“The choice for the Corsa over the 208 is largely determined by the interior”
The Opel Corsa has been indispensable since 1982. Every new generation was successful again and that is no different with the current, seventh generation. What is different is the technical basis, which is shared for the first time with a Peugeot car. We check the user reviews to see if that was a good idea. Of course, the electric Opel Corsa-e is also discussed.
Opel recently gave the Corsa a new nose, so that the model once again resembles the latest models in the range. An important technical adjustment concerns the electric variant. As an option, it will receive a new, slightly larger battery pack and a more powerful electric motor. This variant is also no longer called ‘Corsa-e’, but Corsa Electric. The petrol versions with 100 and 136 hp are also being tackled firmly: they now have mild hybrid technology on board.
Space offer
The Peugeot 208 is not known as a space miracle and judging by the hardly different dimensions, the Corsa also shares this property. “Indeed, this Corsa is less spacious than the Corsa D, and I mean in particular the space in the back seat. However, that is not a problem for us, with the children who no longer live at home,” writes the owner of a black Corsa 1.2 Turbo with 100 hp. “I agree with the complaint that the rear doors are a bit tight,” he continues, “this was much better in the previous Corsa.” By the way, the previous Corsa means the Corsa from 2011. And indeed, several owners endorse the tight access through the rear doors.
A bit about space, how tight is the Corsa exactly? “It is not a spacious car, and this is to be expected, but it was still a bit disappointing. I myself am not very tall (1.80 meters), but people my own height cannot sit behind me without their knees touching the front seat”, this driver explains the situation. “The car is tight for four adults,” another owner agrees. “Not in terms of luggage, but in terms of seating comfort for the rear passengers. The legs of the rear passengers fit just behind my six foot. My two children (6 and 8 years old) and wife fit reasonably well in the car with me, although a Skoda Fabia offers significantly more space.”
How are the seats?
“The seats are quite firm, although the seat is on the short side,” said the owner of the only diesel Corsa in the review section. “The lateral support is very good for me, but I don’t have a wide stature at all.” A sportier Corsa-e driver adds: “I find the support of the seats during cornering a bit less.”
Perhaps this driver should have opted for the Corsa GS Line, in which the seat is slightly more focused on sporty driving. The owner of such a copy writes: “Nice sitting position (even if you are a bit taller) due to the height-adjustable sports seats, as well as the steering column that can be adjusted in both height and depth.” It is not the only compliment about the adjustability: “The seating position can be adjusted well, the steering wheel is more than sufficiently adjustable and the armrest is a very pleasant addition,” concludes the driver of another electric Corsa.
Infotainment and controls
An important point of distinction compared to the Peugeot is the interior. Where the French approach is particularly frivolous and idiosyncratic, the Germans refrain from jokes. “I am happy with the normal dashboard: not the digital hassle and certainly not that high dashboard of his Peugeot brother”, is one of the reactions.
The diesel driver also found the less deviating interior decisive. “The choice of the Corsa over the 208 is largely determined by the interior. The Corsa has a more traditional interior with practical rotary knobs. In addition, the entire I-Cockpit set-up has never really appealed to me.” All’s well that ends well? “However, it is the interior that makes it clear that this is actually a Peugeot Corsa. Small annoyances are, for example, the air conditioning that is switched on again after every restart.” More users complain about the automatic switching on of the air conditioning at every start, one of them makes a call: “Nobody has an idea at the dealer to solve this. Anyone experience this?”
There are few specific comments about the infotainment system, although several users appreciate that the climate control has been given its own panel. There are many complaints about the app of the electric Corsa: “The app is downright bad, a lot has already been said about this. Making a connection goes well half the time and then the correct remaining mileage is displayed, but switching on the air conditioning/heating remotely can sometimes take two minutes,” says a selection from the reactions.
Road handling
An important point on which a car can distinguish itself from group peers is with the chassis, Opel reportedly did not let it be said twice. “Of course it is no secret that this generation of Corsa has the genes of PSA. Nevertheless, this Corsa drives quite differently from the new 208. It has quite firm suspension and I would even dare to say that it is a bit stiffly damped.” This experience expert can appreciate it: “The result is that the carriage hardly leans over and cornering speeds, which I did not dare to do with the previous 208, are quite possible.”
The Corsa GS Line driver adds: “Even at high speeds, the car does not float or make excessive noise and feels a class heavier. Even drove a bit of 195 kilometers per hour on the Autobahn, without it feeling irresponsible.”
An owner writes about the electric Corsa: “The Corsa has direct and tight steering, but is not nervous on the highway. They have done that well at Opel. Despite the weight of the car, the chassis feels well balanced, and the leaning in corners is limited. For that they have put the shock absorbers and the suspension on steroids, but despite that you can still drive comfortably with the Corsa on irregular road surfaces.” In the photo accompanying the review, we can see that this car has relatively modest wheels. A size more could affect comfort, another driver experiences: “The car is a bit stiff, partly due to the 17-inch wheels I think. It sometimes bounces a bit on cobblestones or other uneven roads.”
Consumption and driving range Corsa-e
Speaking of the electric Corsa, what about range? “On average I drive about 200 kilometers on a battery,” writes the driver of a 2020 Corsa-e. “I then drive in normal mode with the heating, seat heating and radio on. Normal driving style (so don’t accelerate like a snail to save energy :)) and speed on the N or highways at 105 km/h.” A driver who hardly ever goes on the highway and always drives in Eco mode achieves a very favorable value: “Overall, consumption over 3,725 km now averages 13.6 kWh per 100 km. With a 50 kW battery, this amounts to about 360 kilometers of range.”
This rider describes the middle ground: “As long as the temperature remains above 15 degrees, 250 kilometers of range is always possible, provided you drive normally and do not have the heating set to 25 degrees, of course. Around freezing point, my range is around 200 kilometers and if you drive ‘in the red’ for a while, 229 kilometers.”
Maintenance, malfunctions and irritations
When it comes to inconveniences, Corsa drivers are quite spared. Problems we read about mainly relate to the electric variant, not being able to charge at every charging station is such a problem. It is likely that this has now been resolved after a software update. However, the Corsa-e has been recalled to the dealer several times, among other things to remedy a malfunction in which the engine could fail while driving. Fortunately, none of the reviewers have personally experienced this malfunction.
A milder complaint relates to the electronics: “So far, it has happened 1x that the instrument cluster screen remained black while starting the car, and also while driving,” reports the driver of a 2021 Corsa-e , “Then you don’t have a speedometer, and that’s inconvenient. The next day nothing happened.” Another rider describes much the same failure: “Twice the dashboard (counters) seemed to restart. It shoots to black for a moment and is there again in no time.”
All in all, Opel seems to have delivered an excellent product with the new Corsa. The interior is praiseworthy, as are the seats. The only real drawback seems to be the space on board and the entry through the rear doors is also on the tight side.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl