Opel Corsa Sport
ENG
Where did you go on holiday? Henties, Cape Town, Thailand or maybe your uncle’s plaas?
At the risk of sounding terribly spoilt, I did so much traveling in 2015 that I spent my entire holiday at home. Either with my feet up, my nose in a book, hands on a game controller or floating in a cool blue swimming pool.
Although none of this requires the use of an automobile, there are always errands to run and people to visit around the festive season.
Like most motoring journalists I could’ve pulled my own car out of the garage, blown the dust and cobwebs off, and just used that to zip to any X-mas-y appointments.
However. It appears that everyone at Namwheels was on their best behaviour last year because the Santas at General Motors gave us the use of a press car for the entire holiday period. Hownice is that!
And it wasn’t just any old banger, shortly before the school holidays started they delivered a metallic green Corsa.
To give it its full name, you’re now looking at an Opel Corsa 1.4T Sport in Mint Green.
Depending on how the light falls on it, we agreed that the colour’s name should rather be changed to Caribbean Gift Shop Dolphin Statue Turquoise. Other paint hues are also available but I grew fond of this one for a few reasons.
First and foremost, it’s distinctive and rare. Not only would we easily spot our funky little friend in an overcrowded parking lot, we also failed to see another Corsa in this colour.
As the days rolled by and the new year was born, we also discovered that this colour reflects sunlight and hides dirt equally well.
Before I get completely carried away and start writing love poems to its coating, let me touch on the car itself. Opel launched the “New Germans” in quick succession and there’s no doubt that this Corsa, the Adam (trendy supermini) and the Mokka (compact SUV) deliver on their maker’s promises of style and sophistication.
The sales charts will also back this up, as Opel uses new engines and innovative technology in all of these models. Although our test car had the lively 1.4-litre fourcylinder turbo-petrol you’ll also find in other GM products, Opel can also sell you a Corsa with a relatively new 1L three-cylinder turbo-petrol motor.
Having spent quite some time with both engines in all three models, I can vouch for the fact that they don’t have to fear the competition in terms of power and efficiency.
Time and time again this car’s comprehensive and cheeky trip computer would encourage me to change up early; and the resulting torque was impressive.
Opel lays claim to 5.9L/100km average consumption and we averaged a decent 7.9L/100km on three tank fillings (max 45L) used mostly for city driving.
Head for the long road, slot in sixth gear and cruise carefully to achieve the manufacturer’s claim. We also measured 0-100km/h in just 9.16 seconds and 400m in 16.54.
Other things I can report on are the excellent manual air-conditioning and an easy-to-use infotainment system with smart- phone app controls (including navigation).
You also get front power windows and mirrors, zooty seat fabric, a 285L boot with 60/40 split folding rear seats, as well as a light and fluffy City Steering Mode.
More luxuries include auto wipers, cruise control with speed limiter, leather-covered adjustable multifunction steering wheel, ambient lighting and auto-dimming rearview mirror.
Safety arsenal contains stability control, hill start assist, ISOFIX points, six airbags, rear parking beepers and a reversing camera. There’s even more standard stuff and an additional option package (with auto parking) available – visit your nearest Opel dealer for the complete low-down.
Every driver agreed that the Corsa Sport quickly integrated itself into their lives because of its punchy engine, versatility and ease of use.
To come up with some criticism I’ll have to nit-pick here…
The fuel and temperature gauges are a series of light bars which can be misleading at times. The sporty wheels make for a harsh ride over bad roads and uhhhh, there’s no volume knob. Hashtag whatever, this is a great little car.
I’m not just saying that because it was given to us as a holiday car. My wife liked it so much that she started looking at prices on the web (from N$268,000) and two neighbours came around for a lengthy demonstration. But most importantly, I got a big lump in my throat when they eventually came to collect our summer love.
SummerI is a time for relaxation and fun in the sun. Or testing cars?