Opel Corsa review

Opel Corsa. To the average person on the street, this is just another new make and model to add to the huge selection of vehicles available to buyers in Australia.

But, as motorists already know, Opel is not only one of the oldest car manufacturers in the world, but has been successfully sold in Australia for over 30 years under the guise of our most famous Holden brand. The Corsa was sold between 1994 and 2005 as the Holden Barina, perhaps our most famous small car nameplate.

Holden's decision to source most of its small and medium-sized vehicles from GM Korea (formerly Daewoo) opened the door for Opel to sell vehicles here on its own. In addition to the Corsa, he released the Astra small-to-mid sedan and the Insignia mid-size sedan.

While Opel is headquartered at Holden's headquarters in Melbourne, Opel aims to market itself as a semi-prestigious European brand. To this end, the company has taken a similar approach to Audi and Volkswagen, using the German slogan "Wir Leben Autos" ("We love cars").

VALUE

The current Opel Corsa is the next generation of the Corsa/Barina which was withdrawn from the Australian market in 2005. It's been around since 2006, though it's regularly updated to keep it up to date, and the next generation model won't arrive until 2014 at the earliest.

Price and looks are two of the biggest factors in the youth-dominated small hatchback market, and the Corsa's styling is neat and modern, with wide headlights and grille, sloping roofline and wide, square pillar.

Although outwardly it doesn't stand out from the crowd, it does stand out on price, but for the wrong reasons - it's $2000-$3000 more expensive than its main competitors.

Opel has targeted Volkswagen as its main competitor, and the 1.4-liter Polo sells for $2000 less than the Corsa.

While the Opel Corsa is available as a three-door hatchback ($16,990 with manual transmission), most buyers are now looking for the convenience of rear doors. The 1.4-liter five-door Opel Enjoy with a manual transmission costs $18,990K, which is three thousand more than South Korea's 1.6-liter CD Barina with a manual transmission.

There are three options: the three-door entry-level model just named Corsa, the three-door Corsa Color Edition, and the five-door Corsa Enjoy.

The Corsa is well-equipped in all models with six airbags, electronic stability control, daytime running lights, rear fog lights, Bluetooth connectivity (phone only, but with voice control), USB and accessory sockets, and steering wheel audio controls.

There's a $750 Sport Package that bumps up the alloy wheels to 17 inches, gloss black, and lowered suspension.

An updated Color Edition variant adds front fog lights, body-colored door handles, gloss black painted roof and exterior mirror housing, sports alloy pedals, extended color gamut along with 16-inch alloy wheels (standard Corsa has 15-inch steel wheels). ). ). In addition to two additional doors, the Corsa Enjoy gets a leather-wrapped steering wheel, front fog lights, and a removable FlexFloor boot floor that provides secure storage under the floor.

The last test car was the automatic five-door Corsa Enjoy, which is likely to be the top seller, although with the optional $1250 technology package included, it will cost around $25,000 to get it off the showroom floor.

TECHNOLOGY

They are all powered by a naturally aspirated 1.4kW/74Nm 130-litre petrol engine mated to a five-speed manual and four-speed automatic only in the Color Edition and Enjoy.

Design

There's plenty of room in the cabin, no headroom issues, and the rear seats can comfortably accommodate a couple of adults. The seats are firm and supportive with side bolsters that were too tight for a tester with wider buttocks, but would be ideal for his typical (20-year-old) customer.

The trunk occupies up to 285 liters with vertical rear seatbacks (60/40 ratio), and when folded increases to 700 liters.

DRIVING

We were able to test the Corsa in a variety of conditions, first as part of a rural press launch program and most recently in more suitable urban settings during our week-long extended test.

Corsa is well balanced with safe and predictable handling. There is a semi-sporty feel to the steering, and the ride is surprisingly comfortable for such a small car. We were impressed with how well the suspension responded to a few unexpected potholes reflecting the car's European background.

The 1.4-litre engine was good enough in suburban conditions and on the freeway, but it didn't have much luck in hilly terrain, where we often had to use manual control to downshift. We certainly recommend a manual transmission if you live in hilly areas, as this compensates for the power loss inherent in an automatic transmission.

VERDICT

It's too early to tell if GM's Australian experiment with Opel, especially its pricing structure, has been successful, but sales in the first three months have been modest, to say the least. This may be due to the usual hesitation of buyers in accepting the "new" brand, or because of this "euro surcharge".

Opel Corsa

Cost: from $18,990 (manual) and $20,990 (auto)

Guarantee: Three years/100,000 km

Resale: No

Engine: 1.4-liter four-cylinder, 74 kW/130 Nm

Transmission: Five-speed manual, four-speed automatic; FORWARD

Safety: Six airbags, ABS, ESC, TC

Accident Rating: Five stars

Body: 3999 mm (L), 1944 mm (W), 1488 mm (H)

The weight: 1092 kg (manual) 1077 kg (automatic)

Thirst: 5.8 l / 100 km, 136 g / km CO2 (manual; 6.3 l / 100 m, 145 g / km CO2)