Jewel in Opel’s crown

By Michael Moroney

This week I’m back reporting on the Opel Corsa, but this is a different car. And the difference is the diesel engine. The new diesel-powered Opel Corsa is indeed the jewel in the crown of the range. It’s difficult to remember the drive I had in the first Corsa, the 1.2-litre petrol model, but the 1.3-litre diesel experience is unforgettable.

Opel has worked on its short-term Fiat linkage to develop its diesel engine technology based on the Fiat Multijet system. And it was well worthwhile from the Opel Corsa point of view. This 1.3-litre engine with a turbo-charger and intercooler delivers impressive power and economy. Opel were the winners in this sharing process.

This compact diesel engine option comes in both the three- and five-door models and it was the five-door Corsa that I had on the road. And its performance lived up to my expectations all the way.

As I wrote previously, this latest Opel Corsa is a bigger and more spacious car than the previous model. The use of a diesel engine in place of a petrol one has no adverse effects on the cars driving dynamics and stability. This car handles with confidence and is solid and positive to drive in a control and steering sense.

For me the diesel power alone changes the whole value and experience of the new Corsa. Opel gets similar engine power to Fiat from the 1.3-litre engine, and while Fiat grabs more torque from the engine, the Opel team get enough to allow this entry-level Corsa diesel to achieve a respectable acceleration pace of 13.6 seconds in a 0 to 100km/hr race.

After I drove the Corsa I compared this acceleration pace with a range of the supermini competition. And I found that while the Corsa’s pace is a little slower than average, it’s still very impressive for a car of this size. Relative to the previous Corsa, fitted with a slightly older 1.3-litre turbo-diesel engine, the new, bigger and heavier model can achieve an almost identical acceleration pace. It has slightly more power, up from 69bhp to 75bhp, and the torque remains the same.

The second ace in the Corsa pack is its fuel economy. This entry-level Corsa diesel delivers an impressive 4.6 litres/100km (61mpg) fuel economy rating. That’s the official figure and my test drive confirmed just how thrifty the car is.

My estimate is that on longer runs you could easily add another 10% to that figure, which is indeed an impressive economy figure for a car that has space, comfort and lots of new safety features. And for previous Corsa diesel drivers, that’s a boost of almost 25% from this new model alone. Put that economy figure into context and you can see that the extra €1,500 for the diesel model can deliver a 25% fuel economy saving. The decision to go the diesel route is down to annual use levels, and with the new Corsa it looks an attractive route.

Both the diesel- and the petrol-powered models have similar service intervals. Opel is claiming a one-year of 30,000km service interval for either engine option, giving similar ownership costs on that front.

My comments on the design of the Opel Corsa are unchanged. The 5-door model has good head height in the cabin and wide doors for easy entry. The slightly poorer front angle visibility due to solid corner post remains a feature to consider. The seating and dash design is good, apart from the V-shaped chrome effect design over the central console, which I believe reflects in the windscreen in some light conditions.

This Corsa diesel is an economical and modern-looking car to drive. Opel has upgraded the 1.3-litre diesel engine performance significantly to give more power and better economy than the previous model. And of course it looks much better and has significant improvements in terms of safety features. It simply feels a more solid and bigger-looking car with the added bonus of better economy.

The price increase over the previous Corsa 1.3 diesel is relatively modest; up by about €350 before delivery charges. That seems a fair deal when you are getting more style, safety features and an almost 25% improvement in fuel economy.

Relative to the diesel supermini competition the Corsa diesel is well priced. At €18,195 or stg£10,695 in Northern Ireland, where it’s called a Vauxhall Corsa, before delivery charges, it is priced slightly higher than the average of the competition. But then this is a more than average diesel-powered supermini, which performs and looks well. And improved running costs make the Corsa an affordable and good-looking deal for most drivers.