VAUXHALL AGILA HATCHBACK READER REVIEWS

My car

I wanted a runabout - first car S Type Jaguar. I tried all the small cars on offer and stumbled across the Agila at a Vauxhall dealer. My immediate impression was of more interior room than all the other small cars; plus proper full size supportive seats. It's higher than most small cars and there's no dropping down into the seats which makes entry and exit very good. With pay 50% now and 50% in 12 months the deal was done. I was worried that the 1,000cc engine would be slow, but after 3,000 miles it has now run in well. It likes to rev hard and will easily maintain normal motorway speeds. At first, the gear box was a bit stiff but it is now slick, although the gear lever makes a clunking sound. It handles very well on corners at urban speeds (better than the S Type) and less so over 45mph. The ride is slightly less jiggly than competitors, and there's a huge amount of space with the rear seats folded down, a crafty piece of engineering makes the extended surface flat. However, taken with low insurance costs, £35 VED, and 50 mpg, in what is a basic car, makes it streets ahead of the competition. I've no problem with the brakes - mentioned by one other reviewer - indeed they are light and pull the car up very quickly. Finally, the best endorsement is at your local Vauxhall dealer (I have no connection with any of them). Try buying a new one now (January 2009)because the current allocation is almost all sold out.

My car

Like Nicola (two reviews up) I was given one of these as a 'courtesy' car; never was courtesy so misused.

1)The suspension is appalling, managing to be stiff without being sporty. 2) The steering mushy, verging on the dangerous. 3) The acceleration (I presume I've got the 1 litre petrol) must have a 0-60 stat of 'some times'. I floored it on the motorway, properly buried the foot. It took 9 seconds to go from 60 to 70. 4) I don't think my model has ABS. In fact I'm not sure it has brakes - the discs might be made of cardboard for all the confidence they give you. 5) The gear box is clunky (not smooth as the review on this website states). 6) For a small city car the clutch needs a good boot. Its short travel is also surprising. 7) The boot is a joke.

Oh, and the stereo is dire, and the driving position is uncomfortable, but the latter might be a side effect of being over 5 foot tall.

My car

I had this car as a courtesy car whilst my Golf was in the bodyshop and I have to say it was a huge let down and I'm surprised that it made it passed prototype and into production. For a light car it feels very heavy and is difficult to drive, if you try to take a corner at more than 20MPH it feels as though the car will go over. It has very poor grip on the road and you constantly have to correct the steering wheel to stay in lane. The gear stick is positioned so that changing gear is a chore and getting it into 5th has given me a bad shoulder! Pull off and getting up to speed is also poor and I wonder if I'd have been better taking a ride with Fred Flintstone. The shape of the car is not only unattractive it's also impossible when under 5'3'' to see the end of the bonnet. As for the wing mirrors, they are huge slabs, yet no matter how they are positioned you still don't get an adequate view of the road behind. To top it all off it isn't as good on fuel as you'd hope for a small, light car. In summary, I will not be buying this car at any point in the future.

My car

I have an Agila 1.2 Design as a company car and I think its absolutly great. Its nippy around town and good on the fuel. My last company car was the Astra 5Dr SXi 1.7 diesel. Whist this car lacks the pace on the motorway compared to the oil burner, It more than makes up for that in fun and, if you believe it, economy too.

I love it, but I can see its shortcommings. Cabin materials are a bit below spec, and it can be a bit vaigue on the contry roads. I have however just ordered my next one.