Vauxhall Corsa 1.4T [150] Black Edition 3Dr Petrol Hatchback

Ten Second Review

The fourth-generation Vauxhall Corsa delivers similar dimensions to the old car - but that's as far as the similarities go. With a fresh chassis and suspension and a three-cylinder petrol engine that takes star billing, it also gets a classier interior. Keep your eye on this one. It could give the Ford Fiesta a real tough time.

Background

How we used to chuckle at the Vauxhall Corsa, the totem of the clueless supermini driver. That was until 2006 when the Corsa suddenly and unexpectedly became one of the best cars in its class. It drove well, it felt solid and it even looked pretty perky. The VXR models were complete hooligans and the diesel versions reliable and economical. Small wonder the Corsa became a fixture in the UK top ten best selling cars, albeit glancing up with barely-disguised envy at the massive-selling Ford Fiesta. Lasting right through to 2015 has been one marathon innings for Vauxhall's baby and in recent years, the Corsa has started to feel its age. Newer rivals like the Volkswagen Polo, the Renault Clio and the Peugeot 208 have all queued up to join the Fiesta in attempting to give the Vauxhall a good working over, so General Motors probably think it's payback time. Say hello to the response.

Driving Experience

The Corsa has always been a pretty entertaining steer and Vauxhall is looking to continue that trend. Underpinning this latest fourth-generation car is a completely redesigned chassis with precisely zero carry-over components from the last model. It sports a 5mm lower centre of gravity, a stiffer front sub-frame and a sharper suspension geometry. The electrically-assisted power steering gets a City mode for you to twirl around effortlessly when parking , but receives a UK-specific tune to cater for our roads. Internal friction has been minimised, as has understeer. Both Comfort and Sport suspension set ups have improved dampers that aid ride quality. The star of the Corsa's engine range is the 1.0-litre, 3-cylinder turbo petrol unit. Recognising that diesel engines don't always make the big sales numbers in the supermini sector, Vauxhall has instead devoted its attention to super-efficient petrol units. The 1.0-litre is the only production three-cylinder engine on the market with a balancer shaft, helping it combat noise, vibration and harshness. This Euro6-compliant engine is offered on either 90 or 115PS power outputs and both manage 170Nm of torque at just 1,800rpm. An improved version of Vauxhall's 1.4 turbo engine is also featured and there are two budget naturally-aspirated petrol engines - a 1.2 and a 1.4-litre. Big improvements to the 1.3 CDTi diesel have elevated it to Euro 6 emissions standards. At the top of the range, there's the 205PS 1.6-litre turbocharged VXR hot hatch variant. Transmissions? Vauxhall has announced two six-speed gearboxes, a manual and an automatic, delivering greater efficiency and a slicker shift action.

Design and Build

Straight away, you'll spot similarities to the front end of the ADAM model and that's no coincidence, this looking set to become the Vauxhall family face for the foreseeable future. That means a rounded, friendly look with a broader front grille than Corsas of old. The overall proportioning isn't that much of a departure, this car retaining the somewhat tall and narrow shape of the third generation model. It's almost identical in length to that car too but all of this improved model's body panels are new and provide greater definition between the 'sporty' look of the three-door and the 'premium' five-door models. Some of the detailing is quite assured, including the sculptural 'blade' running across the lower door-sections. Drop inside and you'll see even bigger improvements. The old Corsa always felt a solid thing but time hadn't been kind to the basic design of the interior and this latest model rectifies that quite emphatically. A driver control centre takes pride of place within the instrument panel, which is themed around horizontal lines. The fourth-generation Corsa is also the first high-volume Vauxhall to be available with IntelliLink, the communications system which has already been seen in the ADAM.

Market and Model

The Corsa operates in a section of the market that, while headed by the Fiesta, has been turned on its head by the rise of Korean models such as the Hyundai i20 and the Kia Rio. Put bluntly, if your car isn't generously equipped right down to the entry-level model, it's going to face an uphill task. Vauxhall has announced a whole slew of equipment for the Corsa to make sure it is. Prices are much as before across the three and five-door range, starting at around £9,000, with trim levels running from 'Life' to 'Sting', 'Sting R', 'Design', 'SRi', 'SRi VX-Line' and 'SE'. Plus there are the inevitable special editions too, so you'll not be short of choice. All models get features like a heated windscreen, remote central locking, powered front windows and mirrors, a decent quality stereo with an aux-in socket and hill start assist to stop you drifting backwards on uphill junctions. Safety stuff includes twin front, side and curtain airbags plus ESP stability control. In its fourth generation, plusher versions of this Corsa get heat for the front seats, steering wheel and windscreen, as well as soft-tone ambient lighting, plus a full-size panoramic roof is also available. Safety systems include Side Blindspot Alert, High Beam Assist, Lane Departure Warning, bi-xenon lights and a rear-view camera.

Cost of Ownership

Vauxhall can't afford to get the Corsa's cost of ownership figures wrong. This car has been the company's best-selling model for many years, generally sitting at number two in the overall passenger car sales charts. In its last full year, Vauxhall sold 83,000 Corsas in the UK, outstripping total full-range sales of manufacturers like SEAT, Skoda, Renault and Citroen. We're the lead market for the Corsa by a massive margin, the second biggest being Germany with 50,000 registrations. The UK is also a market that's very sensitive to fuel economy and emissions variations between models. The 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol engine makes some pretty impressive numbers, recording 54.7mpg on the combined cycle. The 75 and 95PS versions of the 1.3-litre CDTi diesel both come with fuel-saving Start/Stop technology fitted as standard. The former will reduce the three-door model's CO2 emissions down to 85g/km and fuel consumption is clocked at 87.8mpg in the combined cycle.

By Jonathan Crouch

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Key Standard Features*

• Bluetooth audio streaming
• USB Connection
• CD30 stereo radio/CD/MP3 player + aux-in socket
• DAB digital radio module
• Metallic - Mineral black
• Folding rear seats
• Lace cloth trim
• IntelliLink infotainment system
• Vauxhall OnStar emergency assistance
• Delete Vauxhall OnStar emergency assistance
• Lace cloth - Jet black
• Air conditioning

Specification

Body Glass
Heated windscreen
Rear wiper
Laminated windscreen
Electric front windows/one touch facility
Dark tinted rear glass
Extra tinted glass in rear windows and tailgate
Heated rear window
Two speed windscreen wipers
Brakes
ESP + traction control
Brake assist
Hill start assist
ABS + EBD + EBA
Chassis/Suspension
Sports suspension
Communication
Apple car play/Android Auto
Bluetooth system
Driver Aids
Speed sensitive power steering
Cruise control + speed limiter
Driver Information
Multi function trip computer
Rev counter
Lights on warning
Low fuel level warning light
Exterior temperature gauge
Service indicator
Speed warning indicator
Multi Function Display
Driving Mirrors
Heated door mirrors
Electric adjustable door mirrors
Black door mirrors
Entertainment
6 speakers
Exterior Body Features
Black fog light surrounds
Rear skirt
Front lip spoiler
Side sills
Metallic paint
Body colour door handles
Body colour bumpers
Roof spoiler
Black front grille
Chrome effect tailpipe extension
Exterior Lights
Fog lights with black surround
LED daytime running lights
Headlamp levelling
Coming home function
Heating/Cooling/Ventilation
Air recirculation system
Pollen filter
Interior Features
Multi function steering wheel
Chrome interior door handles
Leather gear knob and handbrake grip
Flat bottomed steering wheel
Grab handles
Centre console with cupholders
Luggage compartment cover
Rear bottle holder
12V power outlet
Load restraining lashing points
Glovebox
Front door pockets
Electric reach + rake adjustable steering column
Interior Lights
Delay courtesy light function
Driver/passenger reading lights
Illuminated luggage compartment
Safety
Front seat side impact airbags
Height adjustable front seatbelts
Three 3 point rear seatbelts
Front and rear curtain airbags
Passenger airbag deactivation system
Tyre pressure monitoring system
Driver/passenger 2 stage auto adaptive airbags
Front and rear seatbelt reminder
Side impact protection beams
Seats
Reclining front seats
Height adjustable driver's seat
Height adjustable front headrests
Sports front seats
2 height adjustable rear headrests
Front seat belt pre-tensioners with load limiters
Easy entry reclining front seats with memory
Isofix on outer rear seats
Security
Immobiliser
Deadlocks
Radio frequency remote central locking
Locking wheel bolts
Key left in ignition audible warning
Vanity Mirrors
Driver/passenger sunvisors and vanity mirrors
Wheels - Alloy
17" Black Diamond Cut alloy wheels
Wheels - Spare
Tyre inflation kit

Options

Entertainment
R4 IntelliLink with satnav system including colour touchscreen, DAB radio, USB, bluetooth, bluetooth audio streaming, smartphone interface	£650.00
Bluetooth audio streaming	Standard
USB Connection	Standard
CD30 stereo radio/CD/MP3 player + aux-in socket	Standard
DAB digital radio module	Standard
Packs
Sight and light Pack - Corsa	£240.00
Winter pack - Corsa	£365.00
Paint - Metallic
Metallic - Mineral black	Standard
Security
Remote security alarm system	£260.00
Seats
Isofix attachment on front seat	£75.00
60/40 split folding rear seat	£140.00
Height adjustable passenger seat	£75.00
Folding rear seats	Standard
Exterior Body Features
Electric Tilt glass sunroof + interior blind + passenger seat height adjust	£890.00
Interior Features
Network cloth upholstery	£160.00
Lace cloth trim	Standard
Driver Information
IntelliLink infotainment system	Standard
Vauxhall OnStar emergency assistance	Standard
Delete Vauxhall OnStar emergency assistance	Standard
Driver Aids
Rear parking sensor	£300.00
Front and rear parking sensors	£465.00
Advanced parking assist and blind spot detection with front and rear parking sensors	£550.00
Rear view camera	£250.00
Exterior Lights
Bi-Xenon headlights with cornering light	£425.00
Trim - Cloth
Lace cloth - Jet black	Standard
Cloth - Network Moonray	£160.00
Heating/Cooling/Ventilation
Air conditioning, electronic climate control	£415.00
Air conditioning	Standard

Performance

Performance
0 to 60 mph (secs)
0 to 62 mph (secs)	8.9
Engine Power - BHP	150
Engine Power - KW	110
Engine Power - PS
Engine Power - RPM	5000
Engine Torque - LBS.FT	162
Engine Torque - NM	220
Engine Torque - RPM	2750
Top Speed	130