At last, two months after they first appeared at the Frankfurt motor show, the new front wheel drive Opel Kadetts are to appear in car showrooms here - on November 14.
The new front wheel drive cars can handle well and safely, as I found on the twisting roads bordering the Rhine, and more recently on and around the racing circuit at Donington Park.
Britain gets only the 1.3 litre Kadett in six body styles - two-door and four-door saloon, three and five-door hatchback and three and five-door estates.
But they come in the three levels of trim (L, LS and GL) and there's a sporty SR and top trim specification Berlina.
No SRs were available for assessment, but the 1.3 GL which I drove would see 70mph in third, and 90mph before braking for the chicane before the pits.
On the handling course laid on by Goodyear the car recorded respectable times for the chicane and slalom courses, while the economy test of four laps of the circuit returned 49.9mpg at an average of 38mpg.
For its size the Kadett provides good rear seatspace and headroom and reasonable knee room for a cushion as low as it is.
The SR two-door has alloy road wheels, black spoiler, wheelarch extensions and special Recaro front seats.
Ease of maintenance is one of the design features - from the easily replaced self-adjusting clutch, to the maintenance-free front suspension and brake pads and floating caliper disc brakes.
Pricing will be from £3,000 to £4,500 plus.
