Up the road, at Opel's headquarters in Russelsheim in 1999, the engineers took the little Astra hatchback (the car the Buick Cascada was based on) and gave it a high roof and long body. The result?

Less than a decade ago, the eight-branded automaker couldn't have enough trucks, SUVs and vans, but now it finds models like the ... another great small car, the Opel Adam. After spending time ...