Every day the roads are full of small frivolous cars, usually driven by ladies. So when I first headed towards this tiny red bug in the parking lot, I was skeptical: what to expect from another "girly" compact car? I thought I'd be crawling slowly in the right lane. But it turned out that the Corsa can drive quite like an adult. And many much more expensive cars are far from its transparent handling.
Opel continues to shatter the dismissive attitude towards the brand — just remember the Signum or Astra. The corporate style is, of course, the same across the lineup, but the Corsa is definitely the most charming model. And let's not forget the unisex aspect: the compact body (less than 4 meters long) with "cat-like" headlights and noticeably fewer sharp edges than other models — but with quite masculine flared rear wheel arches and 16-inch wheels. Inside, the "ladybug" tries its best to imitate its older siblings. It's a scaled-down copy of the Astra and Vectra interiors, but the materials here are simpler. The instrument panel is the same (without a coolant temperature gauge), the center console with climate control knobs, "music" and phone — also the same, a similar three-spoke steering wheel with audio and onboard computer controls, and the same non-latching steering column stalks.
The car we got was packed with rain and light sensors, climate control, parking sensors, and a huge sliding sunroof. The sporty "men's" seats (standard for the Sport version with the 1.4 L engine) with decent lateral support nonetheless hint at a "female" seating position — quite high. Ladies will find it easy to turn the wheel, press the pedals, and shift gears (and hardly any of them will notice the vagueness when quickly engaging fifth), while the steering wheel offers excellent feedback in all modes (despite the electric power steering), and the brakes slow down powerfully and provide adequate information through the pedal.
The 1.4 L EcoTec engine produces 90 horsepower, and for such a small car that would be quite enough, but the heavily damped accelerator drive hinders managing the thrust — if you press the pedal in neutral and immediately release it, the revs will rise to a maximum of 1500. But Euro 4 rules the world, c'est la vie, so rev-matching downshifts are impossible. And you want to. Because the Corsa constantly tempts you to drop a couple of gears and really press down. The handling isn't razor-sharp, but the word Sport in the version name is clearly not superfluous. The wheels are pushed to the corners, the suspension is firm but not jittery, the steering is transparent — you can have some fun. An amazingly agile car!
Of course, on high-speed straights the Corsa falters: at speeds above 150 km/h it behaves nervously, especially on uneven roads, but up to that threshold it's responsive and ready for any adventure. An experienced driver will appreciate the Corsa's behavior in extreme modes. Classic front-wheel drive — mild understeer at turn-in, and when you lift off the throttle, the car tightens its line, transitioning into oversteer. The latter is easily corrected — there's plenty of time to "catch" the car.
The dimensions are such that parking and turning around almost never pose a problem. And the trunk is impressive for its class — 285 liters, and with the rear seats folded down, you get as much as 1050 liters. The Dual Floor transformation system, which divides the cargo area into two parts, is very good.
The little Corsa pleasantly surprised. For a quite reasonable price ($14,190 — base trim with the 1.4 L engine), you get a fairly nimble little car that, despite its modest size, can accommodate four occupants and some luggage. After dropping off three "extra" passengers and unloading the stuff, you can have some fun. A more powerful engine would be nice here, but that's another story — called OPC.
PRICES AND TRIMS
The Opel Corsa is offered as a three- and five-door hatchback with petrol 4-cylinder engines: 1.0 L (60 hp), 1.2 L (80 hp), and 1.4 L (90 hp). For all engines, a 5-speed manual is available, the EasyTronic "semi-automatic" is for the 1.2 L engine, and a full 4-speed automatic is for the 1.4 L. Trims — Essentia, Enjoy, Cosmo, Sport. The price of the most affordable Essentia with the 1.0 L engine and manual gearbox is $11,990. The car in the Sport version with the 1.4 L engine and manual transmission, which we tested, costs from $17,200.