The name might sound familiar, but the car is entirely new. The Vauxhall Agila is the car the Luton-based manufacturer hopes will compete with – and beat – the likes of the Renault Modus and Fiat Panda.

But Vauxhall also says the Agila mini-MPV will lock horns with some of the supermini establishment, such as the Honda Jazz.

Stuart Milne took to the urban crawl in Cheltenham, and out on the flowing lanes of the Welsh borders to put it through its paces.

The new Vauxhall Agila only shares one thing with its boxy predecessor – and that’s the name.

And that’s a good thing, because the old Agila although spacious with a high seating position, was largely devoid of character; a criticism that can’t be levelled at the new model.

Vauxhall has unashamedly aimed the new Agila at stylish, independent women, as well as the fiftysomething DINKS (Double Income, No Kids) which has been typical Agila heartland.

Funky features

And Vauxhall has made much of the funky interior colour schemes it hopes will appeal to young women. Choose the Atlanta Blue pack, and the car comes with blue dash inserts, door trims and dashboard inserts, while Sunset Orange turns the same parts, plus the centre console trim, a vivid shade of orange.

But if that’s too much, charcoal grey is also available.

Although dubious about the interior hues, Sunset Orange works particularly well, especially in an Agila with black bodywork.

The Vauxhall Agila’s cabin has other funky features besides bright colours. The huge, white speedo in front of the driver is easy to read and is reminiscent of the Mini’s famous dials, while the separate rev counter sitting on top of the dash is another stylish touch.

And the rest of the controls are simple and laid out clearly. In fact the only real irritation was a beep every time the indicators flash.

There’s a fair amount of storage space, with a large shelf in front of the passenger, and a decent sized glovebox underneath.

Around the back, there’s a 225-litre boot – not the biggest (the Honda Jazz has 353 litres of space), but there’s an additional 35 litres under a false floor, allowing rarely-used bits to be stored out of the way. Drop the rear seats and stow the small parcel shelf under the false floor and boot space rises to a useful 1,050 litres.

There’s enough space for four adults too, with excellent headroom, meaning rear seat passengers can sit upright comfortably despite a relative lack of legroom. And the huge doors make entry and exit easy, particularly access to the rear seats.

The stylish interior theme is carried over to the Vauxhall Agila’s sharp look outside.

It’s immediately recognisable with the pointed front and rear, which has become a Vauxhall trademark. Naturally there’s Vauxhall’s chrome V grille, and there’s a lot of similarities with the Corsa supermini.

Compared to the previous Vauxhall Agila, the new model is lower, sleeker and looks more like a chic European hatchback than the boxy Japanese-looking original.

View more pictures of the Vauxhall Agila

Three engines, two gearboxes

Little touches like the low crease line along the sides will appear on the next generations of Vauxhalls.

The Vauxhall Agila is available with a choice of three engines: 1 and 1.2-litre petrols and a 1.3-litre diesel. Slick five-speed manual gearboxes are standard on all models, and an auto ‘box is an option on the 1.2.

We tested the petrol units, and found both to be extremely competent around town. There’s plenty of low-down acceleration, making darting through traffic easy.

The 1-litre engine is the surprise hit of the line-up. Its three-cylinder thrum suits the cheeky nature of the Agila, and is capable of A-road motoring without any problems. In fact the only time the engine struggled was on steep inclines, but a full complement of passengers is likely to blunt performance too.

Vauxhall says the 1.2 will make up more than half of sales, and is slightly more capable than the smaller engine. Performance figures for this are 0-62mph in 12.3 seconds and a top speed of 109mph – 2.4 seconds less and 10mph more than the 1-litre.

A 1.3-litre diesel engine is also available, which will only make up a fraction of sales. Headline figures are 0-62mph in 13.9 seconds and a top speed of 103mph.

The 1-litre petrol and 1.3 diesel both emit 120g/km of CO2, placing them both in tax band B, which costs just £35 a year. They will be both exempt from the London Congestion Charge later this year too. The 1.2’s 131g/km (or 142g/km if the automatic gearbox is specified) means it falls in tax band B or C, costing £120 or £145.

Fuel consumption is good across on all models, with average fuel consumption ranging from 47.9mpg (1.2 auto) to 62.8mpg (1.3 diesel).

The Vauxhall Agila is an easy car to drive, especially around town where its compact dimensions and good visibility shine. The steering is light and slightly vague around the centre, but it weights up at speed which inspires confidence.

Given the Agila’s height, it’s no surprise there’s a bit of bodyroll around bends, but it’s controlled and proved to be an entertaining drive.

Plenty of kit

Vauxhall offers three trim levels: Expression, Club and Design. The Expression, which is available in 1-litre only, comes with four airbags, ABS with emergency brake assist, CD player and a lights-on warning buzzer.

The Club adds remote central deadlocking, the pod-mounted rev-counter, an MP3-compatible CD player with controls on the steering wheel, electric front windows and mirrors and the false floor in the boot. And those blue and orange trims are available too.

Topping the range is the Design, which Vauxhall predicts will be the biggest seller. It comes with all the Club’s kit plus air-con, 15-inch alloys, tinted glass and a leather-bound steering wheel.

Vauxhall has managed to create a car, part mini-MPV, part hatchback that has few direct rivals – other than Suzuki’s version of the Agila, the Splash.

But its far from a square peg in a round hole – it has the potential for wide appeal, and its funky interior is sure to win over style-conscious motorists.

Key facts

Model tested: Vauxhall Agila 1.0i 12v Club
On the road price: £8,495.
Range price: £7,595 – £11,195
Date tested: March 2008.
Road tester: Stuart Milne