You may remember the first generation Tigra was renowned for show-car-like cute styling. The second generation loses somewhat that refreshing feeling. It is bold, edgy and more aggressive, although mechanical-wise it remains to be a warm rather than hot coupe - power comes from the existing 125hp 1.8-litre Ecotec 16V or a 90hp 1.4-litre 16V Twinport (variable intake manifold). The car is built on the Corsa / Meriva platform and incorporates some parts from new Astra. Like its predecessor, it is a front-drive little car with unsophisticated mini-car suspensions.

Highlight is the roof mechanism. Unlike 206CC, the Tigra is strictly a 2-seater. That’s not bad, as the rear seats of 206CC are virtually a joke. Sacrificing the dog seats liberates space to accommodate the metal roof, which folds almost vertically into the body. When the roof is stored, there is 250 litres of luggage space. This increases to 440 litres with the roof up. These are significantly more than Peugeot's 175 / 410 litres. Moreover, the Tigra has 70 litres of additional space behind the front seats, very useable for storing soft bags and briefcases. 

The Tigra is a car made to budget. You won't expect Audi-grade quality, but it is reasonably well-built. It suffers no fit and finish disaster like Citroen Pluriel and outdated interior like 206CC or Ford StreetKa, nor the cramped cabin of Daihatsu Copen and Toyota MR-S. Body panels are well assembled, with some stylish features such as the alloy-effect rollover bars behind the seats. The Corsa-based dashboard is solidly screwed together, if not very stylish. Like other retractable roof cars, the top edge of windscreen is closer to the driver's head than conventional convertible in order to reduce the area of the roof. This has some negative effect on the airy feel, but it does manage air flow very well. The cabin is generally free of turbulence. Such a high level of refinement is new to this price range.

After chopping off the roof, the chassis received numerous reinforcements at underbody, sills and pillars. The result is remarkable stiffness by the standard of this class. Unless you push it very hard, there is hardly any shake and creak. The suspensions are set lower and stiffer than the hottest Corsa GSi, so the Tigra handles competently, if not inspiringly. Its steering takes 3.0 turns from lock to lock, so you won't feel the same sharpness as a really exciting roadster like MX-5 and MR-S. Gearchange can't match the Japanese too, especially the notchy gearbox coupled to the 1.8 engine. 

Both engines are unremarkable. The 90hp 1.4 is eager and reasonably refined but lacks power to pull the 1235kg kerbweight. The Tigra is at least 100kg heavier than rivals, and in some cases up to 200kg! this must blame the complex roof, chassis reinforcements and the iron-block engine. No wonder the 1.4-litre Tigra takes almost 12 seconds to accelerate from rest to 60mph. The 1.8-litre engine adds another 35 horsepower and cut 0-60mph time to 9 seconds, but it is noisy and reluctant at higher rev, failing to match the refined manner of the chassis.

The point is, although the Tigra looks like an exciting roadster, it is actually a refined open-top mini car. People looking for sparkling performance and sharp handling are not going to be satisfied with Tigra. But if you look for a personal transport with good look, quality, refinement and practicality plus an attractive retractable roof, and if you can afford only a fraction the price and running cost of a Mercedes SLK, this is the car for you.