[280Turbo]

I had access to a Vauxhall Tigra 1.6 about 5 years ago now and the one abiding thing I remember about it was that it was very claustrophobic inside.

It also drove awfully - I know it was based on a Corsa which was a very shonky starting point anyway but still - it was launched as a coupe and should therefore have a driving experiance to back up the (then) radical looks.

It put me right off them - and to be honest, a little off the Puma at the time, as I assumed it would be similar inside.

However, driving a Puma for the first time last year, I was very pleasantly surprised to find that it wasn't at all claustrophobic, despite the narrow side windows tapering to the back.

I also remember the rear seats in the Tigra - moulded plastic with cushions stuck onto them.

How could Vauxhall get it so wrong, yet Ford get it so right?

Anyone else have experience of the Tigra - good or bad?

[happy-kat]

Be thankful to the Tigra, without it Ford may not have seen the opportunity in the market to bring out the Puma

[pumapilot]

How could Vauxhall get it so wrong, yet Ford get it so right?

Tigra was the prototype for the Puma

[280Turbo]

Be thankful to the Tigra, without it Ford may not have seen the opportunity in the market to bring out the Puma

Don't get me wrong - I remember thinking Vauxhall had balls of steel when launching such a radically different looking car (especially considering the range at the time), but it was very surprising how the illusion was soon shattered the moment you stepped inside it.

Then, the moment I saw Puma, I knew that would be the best Ford coupe since Capri. Funny how they got it so right, yet suffered a couple of misfires with Probe and Cougar.

[Matt & Tiggr MKIII]

If you think the Tigra is claustrophobic you should try driving my car as your daily steed!

[Jessie]

Plenty of room on my side, sweety

I just have to remember to wear knickers with a skirt

[vickydink]

lol!

I realy dont like the tigra!

[Dogsbody]

I went to a joint a meet a while ago.
The owners seemed like a nice bunch.



Just remember you can still buy a Tigra So it can't be that bad

Caz's and my FRP's were pictured together in the Total Vauxhall magazine.

[280Turbo]

Yes - the new Tigra - obviosuly a completely different kettle of fish but I haven't had a nosey around one.

Guess the folding roof would circumvent the earlier model's claustrophobic feeling...

[fordboi]

I have never sat inside a Tigra however the exterior looks have never appealed to me. Especially now, the original Tigra is not ageing anywhere nearly as well as the Puma and the new one misses the point entirely in my opinion. It is now just a slow, cheap, posers car and has lost the original sporty coupe philosophy. They also never brought out a new engine for the original Tigra as Ford did with the Puma and so you were stuck with either a 1.4 or a 1.6. I don't believe there was ever a high performance version either. Each to their own though and all that

[pumapilot]

Then, the moment I saw Puma, I knew that would be the best Ford coupe since Capri.

The Puma is sometimes referred to as the spiritual succesor to the Capri.

[280Turbo]

The Puma is sometimes referred to as the spiritual succesor to the Capri.

I think EVERY coupe Ford produced since was touted as a successor to the Capri!

The Puma to me though is the closest execution of the Capri brief.

Good looking, AFFORDABLE, sporty, based on existing vehicle's standard chassis etc.

What Cougar and Probe lacked was affordability and desireability. Probe was saddled with it's medically connotative name and Mazda mechanicals, whereas Cougar, in my mind wasn't pretty enough! (As well as expensive).

Plus none were rear wheel drive, either...

[jonny5alive]

I've had both... the Tigra flipped over where the Puma stayed on the ground

[angelbabes34]

More boot space in the Puma

[pumapilot]

I think EVERY coupe Ford produced since was touted as a successor to the Capri!

The Puma to me though is the closest execution of the Capri brief.

If i remember correctly in the book 'The inside story, the history of the Puma, in one shot there is a Puma steereing wheel, but it has Capri embossed/pressed into it.

[ArchdeacoN2008]

"Tigra" ????


Never was - never is - never will be a contender !!!!!

[Spike]

I have never been in a tigra, let alone drive one, to compare!

I do think this thread will be a little biased, as so many of us have no experiance of the tigra!

[Dogsbody]

Lucky for us FRP owners they never released a VXR version of the Tigra.
Especially if the Corsa was anything to go by.
Corsa VXR

* Launched mid-April 2007
* Price of £15,595
* 1.6i Turbo 16v engine (Z16LET)
* 192 bhp
* Large front air intakes with honeycomb grilles, bulging wheelarches and ground hugging front spoiler
* Rear venturi-style bumper
* Central trapezoidal exhaust
* 0-60 mph (97 km/h) 6.8secs
* Maximum speed 140 mph (230 km/h)
* 17 inch alloys (optional 18 inch)
* ESP stability control system
* Heavily bolstered Recaro bucket seats and VXR badging
* MP3-compatible sound system

Bit of a FRP eater, in a straight line if nothing else.

[ArchdeacoN2008]

O.K. !! Lets put this baby to bed !!
WHO (wot nutta) would swap their Puma for a Tigra (same year/specs./mileage)????

[Phasenoise]

I wouldn't swap my Puma for either the old or the new Tigra and certainly not the Corsa VXR, There was a white Corsa VXR in front of me at the lights last Friday, young bloke must have been about 17 or 18 (Not sure where they get their cash from), with two girls in the car, it made an alright noise and that but just didn't have the same kind of classy kicking looks and stance as the Puma. Bloke with the Corsa VXR clearly couldn't drive as he nearly stalled it twice then went shooting off making loads on noise then had to keep breaking. The Puma is a one of a kind.