Holden Tigra 2005 Review

GM Holden is anticipating 1000 sales of the Tigra 'TwinTop', importing the French-built, Opel-sourced convertible for the Australian market in an "image building move". In reality, Tigra is a good fun, good quality and (relatively) affordable entry into open-top motoring, and if image also matters to you, nothing does it on the road quite like a convertible.

Tigra is pretty and petite without being cute-car insipid. The no-nonsense dash was squeak-free and well-fitted; the interior finished with matt chrome and a pleasant, if somewhat austere cloth trim. Adjustable sports seats made drive time comfortable despite the close cabin confines.

The two-seater also handles well: steering is fun and nimble, sports suspension keeps it honest and ride is firm, shimmy free and quiet. Opel loans its outgoing Corsa GSi/Barina SRi Ecotec four-cylinder engine, five-speed manual transmission and chassis to the Tigra. The 1.8-litre twin-cam is rated at 90kW/165Nm and manual is the only transmission option available in Australia.

The Tigra sounds sporty and it is, by degrees. Performance is hampered by its weight (1250kg) and the 1.8-litre four works hard, but so do you trying to keep up with the go-go gang. Answer: relinquish pole position. In a convertible it's not about who wins but how good you look while trying...

The Tigra turns coupe to convertible in 18 seconds. It's part electric, meaning you can only operate the hood, once you're stationary and have manually lowered latches at both sides. Operation is quiet and a buzzer sounds once the roof is lowered or raised completely.

It's comfortable al fresco but an optional air deflector is available for around $400. Boot space, accessed via an electrically-operated lid, is still reasonable with the roof down. There's also room in the 'dead space' behind the seats, useful for oddments which are kept in place by a neat safety net.

Tigra offers folding hard-top convenience at a similar price to nearest competitors, Mini Cooper, Peugeot 206CC and New Beetle Cabriolet, and is cheaper than Mazda MX-5. Front and side airbags, four-wheel disc brakes, ABS, air-con, electric windows and mirrors, leather-trimmed steering wheel, aluminium-look pedals and 16-inch alloys are among the items on the standard list. Optional 17 x 6.5-inch wheels, as fitted to the test car, are available for $1930.

Tigra's overall quality fit and feel won us over and we liked the lack of toy-car kitsch. That said, its tiny two-seater dimensions, while not as diminutive as the Daihatsu Copen's, may cramp one's style and you'll feel dwarfed in traffic.

The inclusion of Tigra to GM Holden's line-up is good news for lovers of open-air motoring. The roadster is cheaper than the brand's other open-top offering Astra Convertible and, arguably, shows up the soft-top model with its security, sound-proofing and rigidity benefits by way of its metal roof.

You're guaranteed some exclusivity in a Tigra. Production capacity at the Heuliez Group's plant in Cerizay, France - where the folding roof is manufactured and fitted, and the Tigra is assembled - is limited to 50,000 units per annum and the UK is an eager market for the Vauxhall-badged Tigra, available with a 1.4-litre petrol or 1.3-litre turbo diesel engine. What's left, after the Opel-badged models are spoken for, sell in Holden guise, starting at $34,990.