First drive: Vauxhall Agila

Vauxhall's shifted over 440,000 Agila's throughout Europe since the its debut in 2000, but can the new model capitalise on the fast growing city car sector? We find out.

Filling a gap?
The first-generation Agila, launched in 2000, filled a gap in the Vauxhall range for a dedicated city car. Built by Suzuki and based on the boxy Wagon R, the new car, which goes on sale early next month. Vauxhall maintains that this time round the Agila is very much a joint venture. The design work was completed in a special German-based Suzuki design studio although it's still built alongside its Suzuki-badged sister car, the Splash.

Typically Vauxhall?
From the front, the Agila looks typically Vauxhall. Worthy of particular mention are the distinctive grille, almond-shaped headlight units (similar to the current Corsa's). The look is different to the Suzuki Splash with its sharper nose.

Distinctive rear
At the back of the Agila the rear light clusters dominate. They follow the tapering line of the C-pillars and define the rear styling. Other typical Vauxhall design features include the trademark raised crease line along the sides. In my view, it's far more distinctive than its predecessor, though I wouldn't go as far as to call it good-looking.

The inside story
Inside, because of the boxy dimensions, there's plenty of space in the back and the front. One of the cars we drove was finished in Atlanta Blue complete with blue seat trim, door panels and dashboard inserts - all of which help lift what would otherwise be a mass of plastic. I liked the white-backed speedo and the dashboard mounted rev-counter pod (on Club and Design trims), which is surely a nod at the Smart Fortwo. All the interior room doesn't come at the expense of boot space - there's up to 1,050 litres. Club and Design trims also feature a clever 35-litre hidden Flexload false floor. Sadly, it's not all good news, as the column stalks feel insubstantial and the steering wheel, although good to hold, feels cheap without the leather trim of the range-topping Design version.

On the road
We got to drive the 85bhp 1.2 16-valve petrol and the 74bhp 1.3 CDTi diesel - available for the first time in the Agila. The 1.2-litre petrol unit lacks character, but is keen to rev, and the dash-mounted five-speed gearbox is slick. The 1.3 CDTi is the one I'd buy though, previously voted as an engine of the year, 62mph comes up in a rather pedestrian 14.8 seconds, but that's not the point. The diesel engine is torquey, frugal (70.6mpg) and refined. Always willing, the CDTi Agila emits just 120g/km of CO2, meaning that under new tax rules an owner would pay just £30 per year. The ride is good rather than refined, plus the handling is safe and confident rather than inspiring.

Tiscali verdict: 8/10 Overall, I liked the new Agila, and think that this car will appeal to a wider selection of buyers than it's predecessor. Not the cheapest or most interesting car in its class, but the Agila looks neat, is spacious and in diesel form boasts excellent economy.

Fancy a closer look? Check out our New Vauxhall Agila gallery

page: 1 | 2