Opel Combo

Opel Combo at a glance

The Combo has always had front-wheel drive and a front-mounted engine, and it has always come first as a panel van, with a passenger version (Combo Tour, later Combo Life) alongside. Production moved with each partner: Ellesmere Port and Azambuja for the Kadett and Corsa-based vans, Zaragoza from 2007, Turkey for the Fiat-based Combo D, and the Stellantis plants in Vigo (Spain) and Mangualde (Portugal) for today's Combo E.

Figures from ADAC for the short-wheelbase 1.5 Diesel van. The long L2 version and the passenger Combo Life XL are longer; carwow lists the Combo Life at 4,760 mm.

Generations

Dates follow Wikipedia; ADAC's catalogue starts the Combo A in 1989 and the Combo B in 1995.

Combo A (1986-1993): the Kadett van

The first Combo, launched in January 1986, was a Kadett E with a tall cargo box behind the front doors. It was built at Ellesmere Port until January 1989 and then at Azambuja in Portugal; a facelift in January 1989 separated the grille from the bumper. German buyers got a 1.3 petrol (later 1.4) and a 1.6 diesel (later 1.7), and some markets, including Britain, also had a 1.6 petrol with 66 kW (90 PS). In the UK the van was first a Bedford, and from 1 June 1990 a Vauxhall.

Combo B (1993-2001): Corsa front, Euro-pallet back

Launched in October 1993, six months after the Corsa B, the second Combo used the Corsa's front up to the B-pillar and a stretched platform behind it. The square load area takes a Euro-pallet, and twin side-hinged rear doors were standard. The five-seat Combo Tour arrived in summer 1995. Engines ranged from a 1.4 petrol with 44 kW (60 PS) to 1.4 and 1.6 petrols with 60 kW (82 PS), plus a 1.7 diesel with 44 kW (60 PS). Holden sold it in Australia, and SAIC built a version in China until 2005.

Combo C (2001-2011): sliding doors

The third Combo was shown at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 2001 and went on sale in January 2002, again on the Corsa's Gamma platform. It brought sliding side doors, and the passenger Combo Tour gained a raised Tour Arizona (Tramp) version with extra ground clearance. Azambuja closed in December 2006, and production moved to Zaragoza in 2007.

Combo D (2011-2018): built by Tofas

For the fourth generation Opel turned to Fiat: the Combo D, on sale from January 2012, was a rebadged Fiat Doblo built by Tofas in Turkey. It was much larger than before, with a long-wheelbase version reaching 4,740 mm on a 3,105 mm wheelbase. Engines came from Fiat: a 1.4 petrol with 70 kW (95 PS), a 1.4 turbo with 88 kW (120 PS), a 1.4 turbo CNG, a 1.3 CDTI, a 1.6 CDTI with up to 88 kW and a 2.0 CDTI with 99 kW (135 PS) and 320 Nm.

Combo E (since 2018): the Stellantis triplet

Opel joined Groupe PSA in March 2017, and the fifth Combo, shown at the 2018 Geneva Motor Show, shares its body and platform with the Citroen Berlingo and Peugeot Partner and Rifter; the Toyota Proace City and the current Fiat Doblo are further siblings. Apart from the front end, the triplets are almost identical, as ADAC notes. The van comes in two lengths and as a five-seat crew van, and the passenger version is the Combo Life, with two lengths and up to seven seats.

The facelift for 2024 brought Opel's Vizor face, Intelli-Lux LED matrix headlights with 14 elements, two 10-inch screens and 18 driver-assistance systems. The electric version, first sold as Combo-e from 2021, gained a 50 kWh battery, a 100 kW (136 PS) motor with 270 Nm, a standard heat pump and up to 330 km of WLTP range, about 50 km more than before (Motor1).

Space, payload and towing

Opel quotes up to 4.4 m3 of load volume and up to 780 kg of payload for the facelifted Combo, the same for the electric and combustion versions, plus up to 750 kg of towing for the Electric. The diesel van tows more: ADAC lists 1,350 kg braked for the 1.5 Diesel 75 kW. The Combo Life offers almost 600 litres behind the second row and 2,126 litres with the rear seats folded, according to carwow, and fits three child seats across the back. Check the van against your garage with the garage fit checker.

Running costs and prices

ADAC lists the 1.5 Diesel 75 kW van at 5.2 l/100 km and 136 g/km on the WLTP cycle, rising to 6.1 l/100 km on the motorway. The Electric charges at 7.4 kW AC as standard, 11 kW as an option and up to 100 kW DC, reaching 80 percent in under 30 minutes.

ADAC list prices; ADAC does not state whether these commercial-vehicle prices include VAT. Compare costs with the cost of ownership calculator.

Safety

Euro NCAP published the Combo E's rating in October 2018 on the basis of tests on the Peugeot Rifter, which Euro NCAP considers identical apart from details that only affect pedestrian protection; the rating was four stars. A 2022 update confirmed that it also applies to the electric Combo-e Life. Our safety ratings page has the full list.

Reliability and known issues

None of the sources used for this article document generation-specific faults, so we do not list any. The Combo E shares its mechanical parts with the Citroen, Peugeot, Fiat and Toyota versions, so parts and specialist knowledge are easy to find.

Rivals

ADAC figures; the Kangoo row is the five-seat passenger model. The Citroen Berlingo, Peugeot Partner, Toyota Proace City, Fiat Doblo and Volkswagen Caddy compete in the same class.

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