Motoring Review: Talented Corsa goes fourth

Despite the current car being in its seventh year more than 84,000 of them left showrooms last year and more than 8.5 million have been sold since 1993.

Those are no small numbers so it's no surprise that the Corsa accounts for a third of all Vauxhall UK sales and is the Luton firm's most profitable car.

The maker isn't coy about this new fourth-generation model, claiming it is more refined, better equipped and more fun to drive than the outgoing model. What's more it's up to £1,500 cheaper and costs less to insure. As if that weren't enough Vauxhall claims the car will enjoy stronger residual values.

Then again it needs to be better than before, facing as it does a host of talented rivals.

These include the good-but-dated Ford Fiesta, the VW Polo, the Renault Clio and the Peugeot 208, not to mention in-house competition in the shape of the Adam lifestyle supermini and the forthcoming Viva city car, all of which fall within the Corsa's £8,995-£16,235 price range.

So it's just as well the Corsa's face remains familiar (even the designers admit it's more evolution than revolution). Unfortunately it's a little too familiar. When parked alongside the outgoing model the differences are obvious but alone on the street they're rather less so.

What is clear however is the difference between the three and five-door models. While the latter will be marketed as a much more practical everyday car the three-door will be the sportier and more dynamic choice. For those after more pace a high-performance VXR will arrive next spring.

The engine range is made up of five petrols and two turbo-diesels.

The petrols start with a 70bhp 1.2-litre but it's the 100bhp 1.4-litre turbo and 90bhp and 115bhp three-cylinder 1.0-litre that are likely to grab most attention.

The more powerful 1.0-litre is capable of covering the 0 to 60mph sprint in 10.3 seconds before going on to a top speed of 121mph (making it the fastest model in the range) while returning 57.6mpg and 115g/km emissions.

A 1.3-litre turbo-diesel, available with either 75bhp or 95bhp, is capable of 88.3mpg and 85g/km, both of which are highly respectable figures.

Stop-start is fitted across most of the range (only the 1.2 and entry-level 1.4 do without it).

As well as traditional manual and automatic gearboxes there's the option of an automated manual called Easytronic. While this is more economical and cleaner than the traditional auto it's hard to imagine anyone buying one given their usual driveability issues and lack of refinement though we've yet to try it out ourselves.

Easytronic aside the Corsa is far more refined than the outgoing model. Little road or wind noise enters the cabin, even at motorway speeds, while engine noise is well subdued. It's only when you reach the higher end of the rev range that it becomes audible. The 1.0-litre engine is smooth and boasts plenty of grunt considering its size. Unlike some small engines there's no need to work it hard to get the best from it, making it relatively easy to maintain respectable fuel economy.

Vauxhall officially claims 57.6mpg for the 115bhp model and we managed 50mpg without adapting our driving style and with the air con switched on.

The steering is unaffected by road imperfections, is reasonably direct and has a good initial turn in (even if the feedback levels aren't quite on a par with the likes of a Ford Fiesta). As for the gearchange it's slick and easy.

The only downside is the larger 17in alloys offered on some models and the Sports suspension (the latter on the SRI VX Line and the Limited Edition), both of which make the ride far too fidgety for a car at this level.

The standard car on 16in wheels is by far the more comfortable drive.

The cabin is a pretty nice place to be. It's comfortable and well laid out and the Intellilink system that links with your mobile phone is one of the best we've seen, especially compared with those from Peugeot and Citro«n.

Generally speaking, the materials are good too but there are some small niggles in places such as the glovebox lid where it feels a bit cheap.

It's also annoying to find that a speedometer marked in 20mph increments all the way up to 140mph doesn't have specific and easy-to-read markings for crucial speeds such as 30mph, 50mph or 70mph.

Given that this car has had a seven-year gestation period and that rivals such as the Hyundai i20 and VW Polo are already beating it for quality we expected something a little more special from Vauxhall.

On the plus side there's a decent amount of space inside with good headroom in the back of the five-door version, even if legroom is a little snug for anyone over six foot.

There's no denying this latest offering from Vauxhall is well equipped, with a heated front windscreen and a reach-and-height adjustable steering wheel as standard across the range.

More expensive models get air conditioning while Park Assist and bi-xenon lights are available as options.

It would be easy to criticise the new Corsa for not being sharper or more dynamic to drive and not featuring more adventurous styling.

However it does very little badly and does an awful lot very competently which for many in this mainstream market will be all that most customers want.

With finance deals from as low as £149 a month for the 1.2 Excite it's a strong package that's hard to argue against.

Make no mistake, that third of Vauxhall sales is safer than ever.

LOGBOOK LOWDOWN

Model: Vauxhall Corsa

On sale: December Price range: £8,995-£16,235

Engine range: Petrol - 1.0 turbo, 1.0-litre turbo 115bhp, 1.2, 1.4, 1.4 turbo; Turbo-diesel - 1.3, 1.3-litre 95bhp

Power: 0 to 60mph in 10.3 seconds, 121mph top speed (1.0 115bhp)

Average fuel economy: 88.3mpg (1.3TD)

CO2 emissions range: 85-140g/km

Rivals: Ford Fiesta, Hyundai i20, Kia Rio, Peugeot 208, Renault Clio, VW Polo