Regional Press Event, Wigan

The Cascada has been on the market for nearly 12 months now, but this was the first time we have had chance to drive one. The only previous encounter with this car was a couple of years ago at GM’s HQ in Frankfurt, when we had a full brief and presentation from the design team and engineers, and of course the sales department who sung its praises and told us just how good it was. But is it?

Vauxhall brought quite a few vehicles to Wigan for a regional press event, where you could see and drive many of the company’s products. The Cascada caught our attention, so we picked up the keys for one and off we went around the countryside to see how good it was, not the scenery, but the car that is.

The weather in the afternoon was not exactly ideal convertible weather. But while we had the car we drove with the hood down most of the time. It takes just a few seconds for it to lower or raise, and all with the press of a button. It works extremely well, with no jerky movements or signs of it jamming or any of the many parts involved being in the wrong place at the wrong time. It was all very smooth.

The Cascada is based on the Astra platform, but does not resemble it in any way in terms of design. It shares lots of “under the skin” parts with the Astra though. This has helped keep the costs down, although there is no Astra convertible in Vauxhall’s range. 

The Cascada will be regarded by many as the Astra convertible, despite it having different looks, a different name and being in a completely different price bracket. It is a four-seater with two good-sized seats in the rear, easily adequate for adults. The boot is a reasonable size and is in line with other cars in this category.

The car we drove was fitted with a 1.6 litre 16v petrol engine with direct fuel injection and a turbocharger that produces 200 ps. It accelerates from 0-60 mph in 8.5 seconds and has a top speed 146 mph. The CO2 emission figure is 158g/km with a combined fuel consumption figure is 42.2mpg, although we didn’t get chance to test this driving around Wigan.

The Cascada is well built and shows a high degree of quality throughout including the dual layered roof which is as good, if not better than the equivalent German premium brands. It is obvious that GM have spent a lot of time and money designing, developing and testing the roof, its materials and mechanism. Ensuring it is perfect in every detail and works exactly as it’s supposed to every time it is lowered or raised.

Driving around Wigan was not the most glamorous venue we have tested a new car in. But it was not the place or scenery we were there for, it was to drive the Cascada. It does drive nice, but not exceptional; the 200ps power was not evident and was a bit disappointing. We expected a bit better acceleration, although it wasn’t slow off the mark, it wasn’t quick either, just very average. I think the roof mechanism and the extra strengthening to the shell just add too much extra weight which prevents it from being as nimble as we hoped.

The list of standard equipment on the Elite is simply endless and includes: cruise control, LED rear lights, 18 inch alloy wheels, dual-zone electronic climate control and heated front seats to name but a few!

Getting the photographs of the car near Wigan was not easy either. We parked the car, in a nice setting near a farm. To say the farmer was not impressed is an understatement. He thought we were taking photographs of his farm, which he did not like. It took some persuasion to make him realise that our camera was pointing at the car, and not his buildings. We did eventually leave on good terms though. It would have been easier taking pictures in a war-torn area of the world; probably less dangerous and confrontational too.

The on the road price of the car we tested was £28,310. Although the standard equipment list is vast, you can still add more equipment such as Sat Nav, premium leather, pearlescent paint, FlexRide and 19 inch alloy wheels. With these added the list price jumps to around £33,000, which is getting a bit steep. 

The Cascada is well built, looks good, but is up against some very good, tried and tested and well established competition.

The trouble is that the competition offers a more premium badge and is overall a more premium product, which is so important to the owners and drivers in this sector.

Martin Ward, Manufacturer Relationship Manager