Nearly a decade ago, the European New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) crash tested a 2004 Opel (Vauxhall) Tigra (which is no longer in production). Based on the third-generation subcompact Opel Corsa, the 2-seater coupé-convertible Tigra TwinTop sported a retractable hard top and was produced by French coach-builder Heuliez. And it performed rather well in the battery of crash experiments:
Euro NCAP gave the 2004 Tigra 4 of 5 stars for adult occupant protection, noting that the vehicle “has a body that is extremely stable providing good protection for occupants and minimal deformation of the occupant space in the frontal impact”. The organization tested the car with the top down in the front impact test to provide a “worst case” scenario, but left the top up for the side test to check for any adverse interaction with the driver’s head.
But while adult occupant protection was more than adequate, the Tigra was given 2 of 4 stars for pedestrian protection, making it “inadequate”. According to Euro NCAP, “the leading edge of the bonnet and bonnet top where an adult’s head might strike provided some protection but the rest of the bonnet was unfriendly”, with the bumper offering “little if any protection against leg injury.”
Following the standard Euro NCAP procedures, the car was tested with two adult dummies — leaving no rom for child restraints. As such, the organization didn’t perform any child occupant tests. However, Euro NCAP did n0te that a child restraint can be fitted to the front passenger’s seat, but found it problematic that “the only warning of the dangers associated with placing a child in a rear facing restraint in this position was a non-permanent label fitted to the windscreen”. The organization did not consider that the wording contained on the windscreen to “adequately explain the risks involved”.
As a reminder, NCAP conducts the frontal impact test at 64 Km/h (40 MPH) with 40 percent of the width of the car striking a deformable barrier. In the side impact, a mobile deformable barrier impacts the driver’s door at 50 km/h (31 MPH), while the pole test involves the car being propelled sideways at 29km/h (18 MPH) into a rigid pole.
Comments
I understand the European need for the emphasis on pedestrian safe guards, as the population is condensed into mega cities. At least for right now, we don’t have as much population concentration, and in my opinion, we don’t need the flat boxer nose which hurts the aerodynamic flow of the vehicle. Its easy to tell which domestic car is penned for export to Europe because of the flat Nose design.
It will be a challenge for designers, and a hope for auto makers that the public will continue to buy vehicles designed for Europe.
Because of global trade, our auto makers will be forced to continue the European demand for flat nose cars… Unfortunately.
One of the few cars I’ve never driven & I’ve driven many cars. Nicknamed hairdressers cars they sold reasonably well (no VXR model) mainly 20 something females tended to buy them. The competition for this car has since disappeared too maybe the market has moved on and are now buying 500 cabrio, DS3 cabrio etc maybe if we get the Adam Cabrio it would ineffect replace Tigra.
http://www.auto24.ee/used/1339926
Tigra was a cool car, and now he is already pretty cheap on the secondary market. could also come up with a new tigra
OPC, I cannot see GME making another Tigra because the trouble with fashion cars such as this is they have about a two year boom while its the must have then they dwindle to almost nothing as buyers have a new different fashion car, with limited sales potential also and quite possibly a short lifespan I’d edge my bets GME has bigger markets in mind such as Omega & Calibra replacements.