the L1 and 16-inch for the L2. Sportive models come with a 16-inch steel wheel with full diameter wheel trim.
The L1 comes with a manual sliding door on the left hand side of the van, while the L2 has sliding doors on both sides.
Opel Combo Interior
The latest Combo introduces a new full digital driver display and the option of a 10-inch colour touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto (standard on Sportive). The base set up is a smartphone mount with an app that can be downloaded for navigation and music.
It’s easy to get comfortable behind the new squared off steering wheel and the driver’s seat includes lumbar adjustment. There’s also a two-seat passenger bench though it will be tight for anyone in the middle because the gear selector housing eats into the space.
Black cloth trim comes as standard and the cabin feels well put together. Other standard features include manual air conditioning, cruise control and rear parking sensors though only the Sportive comes with a reversing camera. The ventilation controls include buttons and dials so it’s easy to adjust while driving.
There’s loads of interior storage space including a hidden compartment under the front passenger seat. The passenger seat can also fold down and be used as a table tray. A solid bulkhead separates you from your cargo.
What is the carrying capacity of the Combo Cargo?
The Combo Cargo has up to 3.8 cubic metres of storage space in the L1 and up to 4.4 cubic metres in the L2. The maximum load length is up to 3090 square metres for the L1 and up to 3,440 square metres for the L2. Towing capacity is up to 750 kg. The L1’s payload is 665kg and 953kg for the L2.
Driving the Opel Combo
Diesel accounts for the lion’s share of new van registrations in Ireland at just over 95% of the light commercial vehicle market. As such, the Opel Combo Cargo comes with a 1.5-litre turbo diesel engine with 100hp and a six-speed manual gearbox. There’s no diesel automatic on offer. But the Combo is available as an electric van, though it’s a lot pricier than the diesel.
The diesel has plenty of torque and is not too unruly to drive. The Combo is comfortable and refined by van standards and will cruise up and down motorways all day long. It also has handy driver assistance features as standard including traffic sign recognition, lane keep assist and driver attention alert.
What is the fuel consumption of the Opel Combo?
Fuel economy is rated between 5.4-6.0 litres per 100 km and my real world economy over a few days driving was 5.5 litres per 100 kilometres.
Opel Combo Pricing
The Combo diesel starts from €26,495 in Komfort trim for the L1 and from €27,795 for the L2. In Sportive trim that’s from €28,895 for the L1 and from €30,295 for the L2.
Verdict
The Combo Cargo is Opel’s bestselling van in Ireland and in its diesel spec it’s a good value option with generous load space for a compact van and numerous practical features. The cabin is comfortable and really benefits from the update with the digital driver display and touchscreen definitely worth speccing for people on the move. It’s a comfortable and smooth handling van, with plenty of handy driver assistance features for safer driving.
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Written by Caroline Kidd
Founder and Editor of Changing Lanes, Juror for Irish Car of the Year
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