• 100hp petrol engine is best all-rounder
• Disappointing automatic gearbox
• Not particularly fun to drive

Petrol engines

The Corsa is available with an assortment of pure petrol and mild-hybrid petrol engines, all of which are based on a 1.2-litre, three-cylinder engine that’s used extensively across the Stellantis product portfolio.

The lowliest option produces 75hp and is only available with a five-speed manual gearbox. It’s quite breathless as it doesn’t feature a turbocharger, and it needs working quite hard to get up to speed – 0-62mph takes a decidedly leisurely 13.2 seconds. One to avoid if you can.

Then there are a pair of turbocharged units with 100hp or 130hp. We reckon the former is the sweet spot in the Corsa range. It’s paired with a six-speed manual gearbox as standard, or an optional eight-speed automatic.

The engine and manual ‘box are very well matched. It isn’t particularly quick off the line, but there’s plenty of mid-range torque, so you don’t need to row through the gears too much. It’ll do 0-62mph in 9.9 seconds and, with that 205Nm slug of pulling power, you can make decent progress.

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It’s a shame, then, that the gearbox isn’t especially pleasant to use. Seth Walton said of his long-term test car: ‘Though its action is light, the gearbox has a slightly soft-edged vagueness to it, while the throw itself is fairly long. Plus, and this is only a small gripe, the underside of the gear lever head is plated with a piece of cheap-feeling plastic that’s not very comfortable to wrap your fingers around.’

The 130hp version is much more sprightly – it completes the 0-62mph sprint in 8.7 seconds. We think it’s the one to have if you enjoy getting a shift on. But you pay a fairly hefty price in reduced fuel efficiency. We also found the standard-fit eight-speed automatic gearbox can be irritatingly ponderous and laggy in its changes.

At times we found putting your foot down slightly jolted the car into action before the ‘box settled into a higher gear. At other times it took a few seconds to do anything at all – not good if you’re trying to overtake at the time. As far as we’re concerned, the six-speed manual is the gearbox of choice in the latest Corsa.

Diesel engine

The current generation of Corsa was available with a 1.5-litre diesel engine – badged Turbo D – until mid-2021. It’s not the quietest or smoothest of diesels, but with 102hp and 250Nm of torque it accelerates quickly enough – 0-62mph takes 9.6 seconds – and it feels relatively muscular when overtaking or joining a motorway. The main appeal, though, is the claimed fuel economy of well over 60mpg. If you do big miles, it’s the Corsa to have.

Hybrid engines

A post-facelift addition to the Corsa range is a pair of mild-hybrid engines – which Vauxhall simply badges Hybrid. There are two to choose from, with 100hp or 136hp. Both come with a six-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox.

This particular powertrain is now found in a wide range of Stellantis cars, and we’ve tried it several of them. It’s a bit of mixed bag. In the Vauxhall Grandland SUV, it’s relatively smooth and responsive. In the Peugeot 208, it feels rougher and doesn’t quite have the same get up and go. We’ll report back when we’ve tried it in the Corsa specifically.

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What we do know is that the 136hp Hybrid is the quickest Corsa, with a 0-62mph time of 8.6 seconds. Yet it can do around 60mpg. You don’t pay much of a premium for it over the 130hp Turbo Corsa, either.

You can check out the performance figures for all the engines on our Vauxhall Corsa specs page.

What’s it like to drive?

• Plenty of grip in corners
• Light, slightly vague steering
• Best driven at a relaxed pace

The Vauxhall Corsa is perfectly competent, but not particularly fun to drive. We found it’s grippy and nicely balanced, and Vauxhall’s stiffer suspension set-up compared with the Peugeot 208 is better at limiting cornering lean and maintaining composure over undulating roads.  

The Corsa’s steering is also changed over the 208, but not for the better. It’s slow and a little vague over the first few degrees, then it’s reactions suddenly sharpen thereafter. It’s rather light as well. Add all that together and it takes some time to gel with Corsa. The competence of the chassis breeds confidence, but the steering takes it away. And you don’t feel connected to the car, either.

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That’s not to say the Corsa is bad to drive. It’s just a car that’s best driven at a more relaxed pace. If you want a supermini that handles with Fiesta-style verve, try the recently updated Renault Clio, SEAT Ibiza or MINI Cooper.

Because its suspension is firmer, the Corsa doesn’t ride with the 208’s soft-edged panache, but it’s far from jarring. Jiggly is about as agitated as it gets, even at low speeds, because it’s markedly more settled as you up the speed.

The suspension also patters over rough tarmac and can be unsettled by rumble strips, sending vibrations into the cabin. The problem is exaggerated by the larger alloy wheels fitted to GS and Ultimate models. But wind noise is well suppressed.

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Venture onto faster roads and you’ll hear some wind noise coming from the door mirrors and B pillars, plus some tyre noise – although it’s arguably quieter than the Clio in that respect. Suspension noise is generally well suppressed, as well.