Holden Tigra Convertible 2006 Review

Back then a Holden sportscar was a snorting, fire-breathing beast – the Monaro GTS 350 or a Torana A9X were examples of the breed in its prime.

How the world changes. In 2006 it's goodbye Holden Monaro, hello Holden Tigra.

Not even Holden dares suggest the Tigra is any sort of replacement for the Monaro. A customer too late for the last of those muscular and macho V8 coupes is not going to be contented with a 1.8-litre folding metal roof runabout. But to many buyers a convertible with the convenience and security of a metal roof is irresistible, no matter what sort of car lies beneath it.

Folding metal roof convertibles are not our favourite type of car here at The Australian. Like many technologies that promise the best of all possible worlds, the reality can fall a little short of the dream. The complex roof folding and storage mechanism takes space out of the boot but adds weight to the car and rain sealing is not always the great leap forward over a well-sorted cloth roof you might expect. Nor is body rigidity, despite a solid roof. They're not cheap either, making for expensive little cars that can be slower, clumsier and more cramped than they should be.

So the Tigra did not find a warm welcome in our office. But it was so eager to please that after a week we had to admit it's one of the better examples of its type.

Underneath the Tigra's coupe-convertible bodywork is the engine and running gear of the former Barina SRi, before Holden replaced the nameplate with a rebadged Daewoo Kalos. The SRi meant a 1.8-litre engine and a five-speed manual gearbox. The Tigra's folding metal roof brings its weight up to 1248kg – about 160kg heavier than a Barina – so it was never going to be as lively as the SRi was. And at a recorded 8.4 litres per 100km on test it uses a little more fuel than you'd expect from a car of this size. But we appreciate Holden's Opel Ecotec engines more than ever, having driven their crude Korean-made replacements. The Ecotec L850 is refined, sweet revving and torquey although its 92kW is not enough to make the Tigra hugely fast.

From experience in the Holden Astra we know the Ecotec also works quite well with an automatic transmission but due to a quirk of Euro-centric product planning none is available in the Tigra. It seems a strange omission from a car that Holden says will sell overwhelmingly to women but it adds to the Tigra's modest dynamic credentials as a sportscar rather than just another flaccid old boulevard cruiser.

The interior is familiar old-model Barina – not an environment we praised highly at the time but since its replacement by a measurably worse model, we've recently grown fonder. Fit and finish are praiseworthy, although you might argue it's a bit dull for a sportscar interior. There are few differences from the old Barina except a large hood over the centrally mounted trip computer (an odd inclusion in a sportscar) and silver trim on the centre console. A less welcome note from the past is the awkward stalk-type cruise control that used to be in the Commodore.

Settling into the Tigra was not easy. Generally, car seats are a set-and-forget exercise but the Tigra's combination of high cushion, low roof and non-reach-adjustable steering wheel didn't allow that luxury. When my top half was comfortable my knees were splayed like a giraffe on a go-kart and when my legs were lined up my neck was cricked. The wheel was either too close or too far away. This was as puzzling as it was annoying because I am – in biometric terms at least – a regular guy. Buyers, be sure you fit your Tigra before you sign anything. The seat itself seems comfortable and supportive.

The Tigra's dynamics are pleasing with a fast turn-in and adjustable, nicely balanced feel in corners and an abundance of modulation in the brakes. Being front-drive it seems free from nasty habits although like any semi-fast short wheelbase car it can get lively when braking hard on bumpy roads. The steering feels dull but the gearbox has an appealing snickety feel even if a purist might say its throws are a fraction long.

Ride is comfortable, usually fairly soft with only the occasional shimmy going through the body when the top is down. Top-down it's surprisingly calm behind the wheel, even with the optional wind blocker folded down. With the roof up the Tigra becomes a quiet if cosy little coupe. To its credit there are no dashboard squeaks. Raising or lowering the two-piece metal top takes 18 seconds. The procedure is to undo two clips above the windscreen before using a switch mounted in the driver's door. Perversely you pull up on this switch to put the roof down – this backward logic fooled me more than once.

With the roof up there's a generous 378 litres of storage space by Holden's figures – quite a substantial boot in lay terms. Pull back an internal divider to let the roof nestle into its storage space and there's still 147 litres of cargo space, enough for a weekend away so long as you're not into outdoor pursuits. There is also a shelf behind the seats with 70 litres of storage space. It takes the place of the rear seats. The Tigra's major gimmick is its power-operated bootlid. This might be good for impressing your friends but in everyday use having to wait several seconds to open or close the boot soon becomes tedious.

With the extinction of the Monaro the Tigra is Holden's only sportscar for the time being. While it won't excite Monaro fans, and doesn't particularly excite us, it's good at what it was designed to do. The Tigra is well-sorted and well-built by the standards of folding metal roof convertibles but its manual transmission means it will automatically be crossed off many shopping lists. That's almost a pity.

Verdict: