LOGBOOK LOWDOWN
tiny steering wheel. But never mind, there’s not much wrong with theVauxhall’s interior and it’s very well put together.
On the plus side theVauxhall has proper knobs with which you control the temperature inside, unlike the Peugeot where to warm yourself up a bit you have to go via the touchscreen.
WHICH, as I’ve banged on about loads of times, is dangerously distracting.You have three driving modes in front of you: Normal, which allows you 107bhp; Eco which gives you 81bhp and Sport which serves up the full 134bhp.
The car starts in Normal mode and that’s the best one to keep it in unless you really want to run the battery down quickly and regularly use the Corsa-e’s 7.6sec 0-60mph sprinting ability.
Eco is the mode to use if you’re on a long journey and absolutely need to string out the range.
The performance definitely feels flatter and the air-conditioning holds itself back.
The appeal of this electric Corsa to many people will be the fact that it feels remarkably similar to a petrol or diesel Corsa to operate.
You get the same gearshift in the EV as you do in the ICE versions, the interior is exactly the same and the luggage is the same 309 litres as a regular Corsa because the only intrusion the batteries make is into the spare wheel well.
At 1,455kg this version is
Vauxhall Corsa-e Elite Nav
Now £30,310 Single electric motor, 133bhp
0 to 60mph in 7.6 seconds, 93mph top speed 209 miles 0g/km Honda E, Peugeot e-208, Mini E considerably heavier than its brothers but stiffer springs hide this extra bulk pretty well.
That means it’s less good over bumps than the petrol Corsa but the ride isn’t too firm.Vauxhall
■ has simplified its range naming system, not quite down to Korean (I’m thinking Kia’s fabulously plain 1,2,3 levels) but their standards are refreshingly straightforward.
Our test car is an Elite Nav which costs £30,310 after the government’s grant has been deducted.
A Renault Zoe will cost you a bit less, has a small amount more range but isn’t as spacious.
The Mini E has is sportier but has a much shorter range.
Vauxhall’s Corsa-e is the perfect car for those wanting to take the plunge into EV ownership but want something familiar at the same time.
An interesting footnote to this road test is that the Corsa-e is the only EV in which I’ve broken down. Modern cars conking out is thankfully rare these days and the last car to leave me stranded like this was a £96,000 Range Rover.
The Corsa stopped coming out of a roundabout after having first displayed a full range of warning lights.
And stop it did, dead.
The parking brake came on automatically so I could not even push it out of the way of traffic.
I immediately called for help but then realised that this car is electric and loaded with software.
You can guess what happened next.
Yes, after switching on and off a few times the Vauxhall sprang back into life with no warning lights showing and from then on the car behaved perfectly.
I’m prepared to believe that it was a one-off glitch.