Vauxhall Corsa
MODEL TESTED: Vauxhall Corsa 1.2 Turbo 100 SRi Nav PRICE: £19,200 ENGINE: 1.2-litre 3cyl, 99bhp All-new Corsa is lighter, more efficient and loaded with tech
THE all-new Vauxhall Corsa has an interesting back story, and its development has led to some impressive technical achievements – but does this translate into a competitive car? We’re testing the £19, 200 1. 2 Turbo 100 SRi Nav model to find out.
Design & engineering
MORE than 2.1 million Corsas have been sold in the UK since 1993, so it’s a big car for Britain, let alone Vauxhall – and that means this sixth-generation model is significant.
Before its merger with Groupe PSA, Vauxhall had almost completed development of a fresh Corsa under its period of ownership by General Motors. But following the sale of Vauxhall to PSA, the firm set about developing the new car on a shared platform in double-quick time.
That platform is called CMP, and the Corsa shares it with the Peugeot 208, among others. The big news with this architecture is that the car weighs as little as 980kg, which is up to 108kg lighter than its predecessor. The body weighs 40kg less, aluminium engines save 15kg, the front seats save 5.5kg, the rears 4.5kg, while an aluminium bonnet sheds 2.4kg.
There’s a new engine too – well, new to Vauxhall anyway. It’s a 99bhp 1. 2-litre turbocharged triple, and features a six-speed manual gearbox here.
The platform’s suspension is fairly conventional, with struts at the front and a torsion beam at the rear, but one thing that is clever is that the platform has been designed to accept an EV variant. The Corsa-e, with a 209-mile range, goes on sale later this year.
At £19, 200 in SRi Nav trim, the Corsa is the priciest car here, but there are plenty of technological innovations to go with that rise in price compared with its predecessor. For example, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard across the range, and all cars get a seven-inch touchscreen.
LED lights are also included, while connected services take a big step on and there’s more safety tech as well. Alongside the LED lights, SRi Nav features cruise control, air-con, keyless operation, sports seats and parking sensors. Beyond this, the only real option is what colour you want (metallic paint is £565 to £650, depending on what colour you choose).
Driving
THE Corsa has the most torque of all three cars here, with 205Nm at 1,750rpm – the Clio has 160Nm and the
Polo has 175Nm, and the difference is noticeable from behind the wheel. The Vauxhall’s 1.2-litre engine is punchy and has plenty of in-gear shove, thanks in part to the car’s weight savings.
Our tests backed this up. The Vauxhall went from 30-50mph in 4.0 seconds in third gear, which was 1.1 seconds faster than the Polo and 1.3 seconds ahead of the Clio. It was also faster from 50-70mph in fifth, taking 9.3 seconds – the Renault took 15.7 seconds and the VW took 13.1 seconds in that test. As well as its additional torque, the Corsa also has a six-speed gearbox when its rivals have five. This means the Corsa is able to run with shorter ratios, which is a big plus for performance.
However, the Corsa isn’t much fun to drive. The steering is quick, but has very little feel, so
it’s too easy to upset the car’s balance as you turn in. There’s not as much grip as in its rivals, either.
The Corsa’s ride is average, because while it’s not stiffly set up, the car does constantly move and shuffle on rough British roads. The Polo is significantly more settled, as well as being more refined.
Practicality
THERE’S no three-door option any more, and all Corsas come with five doors. However, the rear doors aren’t the biggest, so access to the back seats isn’t as easy as in its rivals.
Once you’re sat in the back, the Corsa is also less spacious than either the Clio or Polo. The fact that the rear windowline rises up doesn’t help either.
Unfortunately, the tight rear seats aren’t offset by a generous boot. The Corsa’s 309-litre capacity is acceptable, but superminis have evolved from their roots, and cars such as the Polo and Clio now offer more space, to the point where the 391-litre Renault now outstrips the larger VW Golf for luggage room.
Despite this, the Corsa is practical enough. Interior ergonomics are fine, too, and there’s a reasonable amount of storage space.
Ownership
NONE of these brands performed well in our Driver Power 2019 satisfaction poll. Vauxhall – before its operations were taken over by PSA – ranked the poorest, taking 29th place out of 30 brands in our most recent rundown.
The Corsa’s performance in its Euro NCAP safety test also lagged a little behind its rivals. The Vauxhall only scored four out of five stars compared with a full five-star rating for its competitors. That’s despite it featuring the same number of airbags (six), as well as autonomous braking, a tiredness monitor and lane-keep assist as standard.
Running costs
ECONOMY is key for a supermini, and all three cars here returned in excess of 40mpg, the Corsa recording a test best of 45.7mpg.
A 96g/km rating for CO2 emissions means the Vauxhall is competitive in terms of company car costs, too. The Renault emits 99g/km, putting it in the same 23 per cent Benefit in Kind tax bracket, while the VW pumps out 106g/km, putting it in the 25 per cent BiK class.
However, because the Corsa has the highest list price, it’ll still be more expensive to run than the Renault as a company car, costing £875 compared with £819. The Polo comes in at £930 per year in company car contributions for the same driver.
Testers’ notes
“There are few individual options on the new Corsa. If you want to add features such as climate control, built-in nav or heated seats, Vauxhall forces you to step up to the next trim level.”