Skip advert
Advertisement

Vauxhall Corsa: Third report

Having wrapped up himself, our man turns attention to readying supermini for winter

Avg. savings
£4,199 off RRP*
Pros
  • There are loads of gadgets in our car, but the best part of the Corsa for me is its boot. It’s a practical load area for a supermini, with a wide mouth and low lip. You can also adjust the angle of the rear seatbacks, so they can either be folded flat for more space, kept upright or reclined for passenger comfort.
Cons
  • While the boot is practical, the Corsa’s glovebox comes up short. You can barely squeeze the car’s handbook in, let alone a sat-nav or iPod. This might sound like a small gripe, but it’s vital to have somewhere to conceal the variety of electronic devices many of us own these days.
Find your Vauxhall Corsa
Compare deals from trusted partners on this car and previous models.
Or are you looking to sell your car?
Value my car
Fast, no-nonsense car selling
Value my car

The clocks have gone back and the temperatures are starting to tumble. But while it takes me seconds to put on some gloves and a hoodie to keep warm, preparing a car for winter is much more involving.

In my role testing accessories for the magazine, I know how crucial it is to look after your car when the temperatures drop. So I thought my Vauxhall Corsa would benefit from a set of winter tyres.

Advertisement - Article continues below

There’s nothing wrong with the Continental EcoContact3 summer tyres on the 15-inch alloys at the moment. They’re not wearing abnormally fast, nor have I noticed a decline in grip. But as our tests have shown, winter tyres are far superior to standard rubber as soon as the temperature falls below seven degrees Celsius. So with the mercury reading five degrees on my commute, now seems the perfect time to switch.

I’ve just taken delivery of a set of our test-winning Continental ContiWinterContact tyres. Costing £59.64 a corner, they’ll be fitted in the next few days, and I’ll let you know what difference they make in my next report. But the tyres have already highlighted just how practical the little Vauxhall is.

After taking out the parcel shelf and folding the rear seats (they drop forward almost flat), I managed to fit all four tyres upright in the back. And this isn’t the first time the car has surprised me with its load carrying ability.

Skip advert
Advertisement
Skip advert
Advertisement - Article continues below

Used - available now

Corsa

2021 Vauxhall

Corsa

5,832 milesManualPetrol1.2L

Cash £11,834
View Corsa
Corsa

2021 Vauxhall

Corsa

12,892 milesManualPetrol1.2L

Cash £11,777
View Corsa
Corsa

2020 Vauxhall

Corsa

26,620 milesManualPetrol1.2L

Cash £12,999
View Corsa
Corsa

2021 Vauxhall

Corsa

43,987 milesAutomaticPetrol1.2L

Cash £12,311
View Corsa

It has impressed in other areas, too. I took the Corsa to Silverstone for the final round of the British Touring Car Championship last month, and it completed the 110-mile round trip from my Hertfordshire home on a quarter of a tank of diesel. This was one of many long journeys during a recent spell that saw me average an impressive 54.3mpg over 568 miles. The cruise control boosts economy on the motorway, while the stop-start has helped in town. Over the 2,232 miles since my last report, my average economy has risen from 47.9 to 48.3mpg.

Advertisement - Article continues below

But that’s not to say I think the Vauxhall is perfect. Although the engine has loosened up slightly, it’s still gruff. It’s noisy in town and on the motorway, so I’m forced to turn my iPod up to drown out the din. 

Being able to plug my MP3 player into the Corsa’s stereo is great, as is the fact the device is charged in the process. Yet when I get to my destination, there’s nowhere to hide it – because the glovebox is so annoyingly small.

This is a result of cost-cutting in the conversion from left to right-hand drive. The bulky fusebox is still in its Continental location on UK cars, so there’s barely enough room in the glovebox for the handbook, 

never mind an iPod or anything else. If you have any valuables, you have to lock them away in the boot or take them with you.

It’s things like this that annoy me about the Corsa. The car is meant to represent cut-price motoring – and in some ways it achieves this, with low emissions meaning exemption from road tax and London’s congestion charge. But to get everyday kit like a trip computer and alloy wheels, you have to spend a lot. Our car costs £17,600, which is anything but cut-price for a supermini.

Extra Info

“The Corsa is meant to be environmentally friendly, and it’s certainly economical. But it has a real problem with noise pollution – the engine is very intrusive on the motorway and continues to vibrate at lower speeds.”

Graeme Lambert, road tester

Skip advert
Advertisement

New & used car deals

Vauxhall Corsa

Vauxhall Corsa

RRP £18,725Avg. savings £4,199 off RRP*Used from £15,337
Hyundai Tucson

Hyundai Tucson

RRP £29,820Avg. savings £5,075 off RRP*Used from £14,448
Volkswagen Polo

Volkswagen Polo

RRP £15,255Avg. savings £1,848 off RRP*Used from £7,649
Nissan Qashqai

Nissan Qashqai

RRP £27,415Avg. savings £5,568 off RRP*Used from £12,295
* Average savings are calculated daily based on the best dealer prices on Auto Express vs manufacturer RRP
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

New Kia PV5 Passenger MPV undercuts the VW ID.Buzz by a huge £25k
Kia PV5 Passenger - show front

New Kia PV5 Passenger MPV undercuts the VW ID.Buzz by a huge £25k

New entry into the electric people carrier market undercuts the VW ID. Buzz by a significant margin
News
29 Apr 2025
Car Deal of the Day: BMW’s ultimate luxury SUV at an unusually low price
BMW X7 - front

Car Deal of the Day: BMW’s ultimate luxury SUV at an unusually low price

German firm’s flagship SUV could never be called cheap but it is exceptional value at £735 a month – making it our Deal of the Day for Sunday 27 April
News
27 Apr 2025
New 2025 Kia PV5 van starts from a tempting £22,645
Kia PV5 Cargo on display at Commercial Vehicle Show - front 3/4

New 2025 Kia PV5 van starts from a tempting £22,645

All-new entry into the van market promises competitive pricing and comes with a range of up to 247 miles
News
30 Apr 2025