Opel Corsa adds mild hybrid to line-up

Opel’s facelifted Corsa arrived here last November in time for January 2024 registration period.

The model has been a bestseller across Europe for over 40 years and is Opel’s top seller here this year with 771 units registered against 816 for the whole of 2023 which augurs well for the remainder of this year. It is followed by Mokka on 652 and Astra on 366.

This supermini hatchback, now in its sixth generation, was a surprise package for me. The review car brought a smile to my face each morning.

The facelift included fresh new exterior styling featuring the Opel Vizor family front face, as seen on the new Astra. While the exterior styling ‘face’ certainly adds oomph to the overall look, it also gives a sense that the car has grown in size, but this is deceptive.

My car looked enticing in its Hot Red exterior colour, complemented with a black roof (standard on top GS level) and black pillars. Eye-catching 17-inch alloy wheels added more drama to the overall look. But, as with the new Astra, in the Black Pack styling kit, it is not immediately apparent that this is an Opel, as the new black ‘blitz’ logo merges into the black background across the front of the car. It’s not a good look for this traditional ‘blitz’ emblem which has graced Opel vehicles since the 1930s.

Corsa is quite a low car so my tall front seat passenger had some difficulty in getting in and out but had no problem when seated inside.

Features included a white interior trim, 3-spoke flat bottomed steering wheel and alloy pedals. Front seats in my top spec car were upholstered in a mid-grey cloth with white lines up the centres and had manual adjustments (6-way for the driver’s seat). Seats were very comfy and the outer bolsters held me in snugly.

Opel say the inside is a ‘digitally detoxed space’ with an intuitive and ergonomic cockpit, crafted with high-quality materials and finishes. I liked the traditional style dash with buttons and knobs for the air conditioning, front seat heaters and volume control instead of the more minimalist look favoured in many newer models. The 10-inch colour central touchscreen juts out on the dash and comes with wireless Apple Car Play and Android Auto while the basic 7-inch digital driver instrument cluster provides the information you need.

Upgrades also included a new steering wheel, heated in the review car, and the now very familiar Stellantis ‘flick’ shifter for the 6-speed automatic transmission in my mild hybrid (MHEV) car which has recently been added to the line-up.

Space in the rear is really quite good for such a small car with decent head and knee room, the latter helped with knee indents on the backs of the front seats. But the high transmission tunnel will affect legroom for the person in the middle rear seat though is fine for children.

The tailgate opens high to reveal a low boot floor. There’s up to 309 litres of boot space extendable to 1,118 with the back bench folded down.

The MHEV powertrain in my GS grade was the 1.2 petrol outputting 100hp. The mild hybrid system is to be recommended as it offers better fuel economy and lower emissions, harvesting energy from braking and storing it in a small battery, then feeding it back to boost acceleration when wanted, such as when joining a motorway or for overtaking. Unlike most other MHEVs, this system does allow the car to travel some of the time in electric mode alone.

I really enjoyed driving the car which proved nimble around town and was plenty nippy when needed.

The entry SC trim is from €25,095; MHEV versions are from €29,695-€31,695. Prices include SEAI grant and VRT rebate. Road tax is €190-€200.