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If an Opel Corsa D seems way too expensive but you still want an Opel that’s actually Suzuki, then the Opel Agila B is probably the answer for you. Or something from Myria. Opel Agila B – if it were food, it would be a chocolate cream biscuit.

I didn’t get to write about the first Agila aka Suzuki Wagon R+ because I didn’t drink enough for that car so, like a graduate student who applies to the job market and sees he has to make do with what’s left, I’m sticking with the Opel Agila B. But still, what’s wrong with starting at the bottom? Look at me, I started as a cashier and now I work at Almost Cars so you could say I’ve taken a step backward. To oriental rhythms. Man with a bad heart, go into the saloon and drink, go into the saloon and drink some more.

Take it and forget your sorrow, as the Opel Agila B comes and your relief passes. Or something like that. I have to admit, I’ve finished a marathon of weddings and I feel great. But do I feel as fit as the Opel Agila B when it wants to take your money?

The situation is quite simple. The Opel Agila was a Suzuki with a different badge. The first Agila was a Suzuki Wagon R with a different badge and the Agila B was a Suzuki Splash! Stars at water! with a different logo. And the Opel Agila C? Unfortunately it was retired and the torch was passed on to the Opel Karl, which is also a Chevrolet Spark with a different logo.

So, let’s see what the Opel Agila B can do to get us the 2500-3000 euros it demands. Well, just like the Suzuki Splash!, it’s a cheap car to buy and almost costs nothing to maintain. Except it won’t take our money, it will take the money of old people and fans of outdated-style comedies. We have a cheap car, with small, economical and reliable engines that can get around town decently. But only around town. Retirees don’t go out for long trips anyway because they physically can’t anymore. Then there’s the advantage that it’s a tall car where you don’t get in and out, you just sit on a seat at your level. Just like dampness, arthritis is not something you can get rid of. Arthritis will get us all. And no, I’m not mocking this car. It’s just a car for retirees and that’s okay too. There must be cars made especially for them. Just like Coke was made for vodka or beer was made for students. Or how cosmetics companies invented women to sell more cosmetics. Or how bathroom manufacturers and toilet manufacturers invented sexual genders to sell more bathrooms. I’m telling you, it’s all a conspiracy.

Opel Agila B Engines

Petrol

• 1.0 MPI of 67 horsepower – I stand by the opinion I had when I raved about the Suzuki Splash! Stars in the water! Yes, it’s a reliable engine, but it also comes with the “nothing” package. So work harder for the extra 300 euros and buy something a bit more car like.


• 1.2 MPI of 90 horsepower – Like the 1.2 MPI petrol of Suzuki origin. One of the best 4-cylinder naturally aspirated engines Suzuki makes even today, this engine is simple, reliable, and suited to city life. You just have to watch out for that 90 horsepower, lest you turn around because the Agila isn’t very agile, despite the name.

Diesel

1.3 CDTI 75 horsepower – The same 1.3 DDiS from Suzuki which is actually the same 1.3 MultiJet from Fiat. A David of the automotive world, this excellent diesel has no business under the hood of the Opel Agila B like the Agila has no business on the b-roads or worse, on the highway.

Opel Agila B General Issues

• The suspension is nothing to praise and write home about, especially on the arms and springs side. But at least it’s an Opel Agila and for 15 quid you replaced them all. Labour included.


• As I said, the Opel Agila B is not the most agile car possible. Sure, it’s a Suzuki Splash! Stars at water! (I can’t get enough of that joke) with a different badge but it’s also a smaller Meriva and if you look at them you’ll realize that at the first gust of wind or sudden steering wheel movement you’ll roll over. But if you’re a senior citizen you won’t have enough power to pull the wheel to turn over anyway.


• Constant problems on the ABS side but honestly do you really need ABS on something like this?

Opel Agila B Verdict

This car hasn’t had much marketing done to it and it shows. Suzuki Splash! Stars at water!, you find them everywhere. But the Opel Agila B? Not much. Maybe because if you add 300 euros to your budget you buy a Corsa D, which is a much better and more complete car? Seriously now, apart from car instructors and gerontophiles, I haven’t seen anyone in any other category driving an Agila B. In fact, I’ve hardly seen the Agila B on the roads of the continent at all.

What engines do you recommend? Clearly, the 90hp 1.2 MPI is the most balanced engine for the Suzuki…that, Opel Agila B. And if you have bizarre fetishes with particulate filters, injectors, and diesel, then the 75hp 1.3 CDTI.