Opel’s all-new Corsa impresses

OPEL has a proud track record in South Africa, having been around for 86 years, and there was some concern about the brand’s future when GM withdrew from the country.

It’s now under the Stellantis Group, the fourth biggest motor manufacturer in the world, so what better way to confirm this than with the launch of the new ever-popular Corsa?

The styling leans towards the conservative side with elements of the Opel Wing design.

In the range-topping Elegance the black roof adds an extra bit of class to a package that already looks good.

The interior gives an impression of quality with soft-touch surfaces as well as hard-wearing plastic components and the build quality feels solid.

Rear legroom has been increased by 20mm, but it’s still tight for taller people like myself while boot space comes in at 309 litres and, with the split folding rear seats down, 1 081 litres.

In the base model Corsa and mid-spec Corsa Edition there’s the award-winning 1.2 litre PureTech three-cylinder normally aspirated engine producing 55kW and 118Nm of torque paired to a five-speed manual gearbox.

In the turbo-charged Elegance there’s 96kW and 230Nm on tap which is powered by a smooth sixspeed automatic transmission and, weighing in at under a ton, will get to 100km/h in 8.7 seconds and a top speed of 207km/h.

The Elegance is brimming with safety and tech features. There’s a 180-degree view reverse camera, lane keep assist, traffic sign recognition, forward collision alert, front pedestrian detection and collision mitigation braking as standard as are heated seats and LED headlamps and high beam assist.

The seven-inch touchscreen is Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatible.

The Corsa feels solidly planted and the engine doesn’t mind hitting the high notes. Steering is light with enough feedback to tell you exactly what’s going on.

Gear changes are smooth and while the software is set up to get to the highest gear as quickly as possible for optimum fuel consumption, you can move the gear selector into manual mode for a more sprightly performance.

The Corsa is a welcome competitor in the B segment and it will be interesting to see how buyers react to it considering its history locally.

STYLING leans towards the conservative side with elements of the Opel Wing design. The turbo-charged Elegance is also brimming with safety and tech features.