Car Test
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R0274 | |
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October 2002 |
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| Vauxhall Corsa | ||
| Printer Friendly Page | Featured model: 1.0 Eco 5 door | |
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Anyone contemplating a high annual mileage should be concerned with fuel costs. Of course, most who fit into this category consider diesel these days, but the trouble is that one invariably has to pay more to begin with, to save in service.
Take the Corsa 1.7 diesels, for example. The lower-powered Di/65bhp version in Club trim, carries a £500 premium compared with this 1.0 Eco – and that’s disregarding this petrol version’s standard Easytronic transmission. We haven’t tested the 65bhp diesel, but there’s only a one-second difference in acceleration, through the gears, compared with the 75bhp engine listed in the rivals table – with no difference in the combined mpg figures, either. So, it’s safe to assume that the extra £500 will reward you with much better performance and economy than this 1.0 Eco could manage in this test, conducted in ideal conditions with properly metered mpg results. What bare figures don’t convey, however, is the smoother, quieter nature of this friendly little three-cylinder engine, whether ambling through slow traffic or galloping along the motorway. And that’s before the clever auto shift, clutchless gearbox is taken into account. Easytronic, in all honesty, isn’t as slick or as smooth as a conventional torque converter-type automatic, but at under half the price and with performance and economy as good as the manual version’s, we’re not complaining. Indeed, you learn to acquire a deft pleasure in using it as a clutchless manual when changing up – but relying on it to continue to downshift by itself, as you slow down or stop. We feel that most drivers wouldn’t change up as early as this Eco, in autoshift mode – but that’s all part of the quest for fuel saving. Mostly it works although there are times when it bites off more than it can chew on an up-gradient, then belatedly changes down two ratios. On the whole, our tests revealed a further 2 per cent/1mpg was possible using manual hold and best technique – but that’s all. Incidentally, the selector is delightful to use – rather better than the indifferent manual gearchange on most Corsas. It has to be said that, front seats excepted, the Corsa doesn’t cosset in any respect. Rear accommodation, trim details and ride comfort all prove somewhat mediocre. The model comes out well in matters of safety and security, however. We’re also impressed by the straightforward under-bonnet access. There’s a lack of complexity, compared with a modern turbo-diesel that bodes well for longer-term, higher-mileage maintenance costs; neither does insurance come any cheaper than this. |
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