The German supermini has sold very well globally since its birth in 1982 with 12.4 million sales. This new and important car for Opel is a gentle evolution of the outgoing car; which is a nice way of saying it has really just received a big facelift.
That said, Corsa is a very popular car in Ireland and has always been there or thereabouts among its peers (Fiesta, Polo, Yaris, Micra etc.) as a form of economical transport.
Corsa is available in two body styles, namely a sporty three-door or more practical, and popular, five-door. Corsa's exterior dimensions are almost identical to the outgoing car. The five-seat car's most visible feature is that striking and aggressive new nose.
Inside, the cabin has also matured. There is less clutter and a greater sense of solidity. Seating revisions make the interior a more comfortable place to be. There are interesting new fabric choices that allow owners to put their own stamp on their Corsa. The dash area is more sophisticated with the option of adding a splash of colour. New Corsa is clearly a sibling to the Opel Adam – a car that can be personalised effortlessly.
As you'd expect, Opel has made loads of new technologies and options available, from heated seats and heated steering wheel to lane departure warning. There's internet connectivity via approved apps like Bringo (sat nav) and TuneIn radio. Corsa is also available with a voice system much like Apple's Siri or Ford's Sync. Automatic parking (in and out of the space) is also available.
It's clear that Corsa has all the tech you could possibly expect, and more, in a supermini available at a price. But in truth, most supermini buyers just want value-for- money motoring. Opel Corsa prices start at €14,895 for the three-door, 1.2-litre petrol 'S' model. There is roughly a €600 price-walk from a three-door to five-door. The trim levels are called: 'S', 'Excite', 'SE' and 'Limited Edition'.
Under the skin there are revisions to the suspension, steering and engine range. The new steering set-up is available with a 'City' button to make the wheel even lighter to turn for ease of use at slow speeds. Ireland and UK Corsas are getting a slightly heavier steering weight to add more feedback.
Under the bonnet the engine range is mostly petrol, starting with the 1.2, 70hp and rising to a 1.4-litre with 90hp. For higher mileage users there is a CDTi diesel 1.3-litre with 75hp that starts at €16,395. A new six-speed automatic 'Easytronic' is available with the 1.4-litre petrol, 90hp Corsa.
The really big news is the fitting of Opel's new and brilliant 1.0-litre Direct Injection Turbo petrol engine. The three-cylinder engine is relatively powerful with 115hp and it is very smooth too, thanks to balancer shafts. It comes with a new six-speed manual gearbox and 0-100km/h takes 10.3 seconds. A non-turbo version of this new engine is on the way later next year.
Sadly, the 1.0-litre costs a fair bit more to make, and in Ireland it is only available in the top Limited Edition trim level (for now). At €19,395 (three-door), it is hard to justify the significant premium over the 1.2-litre Corsa. On the roads around Frankfurt we were able to enjoy brisk performance and competent and composed autobahn performance.
Opel Corsa has grown up and now provides serious competition for the class leaders.
Michael Sheridan
