Agila is a small car that's roomy and flexible on the inside, much in the same vein as the Honda Jazz and Renault Modus. Its height makes it slightly more versatile than a traditional small car (like Vauxhall’s own Corsa) and fold-flat seats means that it has the carrying capacity of a small van. It’s available with three engines and the 1.2-litre is the pick of the bunch for a mixture of performance and economy.

Agila is built for life in the city, so it's no surprise that this is where it's at its best. It lives up to its Agila (agile) name with a very tight turning circle and light steering, which makes driving around town easy and squeezing into parking spaces a breeze. It's fine out of town, though, as should be expected there is some bodyroll. It's also acceptable for short motorway trips – although it takes a little while to get up to speed, it has little trouble staying there. Only a firm ride spoils what is otherwise an easy and comfortable car to drive.

Petrol engines are the 1.0 and 1.2-litre, while the sole diesel is the 1.3 CDTi. Of the three, the 85bhp 1.2-litre is the best all-rounder. It's nippy, doesn't get left behind on the motorway and delivers decent fuel economy. The 1.0-litre – with its 65bhp power output – is only suitable for drivers who spend all their time in town. It feels lively enough in an urban environment and sounds eager enough, but feels like it struggles above 60mph and quickly loses speed on longer uphill stretches of road. The 75bhp 1.3 CDTi only makes sense for very high mileage drivers (15,000-plus miles per year) as it takes so long for it to pay for itself, but is otherwise a smooth and efficient diese, relaxed on the road, butl with readily available performance if needed. A four-speed automatic gearbox is offered on the 1.2-litre; all other models are manual only.