This is Vauxhall‘s lowest-emitting car ever. The second generation of the Corsa Ecoflex drops CO2 from the previous model’s 119g/km to 105g/km, with fuel economy now at a claimed average 70.6mpg, up from 62.8mpg.
Powered by the same 75PS 1.3-litre engine, the new Corsa Ecoflex achieves the plunge in CO2 emissions thanks to a variety of measures including narrower tyres, longer gear ratios in fourth and fifth gears, lowering the ride height for better aerodynamics, and lighter wheels with new wheel trims.
Vauxhall’s green brand differs from the likes of Ford‘s Econetic, VW‘s Bluemotion and Seat‘s Ecomotion in that it offers a range of trim levels – there are four to choose from – instead of a single green model. However, unlike Vauxhall, the others have cracked the 100g/km barrier.
Pick entry Life trim level, though, and the Vauxhall’s cheaper than any of its rivals, coming in more than £2000 less than its key Fiesta Econetic rival. But both the Fiesta and Seat’s three-door Ibiza Ecomotive have a 5.7mpg advantage over the Corsa.
On the road, the engine is a little on the noisy side, while the adjustments to the higher gear ratios mean progress at motorway speed is lacklustre.
Around town there’s no reason to feel this is anything other than a normal Corsa. The entry Life specification does, though, leave the car feeling very basic, and the interior trim illustrates how the sector has moved on quickly in terms of quality in the past couple of years since the Corsa was launched.
The fact that Ford, Vauxhall and Seat are all close to launching sub-100g/km lower medium models demonstrates the speed of progress in terms of cutting CO2. A supermini at 105g/km isn’t particularly impressive because rivals have been lower for quite some time now, even if the Corsa Ecoflex is a decent ownership proposition.
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