Do you need an excuse to choose a car that doesn't run on electricity? We who write about cars see that fossil-powered vehicles do not attract as many readers as before, even if the car is perfectly OK.
Natural skepticism
I sometimes live in the South of France. Electric cars are not as widespread there as in Norway. The cars are also not as big as here at home - nor are they as new. "My" Opel Corsa did quite well in the French Quarter - surrounded by dented, older, French cars. It wasn't too bad to drive either. I'm a simple man who thinks it's fun to cruise around the small town in a small car with an open window, a petrol engine with 100 horses under the hood and a 6-speed gearbox with a gear lever.
I could just as easily have chosen a Peugeot 208 with the same drivetrain. Opel shares a lot of technology with its sister models Peugeot and Citroen. The choice between the three brands mostly comes down to appearance, seating comfort and brand identity.
PureTech
The engine type has been in production since 2012. Many of today's cars are equipped with a PureTech engine. The turbocharged engine that sits in the Corsa produces 100 HP and feels clearly more powerful than the 82 horse we have driven previously in the Peugeot 208. A good torque means that you don't have to use the gear lever as often. The sixth gear can be engaged from 80 km/h and provides both good traction and a warm soundscape on the motorway. Like other 3-cylinder engines, the sound during acceleration in the low gears is quite piercing, although the sound from the PureTech engines is in a deeper and more pleasant tone than similar engines from the Volkswagen group.
consumption
On the way north after collecting the car in Barcelona, there was a partial queue before I could continue for a while in heavy motorway traffic on the way north towards Girona, - much like the speed on Norwegian roads. This gave a measured consumption of 0,45 litres/10 km. But on the motorway at 120 km/h the average consumption gradually moved upwards towards 0,55 litres/10 km. Almost all subsequent trips ended up with the same consumption. The main roads in Catalonia are peppered with roundabouts and the local motorists like to brake hard towards the roundabouts and give full throttle on the way out. Such driving is not particularly favorable for fuel consumption.
Place
The car was used for some transport of people and luggage. These are not the kinds of missions the Corsa class is best suited for. The 309-litre boot is far from bad for the class, but not suitable for more than one proper suitcase. You have to fold down at least one of the rear seats to get everything. When two guys were to sit behind each other, the person sitting in front had to sit with his knees against the dashboard. The rear seat is also not particularly suitable for three adults in width. However, it went quite well to go on a trip with two women and two men in the car.
look and feel
As is well known, Opel was acquired by PSA (Peugeot – Citroen), which in turn is part of the giant group Stellantis. Nevertheless, the Corsa F is experienced in every way as an Opel - in line with previous Corsa models. The interior, buttons and handles and seats are completely in line with what I expect in an Opel. Our car had the door sides and interior covered with artificial leather. The seats were covered in a very durable fabric surrounded by synthetic leather. In a car like this, it is more important that the fixtures are durable than elegant - which they are. One could probably also add that the car seems rather traditional and conservative inside. Both of the two digital screens in "our" car were built into the dashboard. The screen on the driver's side is in itself perfectly OK, but the shape does not harmonize well with the rest of the equipment it is built into. It seems that the screen has been developed without thinking about where it should be placed.
The Corsa also appears on the outside as a nicer car than its predecessors. I would particularly like to emphasize the front, the simple alignment along the sides - especially the finish above the C-pillar. On other Opel models, it seems the designers have outdone themselves in terminating the roofline in ways that make the car look like it's wearing a headdress. Crossland is wearing what looks like a baby hat, while Astra K Caravan is wearing a German helmet. The Corsa's roofline, on the other hand, is successful and harmonizes nicely with the integrated roof spoiler.
Conclusion
Du supports really have a good reason to pass up the Corsa-e to buy a petrol-powered car that costs almost NOK 70 more – an addition that ends up straight in the treasury. That said, the Corsa is fun to drive. It sits on the road as a German car should, and is very well suited for long stretches on motorways. The PureTech turbo engine suits the model well, but the fuel consumption is felt to be quite high for the class.
The price of petrol at my last fill-up in Catalonia was over 2 euros per liter - and prices are apparently on the way up.
Facts Opel Corsa F 1,2 PureTech 100HK
Weights and Measures
External dimensions - L, W, H: 406 x 177 x 144 cm
Wheelbase: 254 cm
Net weight: 1090 kg (without driver)
Payload: 480 kg
Number of seats: 5
Max trailer weight w/brakes: 1200 kg
– without brakes: 580 kg
Roof load: 70 kg
Drivetrain
Petrol engine: Transverse 1,2 PureTech 3 cyl. Turbo
Power: 100 HP
Torque: 205 Nm @ 1750 revs
Gearbox: 6-speed manual
Front wheel drive
Performances
Top speed: 192 km/h
0-100: 9,9 seconds
consumption
WLTP combined: 0,53-0,57 litres/10 km
Own measurements:
– Quiet country roads: 0,48-0,51 litres/10 km
– Motorway: 0,53-0,55 litres/10 km
Luggage compartment
As a five-seater: 309 litres
As a two-seater: 1081 litres
Tires
Dimension: 195/55R16
Type: Summer tire
Brand: Continental Eco-Contact
About the car
Place of manufacture: Zaragoza, Spain
Colour: Crystal Silver
Equipment level: Elegance
Price: NOK 354 (with 000-speed automatic transmission)
Lacquer supplement: NOK 4
Park & Go: NOK 5 (recommended)
LED light package: NOK 5 (recommended)
Leased by Sixt BCN Airport
Model: 2021
Mileage: 20422
Km driven: 1500
Source: opel.no
See
Review worth reading. I also like that Terje provides information about the car's country of manufacture, which is a detail that means a lot to me. Would have liked to hear a bit about what "Park and go" is for, as this is recommended. It is also interesting that the automatic cash register has 8 steps for those who choose it. 8 stages are used by ZF. Is there really such a gearbox in the cheap car?
The Park & Go equipment package includes a reversing camera, parking sensors, electrically retractable side mirrors and blind spot warning. Opel Corsa automatic has EAT8 gearbox from Japanese Ainsin - which supplies gearboxes for many models, including PSA and Volvo. I have only tested the gearbox in a Citroen C3 Aircross with PureTech 130 HP. It shifts very nicely. I can't compare the 8-speed ZF gearbox that BMW uses, among other things, with the EAT8, as the BMW engines I've driven (3 and 5 series) are in a different class to the 3-cylinder PureTech engines.
Unfortunately, it looks like the Opel Corsa can no longer be ordered in a petrol version. Too bad, you can still buy stock cars - and used ones.