At the launch of the Corsa before Christmas I got into a fairly long and in depth conversation with a PR person from Opel on what manufacturers call 'all-new' and us cynics... sorry journalists... call a facelift. The Corsa's is a pretty extensive one, but a facelift nonetheless.
Having spent three weeks driving nothing but the 'all-new' fourth generation Opel Corsa I may have to eat my words. You can read my in-depth thoughts on the car when I get around to writing them, but let's take the Limited Edition model I've been driving this past week as an example.
The styling is evolutionary, taking inspiration from the Adam city car, of that there is no doubt, but it is inside where the Corsa feels 'all-new.' The seating position is lower rather than perched-atop-an-upturned-box of before and the Corsa gains the touchscreen infotainment system from the Adam and Insignia.
It also drives completely differently. Despite using the same basic platform as before (the bones of my 'extensive facelift' argument) the suspension has been completely reworked and actually received a unique setup for the UK and Irish markets. It still cannot touch the Ford Fiesta for engagement but it's a damned sight better than before. The Flame Red car you see before you is also powered by Opel's new turbocharged three-cylinder petrol engine with 115hp. The Corsa officially uses 4.9 litres/100km (57.6mpg) and while Ford's EcoBoost engine still has an advantage over this Opel unit it's only by a head.
One thing to note in my first few days with the car is an oddly inconsistent weighting to the clutch; I've stalled the 115hp 1.0 more times than I did the 90hp version or even the 1.4 combined.
Key tech specs:
- €15,595 to €20,695
- Three- and five-door options
- One diesel and four petrol engines to choose from
- Diesel engine with emissions as low as 87g/km
- 285-litre boot
Further reading:
First drive of the new Opel Corsa from the international launch