Opel Arena

The Opel Arena was a small van produced from December 1997 to February 2000. As a replacement for the Isuzu Midi, General Motors took over the Renault Trafic with slight modifications. The model was sold in England as the Vauxhall Arena and in Brazil as the Chevrolet Space Van. It came as a minibus with up to eight seats or as a panel van, each optionally with a high roof. The front-wheel-drive van had a 1.9 or 2.5 litre four-cylinder diesel engine with 44 kW (60 PS) or 55 kW (75 PS). The kerb weight is given as 1,300 kg and the load volume is about 5.3 cubic metres. Sales were modest despite central locking, an electronic immobiliser and anti-lock brakes as standard, because the technology, especially the pre-chamber injection engines, was dated: the Trafic had already been on the market for more than 15 years. The 1.9 litre reached 118 km/h and the 2.5 litre 128 km/h. The Opel Vivaro replaced it from September 2001.