THE little Vauxhall Tigra was the prettiest of all the small coupe-convertibles until its demise in 2011.
Models from 2004 are now down to very reasonable prices - about £2,500 when bought privately – and they are really small sportscars rather than convertibles, since there are only two seats.
The base 1.4 engine has about 90bhp and has enough performance to plenty of fun.
But the Tigra was also available with a 123bhp 1.8 and with the 70 or 90bhp Vauxhall 1.3 turbo diesel, with no less than 60mpg economy.
However, despite the economy, the lower powered diesel is no fun at all, taking 15 seconds to gasp to 60 miles an hour.
The tiny roof doesn’t take up too much space in the boot, and it goes up and down at the touch of a button in just a few seconds.
The power steering is wonderful, the handling vice-free and the road-holding brilliant.
Interior
Comfort is reasonable despite the good road-holding and standard equipment is more than enough for most people, with air and electric windows, central locking and a good stereo.
The Tigra is very cheap to run, with low insurance, fuel consumption of 40mpg and reasonable servicing.
FAST FACTS
Vauxhall Tigra 1.4
Price: Pay about £5,900 for an ’08 08-reg AC, or £8,800 for an ’10 10-reg Exclusive
Mechanical: 88bhp, 1,364cc, 4cyl petrol engine driving front wheels via 5-speed manual gearbox
Max speed: 112mph
0-62mph: 12 seconds
Combined mpg: 46
Insurance group: 18
CO2 emissions: 146g/km
Main rival: Peugeot 207 CC
Motors.co.uk value verdict:
