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| Is it a convertible or is it a fake? The answer is yes. To both |
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I am no stranger to hair dye: I think it's wonderful stuff. But I'm mystified by natural blondes who have dark roots dyed in, just so they can pretend to be fake blondes. It is (or was) a fashion statement that leaves me blinking in bewilderment. Which is pretty much how I feel about the hard-top convertible roof on the Tigra Sport Rouge. Vauxhall has taken the retractable metal roof and coated it in dark red fabric, to make it look like... a soft top. Eh?
It's a strange decision, because the ability to change from coupé to cabriolet at the touch of a button is a desirable, practical and fairly expensive little trick to pull. Why make it look like a boggo soft-top? What's more, the fabric-covered roof detracts from the clean lines of the Tigra Sport, giving it a slightly clumsy look. It appears to be a convertible but touch the roof and you can feel it's not. What a con. But then, retract the roof and it is! Or at least, after an unfeasibly long 20 seconds it is, which is the time it takes to raise or lower the roof. Very irritating. And if you don't like dark red, you're stuffed, because the Sport Rouge - as befits its name - only comes with one roof colour.
Look beyond the wine-coloured wig and suppress your frustration at the tortoise-like roof operation, and the Tigra is an attractive, compact two-seater. The 1.3 CDTi version tested has excellent green credentials. Voted Britain's Greenest Open-Top Car a couple of years ago and still regularly featuring at or near the top of green car lists, the Tigra 1.3 CDTi is economical to run, returning a whopping 61.4mpg on the combined cycle. CO2 emissions of 124g/km put it in Band C for road tax, and it currently sits in insurance group 9D, moving to group 18D when the new 1-50 group rating system is introduced later this year. If you're not a diesel fan, you can choose from 1.4i or 1.8i 16v petrol engines, both of which offer extra acceleration, albeit at a higher environmental cost.
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