1.500 KMs With the Opel Karl Rocks!
OPEL KARL ROCKS
1.500 KMs WITH KARL
Words: Alessandro Marrone
Photography: Giorgia Rossi
The little Karl Rocks trunk is already full and I only put my bag, a backpack with part of the photo gear and a tripod – on the back seats another suitcase, a second backpack and some snacks to eat along the way. I’m leaving for Germany, an “on the road” test drive that will take me to Stuttgart, and I’m doing it at the wheel of the smallest car that has ever come at the Auto Class office. You will be wondering what my problem is, but I immediately stop you answering that this is one of those cases where appearances can trick you. The Karl Rocks is a small micro-MPV made by Opel, which actually goes far beyond the most common and rational definitions, presenting itself as a small city car that likes to be noticed in the midst of a tide bunch of proposals so similar and way more boring than this.
Its color is a metallic blue called Splash, the interior is in a simple fabric and we have big plastic bumpers all around the body, almost to emphasize the economic nature and the complete daily usability of a car designed to cope with the metropolitan jungle. Far from its natural environment it could feel uncomfortable, but after a few miles on the motorway, all my fears about comfort and driving fluidity have literally disappeared. Traveling in two, you can easily find extra luggage room that you would otherwise not fit in the trunk, and while the GPL system allows you to grind several kilometers in the city, on wider roads the small 1-liter three-cylinder petrol engine proves to be good, offering a great fuel economy (just 4.4 l of petrol per 100km is enough, in the mixed cycle), without necessarily traveling like a snail. Indeed, despite the fact that I do not mean talking about performance or similar things, its reduced weight facilitates easy and suburban situations where you will not have to look for the previous gear every two seconds. Parking it is a bit of a joke, thanks to the great visibility and the really small dimensions.
We leave Italy, we cross through Switzerland under an uninterrupted heavy storm, and finally we enter into Germany, where the road becomes wider and the weather seems to be more magnanimous. No time wasted, no uncertainty, I feel that I am liking Karl, and everytime I come out of the hotel in the morning it’s always there waiting for me, with its joyful look and the carelessness that “more serious” cars lost because of the incessant racing to customers’ satisfaction. There’s what you really need, a steering wheel, three pedals, a five-speed gearbox and a radio, while those black plastic bumpers seem wanting to recall modern and more glamorous hatchbacks on heels also suitable for dealing with dirt roads, which in this case is equally possible , given the discreet ground clearance. Moreover, being designed for people that will have to endure annoying parking situations, this choice is also ideal to avoid more costly and more visible damage in case of kissing your front or rear bumper. A moment of glory for Karl, a faithful traveling companion, who stands proud in front of the Böblingen Motorworld and, let’s say it, has been able to accomplish a mission that it would never have thought to face.
OPEL KARL ROCKS (2017-)
Layout – front-engined, front wheel drive
Engine – 3 cylinder 1.0cc combined with GPL system
Transmission – 5-speed manual gearbox
Power – 75 hp @ 6.500 rpm
95 Nm @ 4.500 rpm
Weight – 1.034 kg
Acceleration – 13,9 sec.
Top Speed – 170 kph
Price – from € 14.550