New Car detail

Is Vauxhall’s super supermini worth buying with a minuscule 1.0-litre engine? Andy Enright decides

"Quality, quality, quality: never waver from it, even when you don’t see how you can afford to keep it up. When you compromise, you become a commodity and then you die." So says Gary Hirshberg a US writer and keynote speaker on corporate social and environmental responsibility. The timeline he has described was never meant to be reversed but that’s what Vauxhall’s Corsa has done, rising from nothingness to become a commodity product and only now becoming a desirable item of unimpeachable quality. We were curious to see how the cheapest model translated the quality mantra.

After all, if there’s anything we’ve learned from modern car production, it’s that the price of quality can be directly measured in lbs and ounces and pounds sterling. Quality cars weigh more, they are consequently thirstier and slower than flimsier lightweights and they cost more too. Therefore, it would seem rather rash to put a tiny 998cc engine that develops just 59bhp into a car that weighs a big-boned 1,070kg in five-door form. Compare that to a 58bhp Daihatsu Charade 1.0EL which does without the feel-good soundproofing and doors which thunk instead of clang and which tips the scales at just 720kg. The difference against the clock also speaks volumes, with the Japanese car requiring 12.4 seconds to breach the 60mph barrier while the Corsa will detain you for 17 seconds. Compare the fuel consumption and the Daihatsu is again streets ahead – 58.9mpg compared to the Vauxhall’s 50.4. If you’re looking for an effervescent little fizzer, don’t choose this Corsa. Yet despite these apparently unflattering comparisons, the Corsa is the far more satisfying car. It’s a car that makes you feel good about your investment for every second of the journey, not just those moments when you’re stood filling up or giving the car death from a T-junction.

"You now no longer need to buy a big car to get a reassuring degree of quality"

It’s a car that offers so much more than lowest common denominator motoring. Priced from just £7,495 in three-door Expression guise or £8,600 for a five-door Life model, the Corsa 1.0 serves up big car values in a truncated package. Climb inside and, if you’re used to the Astra, you’ll feel immediately at home here. The quality of materials used is leagues ahead of the old Corsa and like the Astra, there’s the bulletproof feeling of build quality that’s as good as anything in the sector. Just about the only criticism of the Astra’s interior was that, although well built, it didn’t offer a whole lot of slick design to catch the eye. The Corsa changes that particular script with translucent ambient lighting on the centre console switchgear, one of those ‘surprise and delight’ features that adds the all-important showroom wow-factor. The round air vents and big satellite navigation screen (available on high spec cars only) give the Corsa’s dash a far more modern, integrated look than the somewhat piecemeal integration of technology of the old car. No longer just a shopping trolley, the Corsa now has real impact. The front end features a deep Vauxhall V-grille with aggressive air intakes under the bumper and a pair of headlamps that smear back along the wings. Bigger than the model it replaces, the Corsa shares a platform with Fiat’s Grande Punto, the benefit of a rather complicated relationship between Fiat and General Motors that’s too convoluted to go into here. Suffice to say, you may be reminded of the pretty Fiat when you spot the window by the A-pillar and the rather unconventional door outlines. Like its progenitor was, the Corsa is built in the same Zaragoza factory in Spain but breaks from tradition in offering a resolutely high-tech approach. Halogen Adaptive Forward Lighting (AFL) alters the beam of the headlamp according to speed and steering input, allowing the Corsa to see further round dark corners. There’s also an innovative Enhanced Understeer Control (EUC) function and convenience features such as MP3 compatibility and Bluetooth phone connectivity. Variable progressive sports power steering aims to offer finger light steering at parking speeds with a properly meaty feel when you’re really in the groove. The Corsa 1.0 is offered in a choice of Expression and Life trim levels should you opt for the three-door variant and Life in the five-door guise. Even the entry-level Expression trim is fairly well-equipped, with a CD stereo, electric door mirrors, twin front airbags and a neat folding ignition key. Step up to the Life and you’ll also benefit from welcome lighting, remote central locking and power front windows. You’ll get more toys from a south-east Asian cheapie but again it’s a trade off. Do you want gadgets or a well built car that’ll last the course? It’s almost a no brainer. Take safety for instance. Whereas some manufacturers will offer you little more than a soft touch dashboard to smash your head into in the event of a shunt, the Corsa offers chapter and verse. As well as the many active safety features demonstrated by its dynamic chassis design, the Corsa has been designed to offer the best levels of protection in even the most extreme circumstances. Under heavy braking, when the ABS is activated, the brake lights flash five times per second to warn following motorists, while if airbags or seatbelt pre-tensioners are activated in an accident, the car’s safety system will automatically switch on the hazard warning lights. Should an accident occur, the Corsa has been designed to offer the best protection for its occupants. Two-stage front airbags help cushion any impact, while the passenger airbag can be deactivated if using a rear-facing baby carrier via a button on the instrument panel. Seatbelt pre-tensioners secure the seatbelts to hold passengers in position, while the Pedal Release System automatically drops the pedals away from the driver’s feet in the event of a heavy frontal collision. The Corsa has also been designed to meet the latest stringent passenger safety test criteria. Suddenly the 1,070kg kerb weight seems a little more excusable. True, it’s no ball of fire but if you are more concerened with safety, design and peerless build quality, the Corsa 1.0-litre comes strongly recommended. Speed is not always of the essence.

FACTS AT A GLANCE CAR: Vauxhall Corsa 1.0 range PRICES: £7,495-£9,250 – on the road INSURANCE GROUP: 1 CO2 EMISSIONS: 134g/km PERFORMANCE: 0-60mph 17s / Max Speed 93mph FUEL CONSUMPTION: (combined) 50.4mpg STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: ABS, seatbelt pretensioners, twin front airbags WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: length/width/height 3990/1710/1490mm