The Opel Combo is a panel van and

leisure activity vehicle Minivan (sometimes called simply as van) is a North American car classification for vehicles designed to transport passengers in the rear seating row(s), with reconfigurable seats in two or three rows. The equivalent classification in Europe is ...

from the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

automaker

Opel Opel Automobile GmbH (), usually shortened to Opel, is a German automobile manufacturer which has been a subsidiary of Stellantis since 16 January 2021. It was owned by the American automaker General Motors from 1929 until 2017 and the PSA Grou ...

. The Combo first appeared in 1993, a second generation model was introduced in 2001, and the third was manufactured from December 2011 to December 2017, based on the

Fiat Doblò The Fiat Doblò is a panel van and leisure activity vehicle produced by Italian automaker Fiat since 2000. It was unveiled at the Paris Motor Show in October 2000. A second-generation Doblò succeeded the original vehicle in 2010 for most market ...

. The name "Combo" was previously applied as a suffix to a three-door panel van body style of Opel Kadett E from 1986 until 1993. Opel/Vauxhall joined Groupe PSA in March 2017: the fourth generation Combo, launched in March 2018, shares the platform and bodywork of the Peugeot Rifter and Partner, as well as the

Citroën Berlingo The Citroën Berlingo and Peugeot Partner are a range of multi-purpose vehicles produced by the PSA Group and later by Stellantis. They are sold both as panel vans for use as commercial vehicles and as a passenger variant with rear seats and ...

. The Combo B and Combo C share platforms, vital components and some body panels with contemporary subcompact

Opel Corsa The Opel Corsa is a supermini car engineered and produced by the German automobile manufacturer Opel since 1982. Throughout its existence, it has been sold under a variety of other brands owned by General Motors (most notably Vauxhall, Chev ...

s, which used to be a typical pedigree for such a vehicle. The generations are denoted ''B'' and ''C'' in typical Opel fashion, but Holden applied the codes ''SB'' and ''XC'' respectively, reflecting the relation with SB and XC Holden Barinas (Opel Corsa B and C, respectively).

Kadett Combo (Combo A; 1986)

The Opel Kadett Combo was introduced in January 1986, and finished production in August 1993. It was based on the

Opel Kadett The Opel Kadett is a small family car produced by the German automobile manufacturer Opel from 1936 until 1940 and then from 1962 until 1991 (the Cabrio continued until 1993), when it was succeeded by the Opel Astra. Kadett I (1936–1940) ...

small family car The C-segment is the 3rd category of the European segments for passenger cars and is described as "medium cars". It is equivalent to the Euro NCAP "small family car" size class, and the compact car category in the United States. In 2011, the C ...

. It was built in the United Kingdom, at Ellesmere Port by

Vauxhall Vauxhall ( ) is a district in South West London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. Vauxhall was part of Surrey until 1889 when the County of London was created. Named after a medieval manor, "Fox Hall", it became well known for ...

until January 1989. This was when the model was facelifted, with a new grille separate from the bumper (as for the Kadett). At the same time, production was transferred to Azambuja, Portugal and the vans were now built by

. In Germany, it was sold with a 1.3 litre petrol engine or a 1.6 (later 1.7) litre diesel unit. The 1.3 petrol unit was then changed to a 1.4. Buyers in some countries, including the United Kingdom, also had the choice of a 1.6-liter petrol unit. Opel Kadett Combo 1

In the United Kingdom, the three door estate based van was known as both the Bedford and Vauxhall Astravan, and the high roof van as the Bedford Astramax, later sold as a Vauxhall. The changeover from Bedford to Vauxhall took place on 1 June 1990, as Bedfords were better known as a producer of heavier trucks. The Astramax was available in base or somewhat better equipped L versions. Both models were offered in 365 or 560 versions, referring to the payload in kilograms. Vauxhall Astramax 365 van

Combo B (1993-2001)

The first generation of Combo, launched in October 1993, was based heavily on the Opel Corsa B, launched six months earlier. The front part (up to the B-pillar) is practically identical with the Corsa (except for the roof spoiler), but the platform (and thus wheelbase and the body in general) is extended to accommodate a tall, boxy cargo compartment, capable of carrying a Europallet. The Combo B had symmetrical twin rear doors that opened to the side (rather than a single tailgate). These are counted as a single "door" when referring to the body style as three door. Following the increasing popularity of

s, Opel launched a five passenger version of the Combo in the summer of 1995, called ''Opel Combo Tour''. It differed from the panel van version by having the cargo section fitted with side windows, and a three-passenger split folding bench seat. Although Combo's primary market was Europe, it has also been sold on other continents, in markets where GM traditionally use Opel derived models. As the

Azambuja Azambuja () is a municipality in the Portuguese district of Lisbon, in the historical region of Ribatejo (and the sole municipality of within the district that does not belong to the historical province of Estremadura). The population in 2011 wa ...

Opel plant in Portugal is the sole production site of all Combos, all those models were replaced gradually with the Combo C in 2001. The Combo was also produced in relatively small numbers by SAIC subsidiary SAIC-Yizheng as the "Shanghai Auto (Shangqi) ''Saibao'' SAC6420", equipped with the same 1.6 litre engine and five speed manual transmission as the Buick Sail. Built from 2002 until 2005, there was also a DeLuxe version available, with alloy wheels and other extras. Holden in Australia launched the SB series Combo in February 1996. It offered the 1.4 litre ''

C14NZ The Family 1 is a straight-four piston engine that was developed by Opel, a former subsidiary of General Motors and now a subsidiary of PSA Group, to replace the Opel cam-in-head engines for use on mid-range cars from Opel/Vauxhall. Originally p ...

'' engine, upgraded to '' C14SE'' specification in 1997. Sales continued until 2002, although the last SB Combos were built in 2001, but complianced as models of 2002. Production of the Combo A ended in August 2001.

Gallery

File:Holden Combo (SB) van.JPG, Holden Combo (SB) van File:Vauxhall minivan green.JPG, Vauxhall Combo van File:Opel Combo rear 20080625.jpg, Opel Combo B File:Shanghai_GM_Sabre_China_2015-04-14.jpg, Shanghai Auto Saibao SAC6420 File:Shanghai GM Sabre rear China 2012-04-08.jpg, Shanghai Auto Saibao SAC6420 (rear)

Names and markets

* Opel Combo – Europe (except for United Kingdom) and Chile before the rebranding in the end of the 1990s * Vauxhall Combo – United Kingdom * Holden Combo – Australia, New Zealand * Chevrolet Combo – Chile * Shanghai Auto Saibao SAC6420 - China

Engines

* 1.4 L I4 8V ,

Ecotec Ecotec (capitalized ECOTEC, from 'Emissions Control Optimization TEChnology') is a General Motors (GM) and Opel Automobile GmbH (Opel) trademark that refers to a series of emissions technologies that were implemented throughout a range of GM engine ...

* 1.6 L I4 8V

* 1.7 L I4 8V Circle-L Diesel

Combo C (2001-2012)

The second generation was launched at the

Frankfurt Motor Show The International Motor Show Germany or International Mobility Show Germany, in German known as the ''Internationale Automobil-Ausstellung'' (''IAA'' – International Automobile Exhibition), is one of the world's largest mobility shows. It cons ...

, in September 2001. While most competitors severed their connections with their subcompact brethren, Opel decided to base the vehicle on the Corsa again. The use of subcompact Gamma platform constrained the overall width of the vehicle. The front clip is thus still shared with the Corsa, although now only back to the A-pillar. This allowed Opel to more fully integrate the overall design of the car, giving it a "flush" look more in line with its competitors. Compared to previous generation, the Combo C gained sliding rear side doors (versions with either single passenger side door or double doors are available). Sales began in October 2001. An ''Opel Combo Tour'' version was also introduced, followed by ''Opel Combo Tour Tramp'' (Combo Tour Arizona in some markets), in an effort to attract

buyers. Combo Tour Tramp/Arizona was thought as a more off road recreational vehicle. It features enhanced suspension tuning, increased ground clearance, chassis protection covers and numerous styling details that differentiate it from standard Combo Tours, with the intention to conjure a sturdy, outdoor sports related image. The ''Combo Tour'' was not offered by

in the United Kingdom. Commercial van versions retained the symmetrical twin rear doors, while the Tour versions have an option of a single tailgate (opening to the top). The tailgate is standard on Tour Tramp/Arizona. In December 2006, the

, Portugal factory closed down, and the production of the Opel Combo transferred to

Zaragoza Zaragoza, also known in English as Saragossa,''Encyclopædia Britannica'"Zaragoza (conventional Saragossa)" is the capital city of the Province of Zaragoza, Zaragoza Province and of the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Ara ...

, Spain in 2007. Holden in Australia launched the XC series Combo in September 2002. It offered the 1.6 litre '' Z16SE'' engine, upgraded to 1.4 litre '' Z14XEP'' specification in December 2004 for the MY05 update. Although production ended in the end of 2011, Holden in Australia and New Zealand stockpiled sufficient Combo inventory to last until 2013, with the final 2011 build vehicles complianced in the beginning of 2012. In August 2013, CarAdvice announced that the Holden Combo had been quietly discontinued, and will not be replaced by the Combo D, available to European customers. Production of the Combo C ended in the end of 2011, in time for the December 2011 launch of the Combo D, which is based on the

Gallery

File:2006 Holden XC Combo (MY05) van 01.jpg, Holden Combo (XC) van File:Opel Combo C front.jpg, Opel Combo C Tour File:Opel Combo C rear.jpg, Opel Combo C Tour File:2006 Vauxhall Combo 2000 CDTi 16V 1.2 Front (1).jpg, Vauxhall Combo File:Vauxhall Combo interior.jpg, Interior

Names and markets

* Opel Combo – Europe (except for United Kingdom) and Singapore * Vauxhall Combo – United Kingdom * Holden Combo – Australia, New Zealand * Chevrolet Combo – Chile

Engines

* 1.3L 1.3 CDTI Ecotec * 1.4L I4 16V

DOHC An overhead camshaft (OHC) engine is a piston engine where the camshaft is located in the cylinder head above the combustion chamber. This contrasts with earlier overhead valve engines (OHV), where the camshaft is located below the combustion cha ...

TwinPort Ecotec * 1.6L I4 8V

SOHC An overhead camshaft (OHC) engine is a piston engine where the camshaft is located in the cylinder head above the combustion chamber. This contrasts with earlier overhead valve engines (OHV), where the camshaft is located below the combustion cha ...

* 1.6L I4 16V

CNG

* 1.3L I4 16V

CDTI * 1.7L (Y17DTL) I4 16V

DI 65bhp * 1.7L (Y17DT) I4 16V

DTI 75bhp * 1.7L (Z17DTH) I4 16V

CDTI

Combo D (2012-2018)

The third generation Combo was manufactured from January 2012 to December 2018, and was based on the

. The third generation Combo was manufactured in

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula ...

Tofaş Tofaş (acronym for ''Türk Otomobil Fabrikası Anonim Şirketi''; ''Turkish Automobile Factory Joint-Stock Company'' pronounced ) is a Turkish automobile manufacturer which was established in 1968 by Vehbi Koç, who was the founder of Koç Ho ...

. Sales began in January 2012.

Gallery

File:Opel Combo 1.6 CDTI Edition (D) – Heckansicht, 18. März 2012, Wuppertal.jpg, Opel Combo D File:Opel Combo Kastenwagen 1.6 CDTI (D) – Frontansicht, 5. September 2012, Wuppertal.jpg, Opel Combo D File:Opel Combo Kastenwagen 1.6 CDTI (D) – Heckansicht, 5. September 2012, Wuppertal.jpg, Opel Combo D File:2013 Vauxhall Combo 2000 L1H1 CDTi 1.2 Front.jpg, Vauxhall Combo Mk 3

Engines

Combo E (2018)

The fourth generation Combo was unveiled at the 2018

Geneva Motor Show The Geneva International Motor Show is an annual auto show held in March in the Swiss city of Geneva. The show is hosted at the Palexpo, a convention centre located next to the Geneva Cointrin International Airport. The Salon is organised by t ...

. It is a sister model to the

and Peugeot Rifter and Partner, as

Groupe PSA The PSA Group (), legally known as Peugeot S.A. (Peugeot Société Anonyme, trading as Groupe PSA; formerly known as PSA Peugeot Citroën from 1991 to 2016) was a French multinational automotive manufacturing company which produced automobiles ...

bought Opel in March 2017.

Gallery

File:2018 Vauxhall Combo Life Energy CDTi 1.5 Rear.jpg, Rear File:2018 Opel Combo Life Leonberg IMG 0162.jpg, Interior File:2018 Vauxhall Combo Life Turbo Diesel Middle Seats.jpg, Middle Seats File:2018 Vauxhall Combo 2000 Edition 1.6 Front.jpg, Vauxhall Combo Van File:2018 Vauxhall Combo Life Energy CDTi 1.5 Front.jpg, Vauxhall Combo Life

Notes

References

External links

Official Opel Combo website
{{Vauxhall Motors Combo Euro NCAP small MPVs Vans Mini MPVs Front-wheel-drive vehicles 1990s cars 2000s cars 2010s cars Vehicles introduced in 1994 Cars of Turkey