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HOT-TO-TROT OUT OF THE SHOWROOMS News In the March new registration plate peak selling month 17,225 of them were registered. In total 47,000 three and five-door Corsa models have been sold since they first went on sale last Summer and around 65,000 sales in the UK are expected in a full year. Now hot-to-trot out of the showrooms is the high performance, £15,595, three-door Corsa VXR which is available with one single model but with four body colour options of blue, red, sliver and black and a host of extra cost options. Although GM dealers will not be getting their cars until the third week of April, 844 of these hot 140mph three-door hatchbacks have already been sold in the UK. Vauxhall expects to sell 2,200 of them this year and around 2,500 in a full year. Who will buy? Vauxhall says the average age of customers should be in their mid twenties, with marginally more male buyers, but with the growth of independent female users the Corsa is likely to be on their shopping list as well. The main competitors for the Corsa VXR are the Renaultsport Clio 197, which is £400 dearer but has a 2.0-litre engine, the new MINI Cooper S, which is also £400 dearer, and the larger VW Golf GTi, which is nearly £5,000 more expensive. Perhaps the VW Polo GTi at £14,810 is a fairer comparison. The Corsa is the latest model in the Vauxhall line-up to receive their sporty VXR treatment. Other models in the VXR family are, the Meriva, Astra, Zafira, Vectra and the new VXR8 flagship built in Australia and due in the UK in July this year. The unique triangular VXR styling cues are applied to the door mirrors, front foglight surrounds and centre positioned exhaust tailpipe. The suspension is lowered and tuned by Lotus and there is a choice of different size allow road wheels, 17-inch are standard, 18-inch are optional. Vauxhall say 75 per cent of customers tend to choose the £400 larger wheels for their Corsa. A distinctively styled mesh grille with huge rounded front and rear bumpers, joined by sweeping side skirts and a large angular rear roof spoiler, plus blue coloured brake callipers, leave nobody in any doubt that this is the ‘hot one’. Out of site the Corsa VXR has a rear air-diffuser and fluted rear exhaust box to speed up airflow under the vehicle. The interior is dominated by the Recaro sculptured shellback sports front seats and flat bottomed race-car styled steering wheel. Alloy pedals, piano black trim on the facia, VXR detailed sports instruments, steering wheel and gear lever makes this a ‘special’ Corsa. Standard specification for the three-door Corsa VXR includes Electronic Stability Programme, 17-inch wheels, remote central locking, air conditioning, electric front windows and door mirrors, and a stereo radio/CD player with MP3 compatibility. Extras cost options include a £1,000 leather pack, automatic wipers/lights, Halogen adaptive lighting and mobile phone system with Bluetooth. The Corsa VXR uses a 1.6-litre petrol engine boosted by a single-scroll turbocharger. It is basically the same unit as used in the Vauxhall Meriva VXR but power output is raised from 180PS to 190PS and torque increased from 230Nm to 255Nm using the ‘overboost’ function for rapid overtaking. Top speed is 140mph and 0-60mph takes just 6.8 seconds. Average fuel economy is 35.8mpg and CO2 emissions are 190g/km putting it in Band F with a Vehicle Excise Duty rate of £205 per year. Vauxhall say the engine is already Euro V compliant. The insurance group rating is 16E. Drive to the front wheels is through a six-speed close-ratio gearbox, also used for the higher torque Corsa diesel models. Keeping the power in check is a revised Electronic Stability Programme that can be switched off if required for track-day use. The suspension has been tuned for the UK market by Lotus, the brakes uprated and the power assisted steering has been remapped to alter the feel and weight feedback to the driver. The steering is ‘variable’ type and adjusts to the way the car is being driven – a feature Vauxhall say is unique in this market sector. Views Unlike other Vauxhall VXR models, which can be very unpredictable and sometimes evil handling when pushed hard, the Corsa version provides much better control and refinement. Really hard acceleration, or getting the ‘overboost’ to come into play mid range, will produce torque steer and needs some respect especially on wet roads I would imagine. The low to medium throttle response is excellent because the maximum torque is delivered from just 1,980rpm right through to 5,800rpm. This makes the car ideal for the vast majority of winding and twisting British roads and ideal for overtaking slower traffic. The close ratio gearbox is slick to use and the ratios well chosen to suit this engine. It will quite happily pull high gears in slow traffic if needed and will respond without fuss for moving from slow to speedier travel speeds. In many ways, because of its sharp and predictable handling with loads of front end grip and flexible broad power delivery, it is an ideal car for fast country road use. The revised suspension is firm but definitely not too hard as with most small ‘hot-hatches’, it rides most types of road surfaces really well. The steering performs well at lower speeds but at high speed gives less feedback than I require, it just felt dead over some surfaces. Whilst it remains accurate, I felt detached from what the front wheels should have been telling me. Most people in the mass market will not be too troubled by this though. Overall it is a well behaved car, perhaps too refined in some areas if you like edgy driving from a ‘hot-hatch’, but it looks great, it is well priced and for most people that is all that matters. MILESTONES. Vauxhall Corsa VXR. Price £15,595 (+£400 for the 18-inch wheels). Engine/transmission, 1.6-litre, four-cylinder petrol, single scroll turbocharger, 192PS, 230-260Nm from 1,980-5,800rpm, six-speed manual close ratio gearbox, front wheel drive. Performance: 140mph, 0-60mph 6.8 seconds, 35.8mpg, CO2 190g/km, VED Band F £205.
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