It’s been a good job we didn’t option up the alloys when we originally put in the order for the Corsa…
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Main Report
We’re a bit surprised at how much time our Corsa is spending on motorways.
When we first picked the supermini we thought it would spend its days in second gear crawling around London. Instead you’re more likely to find it earning its living on M-roads as a surprising number of us have used the little Vauxhall for mile munching.
I have to admit that I actually nab the bigger cars for the long stuff, but was curious about the positive feedback the Corsa was receiving. Time for a test.
One Friday I nosed our petite car into London’s rush-hour traffic for a little jaunt to Kent, ably assisted by a pair of antipodean mates. Aussie Ben, a diehard Holden (Australian for Vauxhall) fan was a little disappointed when the Corsa turned up lacking a V8, but despite being well north of six-foot he folded himself into the front just fine with enough space for his adorable girlfriend Kara behind.
At first the car is a little disconcerting with its light steering that feels a little lifeless and remote, but you soon adjust and after an hour’s slow’s progress I certainly wasn’t complaining, especially with the ease and lightness of the clutch.
Then we hit the M20 and the Corsa coped admirably well. The ride was comfortable, aircon powerful [1] and CD player [2] of acceptable acoustic quality. Hills proved a little much for the 80PS 1.2-litre engine, but fourth gear was man enough to ensure speed was maintained, and in fact was a good compliment to fifth – by our calculations reaching 4000rpm would equate to 90+.
Expecting diesel-like economy I was a little bit disheartened at the 38mpg for the trip, but that was probably down to the city’s fuel economy sapping slug. However, when we reached our destination it was thumbs up all round, which for this small car is a big compliment.