A brief overview of the Opel Corsa

The Opel Corsa is the German automaker’s affordable and compact B-segment offering in their whole line-up in the Middle East. The Corsa has been on sale in many parts of the world, and was first unveiled in late 1982 in certain parts of Europe. Built on General Motors’ GM4200 architecture, the first generation of the Opel Corsa was sold as a hatchback and a sedan. It remained in production up until the early 1990s when it was replaced by the second-generation model. The Corsa still used the same GM platform, but was now available in station wagon and two-door pickup body styles as well. Over its next couple of generations, the Corsa was continually modernized, fitted with better powertrains and more safety equipment.

In most markets, the current outgoing iteration of the Opel Corsa was first showcased at the Paris Motor Show back in 2014. Built on the same but tweaked platform as the even smaller Opel Adam hatch, the fifth-generation Corsa was now primarily only sold as a hatchback (3-door and 5-door). In the UAE, the Opel Corsa has to contend with cars like the Hyundai Accent, Honda City, and Nissan Sunny - mainly because they’re priced similarly to the small Opel. Customers can opt between one of three trims; the entry-level Essentia, 3-door Color Edition and the 5-door Color Edition.

Exterior

To begin with, the Opel Corsa is not a big car. It comes in at 4.021 meters in length, 1.746 meters in width and 1.481 meters in height. Interestingly, the 3-door version is almost identical in its overall size when compared to its 5-door sibling. Both are also similar when it comes to their wheelbase and boot space, which read 2.510 meters and 285 liters, respectively. As for its appearance, the Opel Corsa sports a fairly modern and cute exterior, though, for better or for worse, it probably won’t raise any eyebrows. Up front, the Corsa wears a trapezoidal grille with a chrome ’wing’, funky looking headlights, sculpted hood, and sleek bumper with shiny chrome trim around the fog lamps.

Meanwhile, the sides get flared wheel arches, crisp character line that runs along the doors and merges into the tail lamps, and then there are the really cool looking 16-inch alloy wheels. The rear of the Opel Corsa isn’t as exciting as the rest of the car, though, and the only real highlights here are the chunky tail lamps, large ‘Opel’ logo on the liftgate, and the relatively large and stocky exhaust pipe.

Interior

On the inside, the Opel Corsa surely feels its size - this is decisively a small space with not much extra room, so to speak. While the 5-door versions are easier to get in and out of, the 3-door variant, though it looks more chic, proves a far trickier proposition and is thus less practical. The seats are plenty comfortable, though as expected, the rear bench feels tight and is only good for two adults. Outward visibility, especially in the 5-door Corsa is great - making parking and maneuvering quite a breeze. The interior styling is strictly average as nothing really stands out much, though all the controls are easy to reach and operate.

As far as the Corsa’s features are concerned, it gets all the usual stuff such as keyless entry, power windows (front only), split-folding rear seats, and an air-conditioning system. Its other items include cruise control, leather-clad multifunction steering wheel, audio system with Bluetooth, AUX and USB connectivity, and power-operated wing mirrors. Opel has equipped the Corsa with anti-lock brakes, six airbags, electronic stability control, hill assist and ISOFIX anchor points amongst others.

Engine and performance

Power for the Opel Corsa comes from a 1.4-liter four-popper that produces 90hp and 130Nm of torque, and comes paired to 6-speed automatic transmission. Now while this powertrain promises a healthy 6.0 L/100 km, its lack of sufficient oomph means that the Corsa takes nearly 14 seconds to clock 100 km/h. Top speed, at 170 km/h, is pretty average for the class, too.

Verdict

The Opel Corsa costs between AED 55,000 to AED 65,000 here in the UAE. For the money, it’s a small and decently styled urban hatchback, but it lacks many modern features and is painfully slow.