New Vauxhall Corsa: Paris motor show 2014
The new fourth generation Vauxhall Corsa debuts with a host of new engines and tech. Details and pictures here
Vauxhall has revealed the fourth generation of its Corsa at the 2014 Paris motor show.
With new engines, gearboxes and technology, Vauxhall claims the new car is a vast improvement over the very successful previous generation. But having sold a substantial 83,000 third generation cars in the UK last year and whopping 370,000 across Europe, Vauxhall also claims that it has worked hard to retain the aspects of the Corsa that buyers liked so much.
Obvious similarities include the overall size and shape of the B-segment hatch, the new car measuring in at just over 4 metres in length like the car it replaces. Other aspects that have been carried over include the options of three- and five-door variants (not something offered on a Renault Clio any more, for instance), and the overall design of the exterior is a deliberate evolution of the mark three. The headlights even appear to be sharpened versions of the old design with their incorporated day time running lights, ensuring the car still very much looks like a Corsa.
Inside, the interior looks inspired by the Adam. A 7-inch touchscreen fitted with IntelliLink technology dominates the dashboard. This enables connection to smartphones, offering facilities like voice command, Bluetooth, Siri Eyes Free and FlexDock, and the ability to charge your phone on the go.
Additional luxuries in the cabin include the options of heated front seats, steering wheel and windscreen, as well as soft-tone lighting and even a full length panoramic roof. Safety features include a side blind spot alert, High Beam Assist, a lane departure warning system, bi-xenon headlights and a rear camera.
Powering the fourth-gen car will be a selection of petrol engines or a CDTi diesel engine. That engine, a 1.3-litre four-pot, will be accompanied by 1.0-litre, three-cylinder ECOTEC Direct Injection Turbo petrol engine available in 89bhp and 113bhp guises. Also available will be 1.2- and 1.4-litre naturally aspirated engines, whilst a more potent turbocharged 1.4-litre engine will offer more mid-range grunt. Mated to these units are two new six-speed gearboxes, a manual and automatic.
Vauxhall claims that the chassis is entirely new, benefitting from a centre of gravity that sits 5mm lower and a stiffer front sub frame to aid agility. New components have been used to improve ride quality, but the chassis dynamics have been refined to reduce the car’s tendency to understeer. The electric steering is speed sensitive, giving variable resistance at differing speeds, whilst a City mode lightens the steering up even more to help make parking maneuverability easy work.
While there’s no confirmation yet, a VXR version of the new Corsa is more than likely, with north of 200bhp a possibility. It will face a tough fight from the impressive Ford Fiesta ST and Peugeot 208 GTI.
