Everything For The Girl
by David Morgan (20 Jun 05)

If ever an affordable modern sports car captured the lure of the legendary MG Midget/Austin Healey Sprite it has to be Vauxhall's clever Tigra. Like its nemeses it appeals to women more than men and has the lightweight feel of a car built on a budget, but for all that the new Tigra is a successful low-cost two-seater.

Underneath its brash and lightweight body panels is a lithe chassis which blesses this tiny two-seater with balanced handling and excellent roadholding. The floorpan is Corsa, the rear subframe Meriva and the rest of the suspension from the Astra family. It means the French-built metal-lidded roadster has modest underpinnings and lacks the tub and chassis of the world's finest handling sports car, the Vauxhall VX220/Lotus Elise. But unlike the VX220 and its clone there's nothing to challenge the front-wheel drive Tigra in terms of power.

Of its three engine options the new £14,595 1.3-litre 70bhp CDTi turbodiesel is the most interesting, but lacks even the modest punch of its petrol stablemate - the sweet 1.4 litre 16-valver with 90bhp. At the top of the tree there's a 1.8 litre 125bhp flagship model which delivers a little more excitement than the 1.4 but costs £850 more than the impressive £14,500 1.4i Sport I'm testing here.

The 1.4 offers the best balance of value, economy and performance. The Sport does have a cheaper sister powered by the same engine - an entry level Tigra costing £13,750. But the Sport wins on the equipment front with a boost in specification which adds to its appeal. Sport delivers dramatic 16" alloys and 45-section low-profile tyres, smart drilled-alloy pedals, a remote control alarm, leather-trimmed steering wheel, a stereo CD and MP3 player, an essential retaining net for a slot-like storage shelf behind the seats, wind break, front fogs and, unfortunately, cheap-looking aluminium-effect cabin trim. Metallic paint and air conditioning add another £325 and £500 respectively.

It adds up to a value package and includes the Tigra's coup de grace - a powered metal roof which tucks neatly away under its bustle-topped bootlid. It's that roof which singles out the affordable Tigra and turns it into a poor man's Mercedes SLK. Dropping the lid involves releasing two simple locking catches and letting the motor do the rest. Up and down takes no more than 20 seconds each way.

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