Mini Test Road Test
Had it not been for a chance conversation with Hans Demant, GM of Europe's genial engineering chief, we might have walked right past the Opel Trixx at the Geneva show last March. Dismissing it as just another microcar like DaimlerChrysler's Smart offerings is easy, as most of its innovation is under the skin. "It's worth a close look," said Demant. "The Trixx is a fully engineered, running car with some interesting technical solutions."
A few weeks later we did get a closer look during a drive in Germany. Turns out it was worth it, as the Trixx could be the year's cleverest concept car. It will never make it into a GM showroom, but as do all great concepts, it asks the question "What if?"
The Trixx is what GM designers handed in after being asked to create a car capable of carrying more than two people and their belongings in a vehicle no longer than 118.0 inches. In other words, a car with the advantages but not the disadvantages of a Smart ForTwo-in fact, a smarter Smart. The Trixx differs from the smaller Smart in that it is front-engined and has front-wheel drive.
It's tall because, as the skyscraper has demonstrated to the world, when there isn't a lot of space, the only way to go is up. Sitting 60.0 inches high gives the illusion of more space than there likely is, as well as presenting an SUV-like driving position. The high seating position meant a higher hood, which in turn meant that the radiator could move from being in front of the engine to being on top, thus saving some overall length. The car is 65.0 inches wide.
The "tri" part of the car's name refers to the three seating arrangements. The first is a standard two-seater configuration. The second involves an onboard compressor that inflates a rear luggage platform to become a back seat for one. How trick is that? The final configuration is for hauling small children in a child seat that folds out of the bulkhead behind the driver's seat.
To save space, the controls and the instruments are concentrated on a massive steering column. Machined from billet aluminum, the column looks futuristic and retro at the same time, like a '60s idea of a spaceship control center.
The little car is powered by a 1.3-liter turbocharged diesel from the GM/Fiat joint venture, coupled to a five-speed manual with an automated clutch and shifter that operates, as noted, from switches set into the rim of the unconventional steering wheel. The wheels are big-17 inches, which "help to make it look tough, not like a lightweight little car," says designer Michael Pickstone. The prototype has a pretty stiff suspension and not much body roll, so it is a more sporty drive than that of most tall, small cars.
The Trixx is a good idea incorporating many other good ideas. Opel says right now it doesn't need anything smaller than what's in the stable, the Corsa and the Agila. But with the fuel future very murky, the Trixx is ready and waiting.
