Vauxhall Adam S Review - An Abarth 595 or MINI Alternative?

My friend Alex at Stratton Motor Company just took in this car as a part exchange. I knew about the Vauxhall Adam before, but had no idea they'd done a performance version of it so I asked if I could have it for a review and see if Vauxhall's baby hatch could be any fun to drive with a little bit of power.

At 150bhp, could this Supermini be a viable alternative for people buying a MINI Cooper or entry level Abarth?

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[FatherJack-bu]

This guy gets it - not up his own arse and appreciates cars for what they are, even the Adam S

[FatherJack-bu]

Good video, I'm 44 and I own one of these! 😀 Great little car which I still love getting in each day after over a year of ownership. Best thing about it is that not everyone has one!

[riccapucho]

Hard to hear you over the noise that shirt's making, mate. Seriously, enjoying yer channel. Keep it up. Ric

[RikAindow]

Found this after watching your more recent drive of the Adam S. I think they're a great looking car but were the start of new cars going ridiculously expensive. I think this was £17.5k which for something smaller than the Corsa was a lot of money. Then again, the Fiat 500 variants, the DS3, and the Audi A1 etc were of a similar price point. Sadly the penny pinching is obvious, eg Vauxhall didn't bother relocating the heated seat switch to the drivers side for UK markets.

By the way, I love watching your older videos. None of the flashy graphics or sponsors, just a man reviewing a car and going in to great detail. I get sponsorship and video gloss help you stand out but these old videos are gold.

[HorrorbleGamer]

FINALLY, someone giving the Adam some love

[DANO]

And the award for the loudest shirt on YouTube goes 😂😂

[scotthastings]

Almost 100% set on this being my first car next month

[goinawol]

The issue between 17-21 is insurance. Cant insure one for less than 10k, some cars you cant even get quotes on with 2 years no claims

[Andy-puiv]

"There's only one problem with this car, and that's the shirt"... I heard that right, didn't I?

Keep it coming James. :-)

[connorprosser]

Bought the S as my first car at 18, no black box and I love the thing.

[StefABtv]

Really informative video mate, I think the Abarth aftermarket tuning market would also make it more of a popular choice than this but then again I don't really know much about these cars until this video and of course I would be biased towards Abarth lol

[tmphotography]

we have the 1.4 non turbo'ed version and I love it . pulls away quickly and is very comfortable, yes unless your a baby you wont fit in the back but as its my wifes she only needs it to get to work in . Much nicer drive than the Corsa ( NON ) Limited Edition she had before . As for size its actually taller than my Mitsubishi Lancer

[unreal]

Great review, the first I've seen of yours. I am considering it as a downgrade from my 200bhp Civic type R because I want something cheaper to run, still fun and newer than my civic and has a TURBO!
I really like that is something different. The Japanese manufactures have a long history of small capacity turbo engines that can have the wick turned up. The Toyota Glanza is a pocket rocket. I'd love to see what a remap could get in this Vauxhall.

[adamsfamilydottwo]

Love the video and the car Bought one for my wife for our 40th wedding anniversary that sounds like we have plenty of money, I am not so sure about that! Its one of the quickest cars I have ever driven, Think I am in a position to say that as in my younger days I was South East Rally Champion, and had a Chevette HS and an Opel Ascona 400 road car sadly neither were mine. When I bought the car as a surprise gift they gave me nearly 3 grand discount, I just kept quiet, but the best bit is or name is Adams.

[scrapyardwarriorvlogging]

Just drove past Stratton Motor Company and this was sat on the forecourt!

[RoobehTunes]

I like the Adam for its looks but I couldn't put the seat back far enough and I'm not really a tall guy at 5'11. I might make that sacrifice though for a pokey one someday.

Being a bit obscure is a big plus for me!

[paulleggett]

Dipping into the back catalogue for some small car advice. Nice to see the evolution of the channel.. re the car, being a 1.4 t, it's very easy to get near 200bhp for not a lot of money. Rather this than an Abatth too.

[weeevilswine]

A quick tune will make these on par power wise with the corsa D vxr, same with the 1.4t corsas

[wetlettuce]

Did you borrow one of James May's shirts? I never knew Vauxhall made a fast version of the Adam I always thought of it as their equivalent to a Ka.

[jordanmcleod]

I’ve got the model down from that an I absolutely love it the only reason I would get this model is for the extra power other than that there both exactly the same