An easy and approachable car to live with, but also an uninteresting and unengaging car to drive. The Corsa sits firmly below stronger rivals on the small hatchback shortlist
As an irrelevant pleb, I often wonder about what cars I would purchase if money was no object. Of course, certain contingency measures would apply for some acquisitions, with need taking particular precedence. However, with others, want would be the determining factor overriding all plausible considerations. But the most assured combination would be when need and want overlap.
That fusion of traits is not always possible to align though. With various car categories that serve multiple purposes, an amalgamation that crosses both practicality and pleasure is a tricky formula to crack. Although, some do manage to walk that tightrope pretty convincingly. And yet this code is being changed by the electric, digital and autonomous era that’s set to reshape the configurations of cars to combat the escalating climate crisis. The litmus test to gauge cars is altering.
Acutely aware of the tectonic plates shifting in the car industry, my dream garage in 2021 would be an eclectic mix spanning across segments and features both internal combustion engine cars and battery electric vehicles. Even so, narrowing down a shortlist is much more challenging than what you might expect, as there is no shortage of choice available to select from.
My ruminations are entirely hypothetical. Like most people, I can’t afford to purchase the cars I would most like and want. It’s pure fantasy, not my reality. Even car finance isn’t a viable option, let alone an entire car collection. And as a car fanatic, it is a sobering thought. To think what it must be like to have the resource – with no strings attached – to purchase a car you like and want must be so liberating. Just imagine what it must be like to own a car collection.
"Most ordinary people – especially car fanatics – probably wouldn’t be driving the cars they do if they didn’t have to"
Of course, there are systemic causations that intentionally create an economic divide between affluence and deprivation, a complex subject that I won’t broach and divulge here. But it does disclose a rather pertinent point. Most ordinary people – especially car fanatics – probably wouldn’t be driving the cars they do if they didn’t have to. A case study exemplifying this would be myself and my own car. It’s nothing special, or even remotely that interesting.
In fact, to be honest, it’s probably quite boring. Regular readers will be aware that my daily drive is a Vauxhall Corsa SXi from 2012. It was bought in November 2016 in the aftermath of my self-inflicted high-speed car crash, where I rolled my previous car, a Renault Clio from 2004, several times. Despite the challenging circumstances leading to its acquisition, it was nevertheless a considerable upgrade to what I had been driving previously, which wasn’t difficult to say the least.
However, I must confess that the Vauxhall Corsa SXi was not my first small hatchback of choice. In comparison to the equivalent models of the Ford Fiesta and Volkswagen Polo, the Corsa was a newer and more comprehensive model. It cost £5100, and had done about 43,000 miles. The interior and exterior were in good condition, the engine pulled well for what it was and the clutch still had a decent biting point left. I couldn’t find a better car in the parameters that were imposed on me, and was bought as the best option given the specific and limited funds available to me.
The most noticeable difference was that the Corsa had bigger dimensions than the Clio. This obviously meant a more practical car, but it also makes for a heavier one too. The unladen weight of the Corsa is 1044kg, which compared to the Clio that tipped the scales at just 905kg. The extra 144kg is not a huge hike in a numerical sense, but it is a factor that’s particularly exposed in terms of performance, especially so if an underpowered engine was fitted, which there was in my Corsa SXi.
The Clio had a 1.5 litre diesel engine that made 80bhp, while the Corsa has a 1.3 CDTI engine that produces only 74bhp. That reduction in power in tandem with the added weight resulted in the Corsa SXi being slower than the Clio to drive. It’s the most frustrating foible with the Corsa, as it means you have to really work to make it gain speed, and drive even moderately fast. There is a lot of turbo lag, which just compounds the lack of power that the engine is inherently without.
This is exasperating when you want to make a quick getaway in certain situations, as it is quite restricting to operate. To try and minimise this rather irritating weakness, I tend to drive the Corsa in the turbo range, which starts at about 1,500rpm and cuts out at around 3,500rpm. Beyond that rev range, the Corsa feels totally gutless. This debilitating factor very much limits the capabilities of the Corsa, and does expose its inadequacy in scenarios when you want to hustle it.
On the flip side, it does mean that you can extract the maximum amount of performance potential from the Corsa in a safe manner on the road. You can drive it right on the edge and exploit its entire bandwidth. And there is some gratification to be taken from knowing that, as you turn its Achilles heel into a personal challenge to get the most from what the car has to offer. Framed through this lens, and it’s a bane that’s made bearable, if not always ultimately the most satisfying.
But I'm not trying to flog a dead horse here, cause without the turbo, it would be quicker to walk to destinations than drive my Corsa SXi with this 1.3 CDTI engine fitted. So, the bittersweet reality is that you just have to accept what the 1.3 CDTI engine is, and make the best of it. That goes for the pace it’s able to manage also. With 0-62mph taking an agonising 13.6 seconds, you do spend a lot of your time driving with your foot flat to the floor on the accelerator pedal.
"the steering at speed is void of connection and numb of feeling, which does make it rather disconcerting to drive"
Only it’s quite a strange experience, because even when you do, the car doesn’t really move much faster until the slight surge from the boost of the turbo kicking in. When you do eventually pick up some speed, a giddy a max velocity of 105mph can be reached. That stat does come with certain stipulations I may add, like the driver being the only occupant in the car, and weather conditions consisting of no rain. It's really that slow.
For what it's worth though, the Corsa is in fact one of the easiest, and most approachable cars you can possibly drive. There’s nothing complicated, or arduous about it. Simply in terms of transportation from point A to B, it’s as obliging as you would want a runabout car to be, which is what it is really. And now almost ten years old with nearly 70,000 miles on the clock, it still feels reasonably solid and stable. Well, apart from the air conditioning, which randomly decided to pack up. That minor issue aside, and it's functioning fine.
It’s not a car that was designed or developed for dynamic driving. And once you’ve got the Corsa shifting briskly on a more challenging road with corners, you can tell. It doesn’t feel synchronised for the demands you put the car through, it endures the stresses and strains rather than relishes them. This is most obvious through the steering which at speed is void of connection and numb of feeling, which does make it rather disconcerting to drive. It doesn’t transmit the sensations to connect and engage.
That lack of interaction is what drains your conviction in the Corsa the most. As a result, it isn’t the most exciting or interesting car, shocking and surprising, I know. But it really does show through in the moments when you push the envelope. The brakes are a bit mushy too, while they obviously do work, there isn’t the assurance to be totally reliant on them when braking heavily. It’s a little underwhelming as you would have thought that the SXi model would exhibit slightly sportier credentials.
Nevertheless, the Corsa doesn’t necessarily pretend to be anything other than what it is, and there’s an amount of acceptability in that. But when you compare the Corsa to its main rival the Ford Fiesta, the latter is better in the dynamic driving department, and is a superior car, no doubts whatsoever. However, there are a few areas where the Corsa is at least on level terms with an age equivalent Fiesta and, depending on personal taste, could be considered preferable.
The first is the exterior design. For a small and slightly sporty hatch, it looks relatively stylish and smart. It has a certain amount of respectability that ensures its not the most demeaning car on earth to drive. And then there’s the interior design and layout. It’s neat and unlike the Fiesta, it doesn’t have a dashboard shaped with an obtrusive bulge, which looks disarranged and just weird. In these aspects, the Corsa scores well and is the more palatable.
Aside from these two points, the Corsa does dwell in the Fiesta’s shadow. It’s the standout small hatchback in its category, hands down. Unfortunately, in my case, I didn’t have the financial resource to have that option. The bitter truth is that money determines what car you drive, and most people, let alone car fanatics, don’t have the privilege of choice in what car they drive. As an insignificant pleb, it’s a far-fetched notion to contemplate, and one that’s hard to imagine ever materialising.
Photos: Callum Alexander
Comentários