The Opel Corsa represents both the zero-emissions future the automotive world seems to be striving for – and the fun times we’re in danger of throwing away.
We tested the Corsa-e SRi recently. As the name suggests, it’s a pure-electric version of a fairly standard small car. It laughs in the face of fossil fuel, it’s calm and responsible, and it makes plug-in technology as accessible/affordable as the brand’s architecture allows.
But it’s still $60k, albeit with the benefit of the government’s Clean Car Discount and/or some very attractive iOwn lease-type schemes from the local distributor.
Now, meet the Corsa with nothing but an internal combustion engine (ICE), in near-identical SRi specification. While it looks pretty much the same (the single-colour gloss-black wheels are the main giveaway), it’s actually a very different, much more traditional thing: a simple supermini with a fizzy petrol engine. The kind of car that was once the default for urban drivers, but now seems like an endangered species.
The Corsa-e is a good thing for the BEV-focused, but there are certain advantages that come with the Corsa ICE. For a start, it’s $23,000 cheaper at base retail level; although you have to remember you won't get any rebate under the Government's revised Clean Car rules from July (it's still the "zero band" though, so no fine). Bu before then and you'll collect $2439.
The SRi specification is pretty much the same between the two, although the ICE has a slightly less sporty steering wheel and misses out on the semi-autonomous Lane Positioning Assist of the electric version, as well as night/pedestrian/cyclist functions for the autonomous braking. Worthwhile stuff, not deal-breakers given the price difference, although the deletion of adaptive cruise control is a downer if you’re doing lots of city motorway miles. We’d happily pay for that as an option (you can’t).
The other thing about the Corsa ICE is that it’s a lot more fun. A lot. The BEV is calibrated to be non-threatening and very smooth, so it’s an accomplished machine for urban driving and perfect for electric first-timers. But it’s unlikely to get you giggling like the ICE.
As we all know (you’re no doubt sick of us saying it all the time), Opel is part of the giant Stellantis group and the Corsa is based on the same platform as Peugeot’s rather excellent little 208 (which starts at $41,990 by the way, lovely family photo above).
For the ICE, that means it’s powered by Peugeot-Citroen’s extremely excellent (and multi-award-winning) 1.2-litre three-cylinder turbo engine, matched to the latest eight-speed automatic.
Yes, the powertrain is sometimes jerky sometimes at low speed and the transmission gets confused if you’re not decisive with your right foot, but once you’re up and running the little triple is fantastically gruff-sounding and energetic, especially if you click the drive-mode switch into Sport.
The Corsa can still be refined on the motorway if you need it to be and it has rather long legs for long-distance driving – possibly a little too long in eighth gear, which struggles to hold station at 100km/h on Kiwi highways. It’s geared more for European 130km/h work, so maybe think of it as a 7+1 speed for local use.
It’s not quick, but 0-100km/h in 8.7 seconds is brisk enough for a family hatch and it feels way faster. Power and performance are almost on par with the Corsa-e (8.1sec), although that actually feels slower because it’s so grown-up.
With no electrification on board, it would be easy to dismiss the Corsa ICE in a 2023 climate. But fact is, it’s also really clean, meeting the latest Euro 6d standard and returning 5.2l/100km on the 3P-WLTP Kiwi Clean Car test. And we could argue all day about the environmental impact of building (especially) and running a BEV versus a thrifty petrol car.
As with the Corsa-e, this SRi has a great chassis and perky dynamic demeanour. And as with the Corsa-e, the cabin is a touch conservative, but comfortable and with a great driving position. The splashes of red throughout the interior might look like a desperate attempt to snazz things up, but they go really well with the two-tone red/black exterior of our test car.
Living with this car does highlight a couple of annoyances. One comes courtesy of Peugeot-Citroen: the start/stop button that you have to hold down for an eternity to activate. Even after a week (and countless Opel/Peugeot/Citroen test cars), we were still sometimes walking away not realising the car was still on, because the stop button hadn’t been pressed for the requisite amount of time (try singing Happy Birthday while you hold it, that might help).
As an aside, we did love the completely keyless tech. Walk away with the fob and the car locks automatically with a loud “peep!”. Approach and it also unlocks, without you having to touch a thing.
Anyway, back to annoying things: the boot floor is incredibly flimsy and while there’s a spare wheel well underneath, there’s no actual rim included. So drop something heavy in there and it collapses downwards. Not major, but it gives a bit of a low-rent impression; even for a sub-$40k car. By the way, at 310 litres, it’s still a pretty decent boot for a car that’s conventional supermini-size on the outside (ie tiny): a snip over four metres long.
We’re serious about that endangered species thing. This Corsa might be relatively new to NZ, but there’s a heavily facelifted model coming in October that will look a lot more swish – expect a new front with the “Visor” design of the larger Mokka – and ditch the ICE-only powertrain for some mild hybrid (MHEV) technology.
Don’t get us wrong; a visual spruce-up will be most welcome, and MHEV doesn’t tend to change the feel of a petrol powertrain too much. But we’re still hoping the electrified model will retain the sheer fun factor of this SRi. There aren’t many mainstream petrol superminis to choose from any more.
OPEL CORSA SRi
ENGINE: 1.2-litre turbo-petrol three-cylinder
POWER: 96kW/230Nm
GEARBOX: 8-speed automatic, FWD
0-100KM/H: 8.7 seconds
CONSUMPTION: 5.2l/100km, CO2 120g/km (3P-WLTP)
PRICE: $36,990
