Refreshed and reinvigorated

The top-selling Vauxhall Corsa has been revitalised with new technology, smart looks and cleaner emissions. Richard Gooding sums up the changes

Consistently popular, the Vauxhall Corsa was the third best-selling car in the UK in 2014. Over 81,783 buyers plumped for the Vauxhall supermini last year, so it’s not as if its popularity was fading. Nevertheless, Vauxhall relaunched the car in December, offering cleaner engines, a new interior and looks heavily influenced from its city car sibling the Adam. Bringing it inline with much newer rivals, the new Corsa is continuing its predecessor’s success story. Scoring a third place position on February 2015’s UK top-selling cars chart, what are the improvements that make it more enticing to buyers?

87g/km, 85.6mpg
The cleanest version of the previous-generation Corsa used a 1.3-litre turbo diesel CDTi engine to bring CO2 emissions down to 88g/km and give a quoted miles per gallon figure of 85.6. While the new car is capable on paper of the same level of economy, it emits 1g/km of CO2 less. A development of the older car’s four-cylinder unit, the new three-cylinder engine has been substantially revised to meet Euro 6 emission regulations. Our test car’s power of 94bhp is a useful 20bhp over the car it replaces, but a lower-powered version is also still available. You’ll pay a small price in tax, though, as the 74bhp model emits 99g/km, meaning it moves up a band in Benefit in Kind percentage rates. As a counterpoint, a new 89bhp 1.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine offers 100g/km in Stop/Start ecoFLEX guise and offers a two per cent less expensive BIK cost.

When we tested the previous most economical Corsa in GreenFleet 69, we bemoaned the fact that a trip computer (essential for recording fuel economy) was a £515 optional extra. There is no such issue with the new car. A comprehensive multifunction trip computer is standard and gives myriad information about how the car is performing.

Clear to use and decipher, it’s a real step up from the previous model. Controlled by a stalk mounted behind the steering wheel, you’ll want to know how the new Corsa CDTi S/S ecoFLEX’s thriftiness translates to the real word.

Over the course of 350 miles, we recorded an average real-world figure of 62.6mpg. While that’s some 23mpg fewer that Vauxhall’s official quoted figure, on more than one occasion the car displayed an average reading of over 75mpg.

Commendable and just 10mpg shy of its maker’s claims, an ‘eco’ button limits certain settings of the car’s various systems for even better parsimony. The ‘Eco Drive Assist’ function additionally displays the optimum times to shift up, the current economy level and consumption statistics.

Classy interior
The rest of the interior is a step up on the outgoing car’s, too. Borrowing certain parts from the Adam’s cabin, the new Corsa’s interior is unrecognisable from that of the old one. Soft-touch plastics, gloss black and chrome accents, a seven‑inch touchscreen infotainment system and the leather‑wrapped multifunction steering wheel of the SRi VX-Line all lend the new Corsa an air of quality and runs the Volkswagen Polo close for classiness. The IntelliLink multimedia system has digital radio, USB and Bluetooth with voice control. On-board apps such as BringGo satellite navigation and internet radio software TuneIn and Stitcher can also be added to the system.

Externally, the new Corsa resembles the old Corsa in silhouette thanks to a roof and glasshouse which is commonly shared on both cars. Comprehensive changes to the front and rear ends update the new car’s overall appearance, though, and make it much more stylish than before. Sharp creases on the doors and body sides flow into redesigned head and tail lamps, while the SRi VX-Line’s high equipment level includes LED daytime running lights, front fog lamps, 17-inch alloy wheels and a specially-sculpted body kit which adds sports-orientated touches. While they may sit uncomfortably with the test car’s low‑emission and fuel-sipping appetite, the extra addenda certainly make it more distinctive.

Grown-up sophistication
To drive, the new Corsa is a much better proposition than the old one and nears the Ford Fiesta for driving fun and the Volkswagen Polo for refinement. Certainly quieter than the small VW at idle, the CDTI’s gruffness never quite ebbs away. Torque of 140lb ft (190Nm) is shared with the old four-cylinder unit, propelling the new Corsa to 62mph from rest in 11.9 seconds. The five-speed gearbox is slick and the car feels both nimble and fun on the road with positively‑weighted steering. Imperfect road surfaces are handled with ease and the new Corsa exudes an air of grown-up sophistication.

The new Corsa doesn’t feel or look like an ‘economy’ car. Costing £15,980 as tested, the SRi VX-Line is towards the upper end of the new Corsa’s range, but as rivals such as the £16,495 85g/km Ford Fiesta Titanium ECOnetic and 88g/km £15,895 Volkswagen Polo SE Design show, it is competitively priced. With good fuel returns, a level of refinement and eco technology lacking in the old car and improved safety and equipment levels, the new Corsa is now much better prepared to fight the supermini opposition. Overall, the substantial revisions bring a new and competitive edge to the revitalised Corsa and make it an essential addition to any small car buyer’s shortlist.

Vauxhall Corsa SRi VX-Line 1.3 CDTi

ENGINE: 1,248cc, four-cylinder 
turbo diesel
CO2: 87g/km
MPG (combined): 85.6
VED: Band A, £0
BIK: 14%
PRICE (OTR): £15,980 
(including VAT)


For more information
www.vauxhall.co.uk