General Motors revealed today the new Vauxhall / Opel Cascada, which is a two-door, four-seat midsize convertible. The Opel Cascada measures 4,697 mm in length and 1,840 mm in width. Compared to the Astra Twin Top, the Cascada has a 71 mm longer wheelbase, a 56 mm wider front tread and a 70 mm wider rear one. It features an automatically retractable soft-top that opens / closes in 17 seconds, which can be operated at speeds of up to 30mph (50 km/h). The new soft-top of Opel's Cascada offers an improved acoustic and thermal insulation thanks to a special layer of polyester fleece. To soften the open-top experience offered by the Cascada, Opel equips it with a HiPerStrut front suspension and a FlexRide adaptive damping system.
As any other new model, the Opel / Vauxhall Cascada come with LED DRLs and rear lights. At the interior, the Cascada comes with Nappa leather and ventilated, ergonomic AGR seats, a wing-shaped instrument panel, and an electric Easy Entry system. Even though it's a convertible, the Opel Cascada offers plenty of luggage space. With the top down, the boot capacity is rated at 280 liters. It can be increased to 350 liters by putting up the roof. The Cascada features 50:50 split rear seat back rests too.
Opel / Vauxhall is going to sell the Cascada with a range of engines, including a 1.4-liter turbocharged gasoline engine mated to a 6-speed manual transmission, which puts out 88 kW/120 hp or 103 kW/140 hp. Both versions offer a peak torque of 220 Nm. The Cascada 2.0 CDTI comes with a 6-speed automatic gearbox and promises 121 kW/165 hp and 380 Nm of torque (with overboost). Opel's top of the range Cascada model is going to be the 1.6 SIDI, which has a turbocharged ECOTEC gasoline engine that delivers 125 kW/170 hp between 1,650 and 3,200 rpm and 280 Nm of torque. This version of the Cascada is going to be available with both a 6-speed manual and an automatic gearbox.
The equipment list of the Vauxhall / Opel Cascada includes AFL+ Adaptive Forward Lighting, and a second generation Opel Eye front camera with Traffic Sign Recognition, Lane Departure Warning, Following Distance Indication and Forward Collision Alert. The Cascada will also offer a rear-view camera, Advanced Park Assist, Side Blind Spot Alert and Hill Start Assist. In case of a roll-over, the Cascada has a set of high-strength bars behind the rear seats, which deploy automatically.
The Opel Cascada's price list is going to be announced at a later date. In the UK, the Cascada is going on sale at the beginning of next year, with the first deliveries being scheduled for March 2013.
Opel / Vauxhall Cascada video:
