The new Vauxhall Corsa VXR

The new Vauxhall Corsa VXR Review

The new Vauxhall Corsa VXR may look a touch under-invested by its greater engined VXR kin, yet it sits beautiful at the highest point of an imperative notional pyramid for its creator.

Volker Strycek, Performance Director for the VXR brand and previous DTM champion himself, says that regardless of the lower-request standing that its value and force level suggests, the Corsa is really the most bad-to-the-bone model in the VXR range.

Furthermore, that is the way VXR proprietors like it, obviously. "The statistical surveying lets us know that Astra and Insignia purchasers expect more solace, refinement and usability," says Volker, "however the Corsa VXR proprietors are the genuine aficionados. It's incredible fun making autos for clients like that."

It's likewise a lot of fun driving the auto that Nurburgring pro Volker has made for clients like that. Not, maybe, the most fragile, unpretentious or exact kind of fun you'll ever have in the driver's seat of hot hatchback, however an instinctive snicker, without a doubt – and an especially deliberate and including one on the off chance that you've got the lower arms, and the financial backing, for it.

What's it like?:

Not a limitlessly distinctive prospect from its different extraordinary version forerunners. It does, nonetheless, feel like an auto that is developed over the few phases of advancement conveyed by the Nurburgring and Clubsport forms. There's presently enough complexity about the typical, arrangement generation VXR auto, and decision about the requesting process, that it can serve tastes as tepid or as specific as Vauxhall's liable to discover.

The auto's 1.6-liter turbo motor advantages from another air admission and a fumes with less back weight, freeing unobtrusive picks up on force, torque, economy and emanations. It's a four-pot with a natch more snort than the class standard, and a straight and genuinely fresh sort of execution schedule that just truly needs for a touch of charming aural character.

The 207lb ft of torque it serves is accessible for full-throttle blasts of just five seconds, yet that ought to be sufficient to persuade most proprietors that they've purchased pretty much the most strong auto they could manage: a key mainstay of bid for the VXR brand, you'd presume.

The auto's six-rate manual gearbox is new moreover. Specific accentuation was put on movement quality, which is short and staccato, however could be slicker. Additional irritating is the yawning hole somewhere around 3rd and 4th riggings, which is recognizable out and about in light of the fact that it trips you up routinely at common UK nation street speeds. Thankfully, the motor's liberal spread of torque gains the auto an instant escape from prison free card on that front.

The Corsa VXR's frame, upgraded with another torsion pillar back suspension setup and the discretionary 18in amalgam wheels of our test auto, gave a lot of footing and horizontal hold, and a satisfying blend of spry directing reaction, mid-corner offset, taking care of customizability and high velocity dependability and accuracy.

A Ford Fiesta ST has a more characteristic feeling of directional balance and better controlling criticism, however the Corsa's taking care of would take some beating by whatever else in the class. Similarly noteworthy, its hitched to a more supple, common ride than the Ford's, that wouldn't wear on your faculties like some.

The auto's lodge is not the match of the wealthier and all the more creatively delegated hot hatchbacks cash can purchase, with a genuinely monotone sash and execution enumerating sparingly connected.

The Recaro basin seats are fine, if a bit short on shoulder and under-thigh bolster, and there's focused levels of traveler settlement in the rearward sitting arrangements for what's a genuinely little auto. So much is most likely adequate in something offering, most importantly else, a lot of value for your money.

Should I purchase one?:

At £17,995 for the standard auto, Vauxhall's evaluated the Corsa VXR to undercut the comparable Ford Fiesta ST by £400 – and at that level its grinding away's best and engaging, fit for quick street driving and infrequent track work.

Include the £2400 Performance Pack (carrying with it stiffer springs and damper settings, greater brakes, Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires and VXR's Drexler mechanical constrained slip differential) and you're trading off the simple exactness of the taking care of and consistency of the controlling for the purpose of a touch of included footing. What's more, its footing that, in this present analyzer's assessment, the auto scarcely needs.

Like most mechanical LSDs, the Corsa's sends footing related powers back to your palms amid hard cornering, adulterating the guiding's weight and ability to come back to-focus.

Bundled as it is with a suspension tune that makes the ride a touch responsive and volatile in any case, that diff's and fascinating expansion to the spec and will be increased in value by the individuals who like their quick front-driver to present a touch of physical test  - yet its best maintained a strategic distance from for the individuals who expect to spend longer on street than circuit.

Vauxhall Corsa VXR

Area Knockhill; On Sale May; Price £17,995; Engine 4cyls inline, 1598cc, turbocharged, petrol; Power 202bhp at 5800rpm; Torque 207lb ft at 1900-5800rpm (overboost); Gearbox 6-spd manual; Kerb weight 1368kg; Top speed 143mph; 0-62mph 6.5sec; Economy 37.7mpg (consolidated); CO2/duty band 174