Opel shares with Suzuki

OPEL took the Japanese road and jointly developed a mini people carrier with Suzuki with whom they have had a 20-year association. The fruits of this have produced the Agila, which is being built in Poland and carries the Opel badge, and the new Wagon R+ in Hungary, which is the Suzuki version.

Although developed in Japan around a Suzuki package, Opel did get a look in, its design being partly German. German expertise, however, did play a significant role in the technical side of the development.
The Agila, which has just gone on sale in Ireland, and the Wagon R+ may seem the same, but the package is unique to each company. At the moment the Wagon R+ uses just the 1.3 litre Suzuki engine while the Agila uses two modified ECOTEC engines from the Corsa – the familiar 58bhp 1.0 litre three-cylinder unit and GM’s 75bhp 1.2 litre four.

They also differ in lights - the Opel’s front ones are large - bumpers, side mouldings and the position of the rear number plate. The dashboard and controls are all Opel.

What the two do share is the same Suzuki five-speed gearbox and identically-tuned MacPherson front struts, trailing arms and right axle rear suspensions. And all the exterior panels are common.

Available in two levels of trim, standard and comfort, the interior of the Agila, surprisingly for its compact wheelbase, is airy and spacious. Although Opel claim class-leading space for five people four are best for comfort. Fit all the people on board and there is 248 litres of luggage room. Split the rear seat 50:50 for more. Fold the rear seats down completely and carrying capacity increases to 1250 litres. Rear loading is easier, too, thanks to the tall, wide tailgate and the low sill (655mm).

Oddments space is good with shelves for both front occupants, cup and bottle holders and drawers under the front seats.

Standard features include twin airbags, electric steering and mirrors, CD player, rear head restrains, body-coloured bumpers and tinted glass. The Comfort adds electric front windows, central locking and rev counter.

Life aboard the Agila is a lot more pleasant than you would imagine looking at the car from the outside. The vehicle may appear small and narrow and, sorry Opel, uninviting, but step inside and you’ll find yourself spreading your limbs in a surprising amount of room. You also sit 83mm higher than a Corsa and, with excellent all round visibility, feel as if you ARE in a bigger MPV. And. of course, with these tall vehicles, headroom is no problem.

As mentioned Opel are currently offering two flexible petrol-powered versions. My pre-launch test car featured the 1.2 litre, which although not a bad performer, is nothing too exciting in a car that weighs little more than a tonne. Acceleration, however, is fairly good – it effortlessly pulls from a mere 1500 in any gear – but the engine becomes audible the more it is pushed, although not uncomfortably so. The start to 62mph takes a claimed 12.5 seconds with a top speed of 97mph. I averaged 41mpg.

The ride is not bad either - it does pretty well over the cracks and bumps – and for a tall vehicle there’s little body roll. It also has an impressively tight turning circle.

Another car that offers the unbelievable in less space than that taken up by a Mercedes A-Class. What next?