The Opel Combo Outdoor Van is a concept vehicle, it was never meant for production or our shores… but, why not? Small working vans like the Ford Transit Connect, Ram ProMaster and Nissan’s NVs represent the newest volley of sensibly sized, economic working vans on our shores. Rumor has it that Toyota and Volkswagen may bring their specialty vans to the USA soon. In this growing (local) segment one has to ask, where is General Motors?
Yes, General Motors still builds big vans, but they are based on aging platforms and are not competitive with the flexibility of these new vans.
Opel Combo Outdoor Van has a 100 horsepower 1.7-liter ECOTEC common rail turbo-diesel that makes about 177 lbs-feet of torque. Despite the looks of the Opel Combo Outdoor, it’s a front-wheel drive vehicle. A manual transmission is available, but people in North America would pine for an efficient (six, seven or eight-speed) auto box.
“Setting a distinctive contrast to the yellow body are the black roof, a range of matt-black parts such as the lower sections of the front bumper and rear panel, the side sills, a large roof rack with a spare wheel and fuel canister, as well as a sturdy ladder at the rear. The B-pillars and the center bar between the rear windows are also in black, making the glass area look larger and creating a unified impression from every angle.
The front of the Combo Outdoor is itself eye-catching, with 3D-ellipsoid headlamps, a bumper with integrated fog lights, a central air inlet covered with a black grille and silver colored underbody guards (front and rear). The upper part of the windshield has an anthracite gray adhesive foil covering, giving the van an even more compact and sporty appearance. Sixteen-inch alloy wheels in nine-spoke design, with 195/50 R16 tires, underline the looks.
The Combo Outdoor is well-equipped for non-paved roads thanks to the “rough road” equipment package. This is available for all Combo production models and consists of modified suspension tuning with 20 mm higher ground clearance, protective shields for the engine compartment and fuel tank, and reinforced cladding around the hand-brake cable.” – – Opel/GM Media
The sporting lifestyle and sexy European models aside, as a practical, economical working van, the Opel Combo is a well received, popular work machine that seems to compete head-to-head with the same competition that is now in the USA. It prices under €14,000, which is mighty cheap for Europe.
If General Motors opts to bring it over, wouldn’t it be cool if they brought the Opel Combo Outdoor Van with? I think it’s kind of slick. Then again, the last time GM did something like the Opel Combo Outdoor Van, it turned into the Pontiac Aztek.
Check out the video debut of the Ram ProMaster at the 2013 Chicago Auto Show!
I like the ProMaster – but the name makes me chuckle.
