Vauxhall aims for Fiat 500 generation with new Agila

The all-new Vauxhall Agila is reborn and goes on sale in the UK from 23 April.

Sharing only its name with the original functional model, the new five-door Agila city car will now be sold on its style, simplicity, practicality, low running costs, modern exterior body colours and interesting combinations of colour for the interior.

Whereas the previous Agila sold to the older generation the new one, if you believe Vauxhall’s marketing-speak, is aimed specifically at younger trendy, fashion-conscious females and young couples. But it is likely the not-so-young who are still young-at-heart will still have a big say in the sales success of the new range as motoring becomes more expensive.

Vauxhall anticipate the Agila will achieve 5,000 sales in the UK market in a full year. This sector last year saw 94,264 registrations making it one of the fastest growing segments in Europe and the UK.

Produced as a joint venture with the Suzuki Splash in Hungary, the Agila is the latest model to enter the booming monocab sector. It will join the larger Vauxhall Meriva and Britain’s best selling MPV, the Zafira.

Barry Scott, Vauxhall’s small car product manager, said, “We’ve sold 35,000 Agilas in the UK and 440,000 in Europe. The five-door car will compete against the Fiat Panda, Renault Modus, Suzuki Splash and the Honda Jazz as well as three-door models such as the VW Fox and Renault Twingo.”

Prices start at £7,595 and rise to £11,195. The likely best selling model is expected to be the Agila 1.2i Design costing £9,595 with manual transmission, or £1,000 more for the auto gearbox.

The five-door body will be available in three trim levels, Expression, Club and Design, depending on engine size. There is the choice of three powertrains, 1.0i and 1.2i petrol and for the first time with an Agila badge a 1.3-litre CDTi diesel. Automatic transmission also becomes available as an option for 1.2i Club and Design versions.

The entry-level power plant is a three-cylinder, 1.0-litre petrol, lightweight all-alloy engine based on that found in the previous generation Agila, and renowned for its free-revving, lively nature. It produces 65PS and 90Nm of torque and accelerates from 0-62mph in 14.7 seconds, with a top speed of 99mph.

Combined cycle fuel economy is 56.5mpg and CO2 emission are 120g/km resulting in a £35 Vehicle Excise Duty rating and it should become exempt for the proposed London Congestion Charge new rates from October this year.

Moving up the engine range, the Agila 1.2i 16v all-alloy petrol unit develops 86PS and 114Nm of torque and accelerates from 0-62mph in 12.6 seconds with a top speed of 109mph. Average fuel economy is 51.4mpg with CO2 levels at 131g/km giving an annual road tax bill of £120.

Both petrol units come with a five-speed manual gearbox as standard, but for the first time there is also an automatic option for Agila. Available only on the Agila 1.2i 16v, it is mated to a four-speed automatic gearbox.

New Agila also sees for the first time a diesel engine. The familiar 1.3-litre CDTi 75PS, 190Nm unit, which debuted in the Corsa, and this not only offers frugal fuel consumption of up to 70.6mpg, but also emits just 120g/km of CO2 meaning it benefits from the low £35 road tax.

Vauxhall anticipate that 55 per cent of customers will opt for the top of the range Design specification, 35 per cent will choose Club and 10 per cent the base Expression version.

With regard to engine choice Vauxhall say 56 per cent will opt for the 1.2i litre petrol engine with the manual transmission, 15 per cent will choose the same engine but with an automatic gearbox, 23 per cent of customers will go for the 1.0i petrol unit and just 6 per cent will opt for the diesel unit, but they admit with the recent changes in tax ratings, higher fuel costs, these figures might change.

What Vauxhall is certain of is that over 90 per cent of Agila customers will be retail buyers as opposed to fleet users.

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