Vauxhall Cascada Convertible Review

"Road Magazine" (roadmag)
07/25/2014 at 12:35 • Filed to: vauxhall cascada, buick, opel

The Vauxhall (or Buick?) Cascada Convertible is a four-seater convertible with a lovely exterior and interior. Vauxhall claims it rivals the likes of the Audi A5 Convertible, BMW 3 Series Cabriolet and the Mercedes E-Class Coupe, but does it really? I had the chance to drive one to find out.

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I'm going to start this review off by mentioning that it has a fantastic name, Cascada. Over the years, Vauxhall's naming system has made no sense and if anything, just made their cars a lot more dull. However, things have changed, we now have the fantastic new Vauxhall Adam which is nippy, fun to drive and great to look at, the new Astra VXR, which is mind-blowingly fast for a hot hatch, and now this, the Cascada. Sounds very feminine doesn't t? Well, that femininity is certainly carried onto the Vauxhall Cascada Convertible's exterior. Anyway, let's crack things on with performance.

Engine options include 138bhp 1.4-litre and 168bhp 1.6-litre turbocharged petrols, and 163bhp or 192bhp 2.0-litre CDTi turbodiesels. All drive the front wheels through six-speed manual or automatic gearboxes. Through our tests, we found that the 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol with the manual transmission definitely is the sweetspot. The engine in question produces 163bhp, which feels plentiful on the road. It's rev happy, and devotes its 207lb-ft torque to low RPM's making it easy to drive.

Petrol heads will be a little disappointed as the Cascada doesn't offer much fun factor, but that wasn't the point of this car. It was made to be a drop-top cruiser, and it does so beautifully. With the torquey 1.6-litre engine, roof down, the Vauxhall Cascada starts to make sense. It's been set up to be a relaxing, economical cruiser which is sprung for comfort and refinement.

Priced from Ł24,030, value for money is at the heart of the car's appeal. With the right options, the Vauxhall Cascada's price can pitch well over Ł30,000. For that sort of money, you get the Elite model, with many things such as bluetooth and iPod connectivity as standard. The centre console is still a little cluttered, but you get used to what does what.

The Vauxhall Cascada is pretty practical too. You can get four adult-sized seats and a reasonable boot of up to 350 litres. The general space in the cabin is huge, giving the driver their own space in the cabin. Claustrophobics fear not! Second row headroom's a little limited, but both legroom and headroom are good enough for large teenagers.

So to conclude, does it rival an Audi A5 Cabriolet? No, not really. It's just not quite there yet, it is a good car, but that's all it is. It isn't great, or special, or even engaging. Thing of it as a Renault Megane Convertible, but with a bit more kit and quality.

Is it coming to the US? Well, probably as a Buick -

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DISCUSSION (15)

area man > Road Magazine
07/25/2014 at 12:39

Kinja'd!!!

I'm not a huge fan of how the A pillar is barely angled up from the hood. The wedge look just doesn't do it for me - reminds me of a Civic.

Road Magazine > area man
07/25/2014 at 12:42

The front end is basically a Vauxhall Astra, so it is pretty dull. But in the flesh, from the side on, the Cascada does look really nice. Definitely a lot better than a Renault Megane Convertible.

Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. > area man
07/25/2014 at 12:43

Kinja'd!!!

At least it's not as bad as this.

Brian, The Life of > Road Magazine
07/25/2014 at 12:49

Kinja'd!!!

rackintosh > Road Magazine
07/25/2014 at 12:49

So does it rival the A5 or 3 Series Cabriolet?

rackintosh > Road Magazine
07/25/2014 at 12:49

So does it rival the A5 or 3 Series Cabriolet?

rackintosh > Road Magazine
07/25/2014 at 12:49

So does it rival the A5 or 3 Series Cabriolet?

rackintosh > Road Magazine
07/25/2014 at 12:49

So does it rival the A5 or 3 Series Cabriolet?

Road Magazine > rackintosh
07/25/2014 at 12:51

Oops, need to update with the conclusion. In short, no, it rivals the Renault Megane Convertible.

RedPir8Roberts > Road Magazine
07/25/2014 at 12:51

Kinja'd!!!

I can't decide if this design feature of a chrome spear extending into the taillights was stolen from Porsche, or if Vauxhall and Porsche both nicked it from some much older (1950s, probably, maybe even earlier) car. Either way, it has an obvious tacked-on look on the cars featuring it today (Boxster, and this car) in a time when chrome is used sparingly to begin with. Also, this looks like it could have a Chrysler 200 / 300 or Sebring designation. And the back looks kind of Eos, which is odd because it's a softtop, not a hard roof convertible that requires such room. So you'd think they could have made the back deck just a little less blocky, but the wedge shape they are going for may have dictated this to a point. Overall, though, it's not bad looking and the more convertibles out there, the less chance some bureaucrats will decide to impose rollover standards that kill them entirely, as everyone feared would happen in the 1970s.

Meatcoma > Road Magazine
07/25/2014 at 14:03

Interior shots?

Anthony Miller > Road Magazine
07/25/2014 at 15:47

Kinja'd!!!

I don't know why this is but with the top up, this convertible makes a damn fine looking coupe.

Top down, just kinda makes me think VW.

DSTC-Offf > Road Magazine
07/26/2014 at 07:14

Kinja'd!!!

I found myself gawking at these more often than not while in Europe

OldcarsNmusic > Road Magazine
07/26/2014 at 19:57

"(T)orquey" and "1.6 litre engine"...who'da thunk those two terms would ever be said together? With all the neat things going on it's a great time to be a gearhead!

Shiftright > Road Magazine
07/27/2014 at 15:41

I prefer the Megane vastly. Wonder it this is as 'reliable' as an Audi though.