New Opel Tigra Twin Top - a big hit with Maltese owners

The new Opel Tigra TwinTop, launched in Malta by United Automobile Ltd late last year, has lived up to the high expectations of Maltese drivers who have bought this new model.

The high levels of satisfaction with the new Tigra were clearly evident during a meeting between new Maltese owners and the Opel Tigra TwinTop product manager Claudio Kornmacher.

The launch of the Tigra TwinTop, which is available from Lm9,990, made Opel the first German volume manufacturer to offer a sporty two-seater with an electro-hydraulic, retractable steel roof that opens and closes automatically at the touch of a button.

The compact two-seater was elected Cabrio of the Year 2004 by an international jury of car journalists and experts at its premiere at the Geneva Motor Show.

"The Tigra TwinTop is an attractive car for the young and also for those who are 'young at heart', that is for buyers who are seeking a sporty and exciting looking vehicle," United Automobile Ltd Managing Director Edmund Gatt Baldacchino said. "We are delighted with the feedback from customers who have already purchased a Tigra TwinTop and who are clearly enjoying driving it."

"I previously owned the older version of the Tigra and I had always dreamed of it being convertible," said TV presenter and producer Ray Calleja, who was one of the first Maltese to buy the new version of the Tigra. "The new TwinTop is a sheer pleasure to drive; more so than I expected. The car's looks are definitely a head turner and everyone I meet wants to have a ride in it."

Whether as a cabrio or coupé, the Tigra features a generous, usable boot with a volume of up to 440 litres - thanks to the ingenious design of the retractable roof, which folds almost vertically into the body.

An additional 70 litres of storage space is available behind the seats, adding up to a class-leading total of more than 500 litres. The Tigra's boot lid also opens and shuts electro-hydraulically at the touch of a button.

Melchior Vassallo from Sliema, said: "The sporty look, the fact that it's a convertible and the price all attracted me to the Opel Tigra TwinTop. All my friends and family liked the car and a couple of them are thinking about buying one as well."

Alain Guillaumier, a 26 year-old lawyer from St Julian's agreed, that the looks and the roof of the Tigra TwinTop made it an attractive car. "The Tigra TwinTop met my expectations, absolutely, both in terms of quality and performance. Everybody has loved it, especially friends," he said.

Equipped with Opel's innovative Twinport fuel-saving technology, the new Tigra's 1.4-litre ECOTEC engine generates 90 bhp. Both this unit and the more powerful 1.8 ECOTEC with 125 bhp meet Euro-4 emission standards. A five-speed manual gearshift is standard equipment and the 1.4 Twinport is also available with the Easytronic automated manual transmission.

Apart from looks and performance, convenience also played a role in attracting enthusiastic Maltese car drivers to the Opel Tigra TwinTop. "I was looking for a smaller car for work," Sliema managing director Christian Delia said.

"I spend a great deal of time out of the office and, although I wanted an exciting car which I would enjoy driving, I also wanted to be able to park it easily. The Opel Tigra TwinTop fit the bill perfectly and at a price that's very reasonable, considering what you get for your money."

The new Opel Tigra TwinTop is available from United Automobile Ltd in Abate Rigord Street, Ta' Xbiex. The United showroom can also be contacted on tel: 2132-0560.