New Opel Agila

February 15th, 2008 | by admin |

With five doors and five seats, the new Opel Agila is not only as practical as its predecessor, which sold over 440,000 units, but now also boasts a much more agile and dynamic design. The new Opel mini-monocab makes its market premiere in spring 2008, with prices starting from 9,990 euros (Germany). It boasts balanced proportions, soft curves and a distinctive side graphic. Its passengers still sit high and upright, but the roofline has been dynamically lowered and now blends into a smooth arc toward the rear. This helps create the Agila’s aerodynamic drag coefficient of 0.32 - a relatively low figure for a vehicle of this size. The urban car is now twenty centimeters longer, six centimeters wider, but seven centimeters lower than its predecessor.

Design: Distinctive charm, inside and out

The Agila has always been practical. But the objective for the second-generation Agila was even greater: “We wanted to give our smallest car considerably more charm without compromising its functionality,” says Chief Designer Uwe Müller, describing the new Agila’s concept phase. “With its rather cheeky look, the new Agila fits perfectly into the current Opel model portfolio.”

The front boasts typical Opel styling. With its round headlamps integrated into almond-shaped lamp units that echo the new Corsa, the Agila sees the world through wide eyes. Other Opel design elements include the tapering of the front and rear bumpers, as well as the typical crease in the hood. The rear also boasts several rounded elements. The positioning of the narrow vertical light units allowed designers to create a large, easy load-through tailgate. The rear look is further accented by the spherically styled rear lights.

The Agila boasts a wide selection of fresh colors and modern styles. This creates an interior ambience, which is further enhanced by the spacious headroom. The versatile five-seater’s high seating position ensures good visibility, while the ergonomically positioned gear stick and tiltable steering wheel with radio remote controls ensure easy operation. The rev counter is housed separately on the instrument panel. All other information readouts are given on large, distinctive, round instruments.

Market: Excellent prospects for the new Agila

Positioned in both the urban car and mini- monocab growth segments, the new Agila has excellent market prospects. Around 1.1 million customers in Western and Central Europe bought an urban car in 2006, with the segment accounting for 6.5 percent of the European car market. Market researchers are confident that this segment will see strong growth from 2008, forecasting sales of 1.3 million units.

The mini-monocab segment alone shows even more impressive growth. In the last ten years, this vehicle category has grown from practically non-existent to a volume of around 750,000 vehicles per year. And forecasts for the next eight years predict an increase to substantially more than one million registrations, which would mean a 5.5 percent market share.

The Agila completes the Opel monocab range, which also includes the successful Zafira and Meriva models. As the new Agila is also a real eye-catcher, young and youthful women are Opel’s first, but not sole, target group. “This modern mini-monocab perfectly suits the urban lifestyles as it combines compact dimensions with a stylish exterior, high levels of functionality and driving fun,” says Alain Visser, Chief Marketing Officer, General Motors Europe.

Monocabs: Vehicle segment continues European success

The monocab design continues to be extremely successful in Opel’s model portfolio: 20 percent of all Opel vehicles sold are monocabs. Even before the new Agila’s premiere, Opel was monocab market leader in Europe, as it is since 2003, with nearly 335,000 Zafira and Meriva models sold in 2007. The Zafira also led the seven-seater segment with nearly 195,000 registrations, and the Meriva was top seller in the small monocab class with 140,000 registrations.

Body: Fully fledged five-seater with top flexibility

With five fully fledged seats, five three-point seatbelts and five doors as standard, the Agila offers plenty of space for family and friends. It is also an exception in a segment crowded with four-seaters and three-door models. There is no small-car feeling for Agila occupants, thanks in part to the extensive noise reduction measures on board. The comfortable, slightly elevated and upright seating position enables excellent visibility, while the higher roof also plays an important part in the pleasant feeling of spaciousness on board. Even adults seated in the rear do not feel cramped.

The Agila’s standard capacity up to the luggage compartment cover is 225 liters, large enough for a stroller, for example. One turn of a handle drops the rear bench seat back, increasing the load volume to an impressive 1050 liters - a top value in this segment. The rear bench seat and back split 60:40 in the Enjoy version. Folding down one section of the seat back also lowers the corresponding seat cushion to create a completely flat luggage compartment floor. As an urban car it also offers plenty of compartments and boxes.

Equipment: ABS as well as front and side airbags are standard

All Agilas come with extensive equipment ex works. Safety features such as ABS, front and side airbags for driver and front passenger, airbag deactivation for the front passenger seat and mountings for the ISOFIX child seat fixture system are also fitted as standard. The Enjoy version boasts even more standard features than the Essentia variant, including air conditioning, remote control central locking and power windows in front.

Engines: Opel Agila is lively and economical

Two gasoline engines make their world premiere in the new Agila. Supplied by cooperation partner Suzuki, they share the same design: aluminum cylinder block and head and two overhead camshafts. The entry-level unit is the one-liter, three-cylinder gasoline engine. The four-valve unit produces 48 kW/65 hp and takes the Agila to a top speed of 160 km/h. The 1.2-liter Agila has a four-cylinder gasoline engine that produces 63 kW/86 hp and accelerates it from zero to 100 km/h in 12.3 seconds. The Agila 1.2 has a top speed of 175 km/h (values for five-speed manual version). This engine will also soon be available with an optional four-speed automatic transmission - an especially attractive alternative for city driving.

The fuel-saving master among the Agila engines is the 1.3-liter common-rail turbo-diesel. Developed by GM Powertrain, the diesel engine is a true multi-talent and also offers an interesting alternative in the Corsa and Astra model lines. With this unit, the new Agila produces 55 kW/75 hp, has a top speed of 165 km/h and accelerates from zero to 100 km/h in 13.9 seconds. The efficient diesel Agila (maximum torque of 190 Nm) is also very economical, requiring an average of just 4.5 liters per 100 km. This corresponds to 120 g CO2/km.

Consumption: Agila places high in international comparison with 120 g CO2

The new Agila - with the 1.0 gasoline or 1.3 diesel engine - adheres to the 120 g CO2/km emissions limit, which translates into special tax advantages in several European countries. The economical, spacious five-seater achieves this value without additional - and consequently expensive - hybrid technology.

Dividing the CO2 emissions figure by five to account for the Agila’s five potential passengers places the new car near the top of the most fuel efficient cars list: at just 24 g/CO2 per kilometer and seat, an Agila 1.0 or 1.3 CDTI is remarkably environmentally friendly. And unlike competitor models, this new, well packaged Opel is a fully fledged five-seater. The Agila 1.2 also boasts economy and low emissions: an average consumption of 5.5 liters per 100 km corresponds to 131 g/CO2 per kilometer or 26.2 g/CO2 per seat.

Chassis: Agila now much more agile

“Make the Agila even more agile - that was the clear aim during chassis development, to translate the new dynamic look into corresponding agility,” says Agila Engineering Manager Marcus Lott. The Agila’s chassis, which features A-arms and McPherson struts in front and semi-independent rear suspension, is tuned for driving fun. ABS is fitted as standard. Depending on the market and equipment variant, the Agila also features Electronic Stability Program (ESP) and head curtain