VAUXHALL AGILA HATCHBACK 1.2 VVT SE 5DR AUTO

At last, Vauxhall has a strongly class-competitive citycar. Andy Enright on the second generation Vauxhall Agila.

VAUXHALL AGILA HATCHBACK 1.2 VVT SE 5DR AUTO

The demands placed on city cars grow ever more exacting with each passing generation. Time was when a city car needed only to be small, economical and cheap to insure. No longer. The Mk2 Vauxhall Agila must also satisfy those demanding better safety, higher quality, lower emissions and classier styling. First impressions look good. On paper, it looks equipped to tick all those boxes.

VAUXHALL AGILA HATCHBACK 1.2 VVT SE 5DR AUTO

Despite offering more of what really counts for city car drivers than Ford's cheeky Ka, the old Vauxhall Agila was just too boxy, too obviously Japanese and too clearly a rather cynical afterthought to really capture the public's imagination. Vauxhall were caught on the hop, not anticipating that demand existed for a car smaller and nippier than a Corsa but exist it did. Fast forward to today and as the Corsa has become bigger and more complex, the vacuum beneath it is even more apparent. Step forward the MK2 Agila. History has repeated itself in one sense insofar as the Agila is once again a shape you'll see in Suzuki form - their car dubbed the Splash - but Vauxhall thinks their version will create bigger ripples and become the big fish in the small car pond.

VAUXHALL AGILA HATCHBACK 1.2 VVT SE 5DR AUTO

Although Vauxhall are once again sharing technology with Suzuki, this time round things are being worked on a rather different basis. This is no outdated hand-me-down, the latest Agila sporting a bang up to date chassis and three engines that are certainly class competitive at the very least. The line up opens with a 64bhp 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol unit and continues with a punchier 85bhp 1.2-litre powerplant. This engine is also offered with the option of an automatic gearbox which would certainly take the strain out of nose-to-tail city traffic.

VAUXHALL AGILA HATCHBACK 1.2 VVT SE 5DR AUTO

The key criterion that Vauxhall wouldn't diverge from is a requirement for five doors in a city car. Kia showed that this was a strong attractor with its five-door Picanto, an otherwise fairly unremarkable car that garnered big sales because buyers didn't fancy herniated discs by hauling a child seat in and out of a three-door car. The Agila integrates those doors a good deal more cleanly than many city tots, the rising waistline of the car giving it a dynamic, wedgy appearance, albeit to the slight detriment of a good view out for shorter kids in the back.

The rear seat backs can also be folded down to create a totally flat load floor, serving up a total of 1,150 litres of available space. Suzuki Splash sister model aside, no other city car can touch this. The hip point for the front seat has been deliberately set high to make getting in and out of the car easy, offering a commanding view of the road and taking advantage of that high roofline. The styling is neat and very well resolved. There's a certain degree of Mercedes A-Class in the wheel at each corner stance while the rear three-quarter has elements of Renault Modus to it. Overall, the Agila is a very clean and cohesive piece of work.

VAUXHALL AGILA HATCHBACK 1.2 VVT SE 5DR AUTO

The Agila will need to be at the top of its game to face down the best in the city car sector. Both Club and Design trim levels are offered with the Club variant delivering basics but little else. It has remote central locking, a CD stereo, front fog lights, the 60/40 split rear seat, electric front windows and electric heated door mirrors. If you want air-conditioning, you'll need to pay for it or get a Design model which also adds 15" alloy wheels, tinted glass and a leather steering wheel. Safety kit includes front and side airbags, ABS and EBA brake assist. The 1.0-litre models are now badged ecoFLEX to denote their fuel effiecency but they aren't altered in any way.

The Agila is coming equipped to do battle, with big car features such as optional ESP stability control and four airbags. It will certainly plump Vauxhall's bottom line up a bit better than the old Agila, a car which failed to make much of a dent in the public consciousness. Vauxhall has wisely retrenched and learned its lesson from that episode, incorporating the best assets of that car - its space and five-door form - with the style and engineering of a Ford Ka or a Fiat Panda. The choice of a diesel engine certainly isn't going to hurt sales, even if it is on the pricey side.

VAUXHALL AGILA HATCHBACK 1.2 VVT SE 5DR AUTO

When it comes to running costs, it's hard to criticise a car that, in 1.0-litre form, can exist on group 2 insurance and averages over 56mpg without the need for a diesel engine. All models both put out under 120g/km of CO2, so you can expect a cheaper road fund licence and a warm glow of self-satisfaction from the knowledge that you're doing your bit.

VAUXHALL AGILA HATCHBACK 1.2 VVT SE 5DR AUTO

It's taken Vauxhall as a manufacturer rather too long to come up with a truly class-competitive citycar. Still, at least now they have and it's a very good one. The Agila makes most sense in its most affordable 1.0-litre guise.

In summary, as long as you get the right variant at the right price, this is everything an urban runabout should be. Cheap to run, fun to drive, economical and smartly styled. It's not the most fashionable urban scoot out there - but it could very well be the best.