This week we drove the all new Opel Corsa, now in it’s sixth generation from this iconic German marque. Founded in 1862 by Adam Opel in Russelsheim, Opel is one of the largest car manufacturers in Europe. Now a subsidiary of the behemoth Stellantis Automotive Group, together with it’s sister group Vauxhall, the company is represented in more than sixty countries Globally, and has sold more than one million vehicles to date.
To keep pace with other major manufacturers, Opel is further developing and implementing it’s electricfication strategy, to ensure a sustainable future. By 2024 all European passenger cars should offer an electric variant.
The Corsa has been in dealerships since early January, in the form of the Edition variant. We drove the latest Elegance variant which comes with the new Sellantis engine, namely the 1.2L turbo, which pushes a highly responsive 96kw. There is also a naturally aspirated 1.2L, pushing out 66kw, which will be available when stocks allow. The covid-19 pandemic has led to a shortage in stock World wide.
Styling.
Opel styling is always sporty, and this Corsa does not disappoint. The front bonnet is sculpted, with two large air intake vents either side below the grille. The crease lines going down the sides lend an elegant air. The tow-tone roof also makes a statement.
The Corsa has an impressive drag coefficient of just 0.29, which means less resistance, an lends itself to better fuel efficiency. Interesting, is the new, smaller grille, which is different, but fits the Corsa perfectly.
The Cabin.
One of the items mentioned in the media brief was heated seats, and my daughter loves these, actually judges test cars by this standard. So she will enjoy this in Winter.
It’s fairly spacious and has a large 7 inch touchscreen and and digital cluster on the Elegance model that we drove. All buttons for control are close to hand. And typically for these days, Apple CarPlay and Android capability is present. It also has LED technology and High beam assist, specifically in the Elegance.
Safety Features.
Safety has always been a keynote of Opel cars, and the Corsa comes with the following: Lane keep assist, which is actually vital, but can be so irritating, when you do not use an indicator, and it highlights your poor driving.( sic)
180 deg reverse camera, which I absolutely insist on and love. You have so much more perception of your surroundings. My wife’s Audi Q5 did not come standard with this, and it is very annoying.
Forward collision alert, which can save lives, a pedestrians, or you own for that matter. This goes hand in hand with front pedestrian alert, and front mitigation braking
Traffic sign recognition, also comes in very handy when you are tired.
Engine & Transmission.
The engine is the 1.2 L turbo engine found in the Peugeot models. And this was proven to be a masterstroke, with the Corsa behaving well around corners, and being very responsive in acceleration as well.
The engine is lighter than it’s predecessor so this leads to more efficient fuel consumption. We obtained around 7.2L /100/km. The Corsa reached a top end in excess of 170km/h
It should play well with it’s competitor’s the Polo Trendline, Hyundai I 20 etc
Pricing.
The Corsa is competitively priced as follows.
CORSA R 274 900 1.2 55 kW 5-speed Manual
CORSA EDITION R 294 900 1.2 55 kW 5-speed Manual
CORSA ELEGANCE R 386 900 1.2 Turbo 96kW 6-speed Automatic
In summary, it is good to see Opel under the management of the team at PSA which have some very experienced and able operators, and I am sure that the brand will pick up the slack, and become the icon it was before.