The little city car from Opel/Vauxhall, the Corsa, underwent a full model change and gone are the days when every bits and bobs of the Corsa uses parts from the General Motors dustbin because with Groupe PSA now under the control of Opel/Vauxhall, the all-new Corsa is now matured with new looks, features, and performance fit for city-dwelling Europeans.
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| 2020 Opel Corsa |
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| 2020 Vauxhall Corsa |
The new Corsa, starting at 13,990 Euros (15,750 Pounds) plus on road costs, marks a bold departure from past General Motors-era generations because with the new model running on every bits and bobs from the PSA dustbin, it's now the biggest Corsa ever made and despite its enlarged size, it still delivers its city-class car charms customers enjoyed.
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| 2020 Opel Corsa |
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| 2020 Vauxhall Corsa |
Starting with the design, the new Corsa looks very matured compared to the previous model it replaces. From start to finish, top to bottom, you can really tell how much of an adult contemporary the new Corsa is and despite its serious character, there is a little spark of playfulness this little car can give but more with that later on because it's time to observe the new interior.
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| 2020 Opel Corsa interior |
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| 2020 Vauxhall Corsa interior |
Like the outside story, the interior is surprisingly matured and with all of the high-tech stuff implored in the dashboard, speedo boys will be having a hard time toying around with the irreplaceable touch screen and if by irreplaceable, it is and speedo boys are running scared right now. At the hands of a yuppie, the new interior feels like a bedroom desk on wheels and whether if its for business and for pleasure, rest assured that such size results to more room for five people as well as its decent boot space fit enough for today's thrift store trip. Give credit for the French owners as they did a good job recreated the Corsa from scratch and it's about as European as any European city class cars can get. What about the playful character underneath its skin?
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| 2020 Opel Corsa |
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| 2020 Vauxhall Corsa |
Because it now runs on every bits and bobs from the Groupe PSA storage bin instead of General Motors', the new Corsa, despite its big size, still as playful as any other city cars on the road today and it feels just right to twist and turn. You can really unwind anywhere you want when you need it most and such dynamics really made the new Corsa something to toy around but for going home after a long day at work, rest assured that the wide range of safety tech keeps the new Corsa at bay and they can be either surprising or annoying, depending on who's behind the wheel.
Powering the Corsa is a choice of a 1.2L petrol engine and a 1.5L diesel engine, the one to avoid for today's Europeans. The most powerful version is the one bearing 130PS of power, 230Nm of torque, and with the 8-speed AT, it does 0-100kph in 8.7 seconds and a top speed of 208kph.
For anti-diesel and anti-petrol Europeans, there's the first-ever Corsa-e with the 100kw electric motor bolted to a Li-ion battery capable of a 0-100kph time of 8.1 seconds and a limited top speed of 150kph. Not only it's the most powerful Corsa offered, it's also the fastest accelerating Corsa and the cleanest. Only downside though that it's slower than the diesel-powered Corsa and bulky to drive but such weight didn't matter a bit for the Corsa-e because it still behaves just like city cars on the road.
The new Corsa no longer behaves like the Corsas of yesteryears because despite its matured looks, tech, and features, its city car performance shows that it has a spark of playfulness lurking beneath its skin. In fact, so playful, this new model reminds us of its blood relative...only French.
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| 2020 Peugeot 208 |
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| 2020 Peugeot 208 |
This is the second-generation Peugeot 208. Costing 15,500 Euros plus OTR, this new model offers the same stuff that you get from the new Corsa but with a more serious styling that is all work and all play for the drivers looking for the ideal city-class car.
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| 2020 Peugeot 208 |
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| 2020 Peugeot 208 interior |
Just like the Corsa, the new 208 offers a choice of a 1.2L petrol engine and a 1.5L diesel engine, the one to avoid of course. There's even an e-208 with the 100kw electric motor bolted to a Li-ion battery capable of a 0-100kph time of 8.1 seconds and a limited top speed of 150kph.
In terms of dynamics, the new 208 behaves just like the new Corsa so there is a slight difference between the two, making things complicated for those looking for a city-class car that is matured but playful on the inside.
In short, these two models are nothing but a stalemate to some because although they look different, they share the same mechanical stuff and they're like the left and the right Twix all over again. So, it's your choice, really. Would you rather go German or French? The choice is yours.
Photo: Opel/Vauxhall/Groupe PSA
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