Vauxhall, Opel and Suzuki - or, to put it briefly, GM - must reckon the UK and European mini-people-carrier market is about to take off, or they wouldn't have got involved in such a fantastically complicated project as the Wagon R/Wagon R+/Agila affair.The Suzuki Wagon R is running riot sales-wise in Japan. But that's a smaller machine, built for the Japanese K-class, and, as Daihatsu found with the Move, not really the thing for this side of the world. There's a limited market here for a car which looks likely to skip sideways in the draught if somebody opens a shop door while it's passing, and gives the impression of being the work of a designer whose previous area of expertise was the matchbox.To get round that, Suzuki also builds a slightly larger European-market Wagon R+ at the Magyar Suzuki factory in Hungary, and the Agila is a Vauxhall/Opel-ised version, with ECOTEC engines. It's produced at an entirely different location, in Poland.So far, for UK motorists, MPCs have been very much an acquired taste. The big problem is that, however practical, dinky and easy about town they may be, some of them look like escapees from the Postman Pat cartoons. One early example, of another make, is the only car I've ever driven which caused people walking along the pavement to stop, point at it with derogatory gestures, and start jeering. Who wants to drive a car you don't want to be seen out with?Well, the Agila is different. For one thing, Vauxhall has fitted it with wheels above the usual MPC chair-castor size, and grafting on something like a Vauxhall "family" front end has de-freaked it somewhat.All the same, when it was announced, I wondered how Vauxhall dealers were ever going to get rid of their sales allocations. Then I picked up the test car, and . . . you know, this is a little machine with a lot going for it. In fact, there were occasions when it seemed more fun to drive than the Astra Coupé. Do I need my head examined? (See Second Opinion for details).The Agila is, first of all, a very good package. There's a lot of usable space bundled inside that short but high bodyshell, although don't run away with any ideas that the rear legroom is anything special.While cars like this are often promoted as "lifestyle" second transport for healthy young couples with 2.2 well-scrubbed children, the fact that the high build makes them so easy to get in and out of interests a lot of older, maybe retired customers.The interior is OK, although you can see there hasn't been a lot of money spent on modern design or fancy fabrics. Of course, why should there be, on a budget city car? And it's a long time since I drove a test car with so much play to take up on the gearlever movement.But the 16-valve 1.2-litre engine is pretty sprightly, especially with this modest weight to carry, and if you keep cornering speeds just below the point where body lean becomes excessive and understeer into hedges beckons, the Agila will scoot along remarkably quickly out on country roads.It's meant for city and suburban streets, and maybe pack-everything-in weekend trips. But when I took the Agila up into the hills, on some narrow roads with plenty of bends and long corners, brows and dips, it was close to whoopee time.You have to get this into proportion, of course. The Agila is no sports saloon. But isn't there a certain something about a modestly powered car which you can drive flat-out, without worrying about whether it's going to snap back and bite you?Very manoeuvrable about town, of course, with a tight turning circle. Easy to load at the back. Plenty of smaller stowage spaces, including pull-out drawers under the front seats. Economical, too. Keen price - although the one-litre at £455 less is the real budget version. A 12-year anti-perforation warranty. Low insurance rating.Hey, maybe these guys at Vauxhall aren't completely off their trolleys, after all.Second opinion: He certainly needs his head examined, but not because of anything written here. While others were bounding across the countryside in their Agilas, I was pretending to be a learner in quiet suburban streets. It was dead easy - and that, plus the practicality, is the whole point of this car. David Finlay. Engine 1199cc, 4 cylinders Power 73bhp Transmission 5-speed manual Fuel 43.4mpg Acceleration 0-60mph: 12.5 seconds Top speed 97mph Price £7450 Details correct at publication date
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