The Opel Ampera-e differs in design from what Opel had to offer in those years. The explanation for this is quickly found: this electric Opel is actually a relabeled Chevrolet Bolt, imported from America. That did not spoil the fun, because for a price starting at just under 33,000 euros, a promising EV was on the doorstep. Is it also a practical EV? In terms of design, the Ampera-e is somewhere between a hatchback and an MPV. Although the car can be quite practical, we see that few users really pay attention to that. It was also the time when electric cars competed with each other purely because of their electric drive. Nevertheless, the users who do report something about the ease of use are very satisfied. “After a test drive, the interior space turned out to be sufficient for my two-meter height. Even behind me, people who are above average tall can sit comfortably,” says the driver of an Ampera-e Business Executive. The driver of a slightly younger model thinks so too. “The back seat has ample legroom for adults, although you do have to bend your head when getting in and out. In my opinion, three adults cannot sit there comfortably for long periods of time, but two adults and a child in between is perfectly doable.” This driver also has almost exclusively positive things to say about the boot space. “That space continues in the boot at the back. There is no engine and no battery pack in the floor; so the boot is deep, long and wide. There is still room for a charging cable and a warning triangle under the boot. The cover cloth on strings is a bit clumsy.” Another small point of criticism: “Due to the depth of the boot, you also do not have a flat loading floor when you fold the back seat forward.” Seat comfort a sore point We read more comments about the seats and in this case that is not good news. The next driver even considers this to be the most important drawback of his car. “Mediocre seats, of which the leather of the seat of the driver’s seat is no longer neat and tight after five months,” he writes. “The seats in the front are really quite narrow, your shoulder blades dig into the ‘cheeks’ of the front seats,” says another driver. The next driver experiences even more problems, so much so that he has had the seats adjusted. “The somewhat longer journeys made it understandable to me why the seats are judged not to be of optimal quality,” he begins. “I am not bothered by the short seat. Although the odometer only showed 2,000 kilometers, the seat of the driver’s seat felt as if it sank a bit too deeply. In my case, it was not the seat but the tailbone that was on a kind of crossbar and that starts to irritate after a few kilometers.” The solution: “The new leather upholstery and the raising of the seat of the front seats by two centimeters have improved the seating comfort considerably.” A fourth driver is aware of the complaints, but does not experience them himself yet. “For the time being, I like sitting in the driver’s seat, although I have heard and read different impressions from America: firm and high, with back support on both sides.” On the road with the electric Opel The seats can therefore count on few compliments. What about the road handling of the Ampera-e? “The Ampera-e sits like a block on the road,” the owner of a 2020 model summarizes his experience. “Automatically moving your head along in a nice bend is much less necessary. The car does not lean that much. The steering is a bit firm and the steering wheel has to be held firmly if you want to turn the corner.” Not surprising with 360 newton meters of instant torque on the front wheels. “The road holding is stable and the car steers quite directly,” says the owner of an Ampera-e Innovation from 2017. “Driving is a joy: quiet, fast and easy. I regularly drive without touching my brake pedal because there is a regeneration button behind the steering wheel that works so hard that you brake on the dynamo (with brake lights). If you put the car in L-mode, this already happens when you let go of the accelerator pedal a little.” A driver who switched from a Peugeot 308 SW experiences the following. “The wheelbase is short and the car is heavy (over 1,600 kg). I do miss the comfort of the Peugeot a little. The suspension is firm and is a bit more agile due to the short wheelbase, but on the highway it is great to be in the Ampera-e.” So it seems to be a matter of what you are used to, an image that is confirmed by the next driver. “A lot of wind noise, which certainly does not make the car quieter than my previous Volvos and BMWs,” he thinks. To continue: “Little feedback from chassis and steering (a bit vague).” With the Ampera-e, Opel is not only attracting users who are driving electric for the first time. The next driver switched from a Mercedes-Benz B-Class Electric Drive. “The suspension comfort is comparable,” is his conclusion. “Good, with clearly noticeable short ridges, whereby the rear axle of the Mercedes is even more bumpy than that of the Opel.” Here too, a comment on the sound comfort: “The wind noise around the exterior mirrors is less. As a result, the car is less quiet from speeds above 80 km/h, but without it being annoying.” Users are moderately enthusiastic about the driver assistance systems. For example, one driver notes that the systems do not work well in moderate weather conditions. Another driver finds it striking that the car does detect people in front, but that the cruise control does not respond to this. Maintenance, malfunctions and irritations When it comes to maintenance and repair sensitivity, you cannot ignore the battery with the Ampera-e. All cars have been recalled due to a possible error in the battery construction. To fix this, the entire battery pack has been replaced by a brand new one with approximately ten percent more capacity. What is not fixed is the slow charging: the Ampera-e can only charge via one phase and that does not suit every owner equally well. New battery packs were not immediately available, which meant that owners had to wait a long time for the change. In the meantime, they were not allowed to charge or discharge the battery too far, for which Opel compensated with around ten euros per day. “On the one hand, I’m happy that the battery thing is finally over, but the compensation for all the misery has also come to an end and that was a nice bit of extra money,” writes the owner of an Ampera-e from 2019. Apart from this remarkable case, which you can benefit from as a used car buyer, the Ampera-e driver camp consists of two halves. One never has any problems and is not bothered by anything, while the other is considerably more critical. We highlight a few striking things. “My copy turned out not to be entirely problem-free, because the maintenance light came on almost immediately after purchase,” writes a used car buyer. “I thought: just reset it, but it turned out that a control unit (1,000 euros!) had to be replaced and ultimately the air conditioning pump as well. That was all done under the factory warranty, but I had to find out for myself that this was still under warranty.” Another driver had to repair some minor damage. “The parts are very expensive,” he discovered. “Suddenly, probably because of a cyclist, I had a hole in the rear light. A rear light unit cost 945 euros at the dealer! After replacing it (I did it myself), I saw a GM sticker on the old rear light. I googled the number and at the official GM store in the United States this rear light cost 295 dollars.” He concludes with a tip: “Regularly use the brakes to polish the rust off the discs. In my case, the discs were rejected during the MOT due to rust holes from too much one-pedal driving.” Then there is one more important experience of owners. How many kilometers can they drive with their Ampera-e between charges? You can read that in the following article: This is how far the Opel Ampera-e gets in practice. We appreciate it if you want to contribute by keeping track of the AutoWeek Consumption Monitor or by writing a user review in which you share your experiences with the car. That really helps potential buyers!
Source: www.autoweek.nl
