Vauxhall Corsa (2014 – 2019) Review

The Vauxhall Corsa is one of the best-selling hatchbacks going, with sales figures helped along by its popularity with company car fleets. The 2014 Corsa gave us more of the same with a car that came in a multitude of trims with a wide variety of engines on offer to suit all pockets. You also have a choice of three- and five-door body styles, as well as the VXR hot hatch model, so there’s plenty to choose from. Where this Corsa falls down is several of its hugely talented rivals do most or all of what the Vauxhall manages with more panache. 

If this Corsa has more than a hint of the old one in the design then that's because it's not actually 'all-new'. In fact it's a very heavily revised version of its predecessor with a new look, a redesigned interior plus an overhauled chassis and suspension set-up.

That said, while the profile looks very similar, this Corsa has more to it design-wise than its rather bland predecessor. The front end apes the Vauxhall Adam while the rear follows the design of the Astra. But it's inside where you find the biggest changes.

The latest Corsa has a far better interior than before. Gone are the scratchy plastics and dated layout, replaced by a cabin similar to the Adam. That means more panache and style plus a big leap in quality. The plastics used are far superior and touches like the soft touch dash top and glossy trim make it feel more upmarket. Standard equipment on all models now also includes a heated windscreen.

As before it's reasonably spacious for a small hatchback while refinement has notably improved, especially at motorway speeds where there's less road and engine noise.

And when it comes to engines, there are again some considerable improvements. The new 1.0 Ecotec petrol is the pick of the range. It may be a small three-cylinder engine, but thanks to the fact it's turbocharged it provides perky performance with good refinement.

Two versions are available - a 90PS model and one with 115PS - and both are economical with the former averaging a claimed 65.7mpg in the three-door model. Under the skin there have been big changes with a reworked and stiffer chassis plus all-new suspension which has been tuned specifically for UK roads. It also has a lower centre of gravity.

These changes certainly improve the refinement of the Corsa and it rides very well for a small car, feeling stable and comfortable even at higher speeds. Unfortunately the new electric power steering is overly light and feels vague in corners. As a result the Corsa isn't much fun to drive, but it's ideal in town and easy to park.

Getting in and out of the three-door Vauxhall Corsa can be a pain in tightly packed parking spaces due to the length of its doors. So, if you spend a lot of time in the city or supermarket, the five-door is the better bet.

Space for the driver is identical however many doors the Corsa has. It’s one of the most generous superminis in the sector, so you get loads of room for head, legs and shoulders. The driving position is good and visibility all round is adequate, but the thick front pillars aren't ideal at busy junctions. 

When it comes to carrying luggage, the Corsa makes a good fist of it thanks a 285-litre boot with the rear seats in place.

If you need to carry more than one adult on a regular basis, it would be a wise decision to choose the five-door version of the Corsa.

It’s not quite up to the standards set by the Volkswagen Polo, but you won’t have much to complain about thanks to the thickly padded soft-touch surfaces used for the dash-top and upper door trims.

Look and feel further down and you soon discover hard, easily scratched plastics. This is where the Corsa loses out to the Polo, but it’s no worse than you would find in a Ford Fiesta’s interior and the Vauxhall seems to be well put together, so don’t expect many creaks or rattles.

Avoid the most basic versions of the Vauxhall Corsa and you will enjoy the IntelliLink infotainment system with its 7-inch touchscreen. It’s integrated into the dash rather than sitting proud like an iPad that is the current fashion. No matter, the display is easy to read and clear in the way it presents its information.

Linking your smartphone to the IntelliLink set-up is easy and you can stream music using Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. There’s also Bluetooth for hands-free calls, but we have found the onscreen icons with this infotainment system can be slow to react to your inputs.

Prices start at around £3000 for a 2014 car with the 1.0-litre turbo petrol engine in Excite trim. We’d choose this engine over the 1.2 and 1.4-litre non-turbo petrol motors as they don’t feel nearly as peppy as the 1.0-litre turbocharged unit. We’d also avoid the 150PS 1.4 Turbo for its increased running costs unless you really want a warm-ish hatch.

However, you will find the 1.4 non-turbo engine in large numbers when looking for a used Corsa. Search out a five-year old version with 50,000 miles on the dial in SRi trim and you’ll pay from around £5500.

Should you want a diesel-powered Corsa, a three-year old model with a reasonable 50,000 miles under its wheels will set you back from £6000. This will get you a Design trim version with three- or five-doors with the 1.3 CTDi engine and capable of a claimed 72.4mpg combined consumption.

If you want something newer, a 2017 Corsa with around 25,000 miles is yours for £6000. Or, you could go for something from the tail end of this generation’s production life for around £10,000 from a franchised dealer with less than 3000 miles on the clock.

The most frugal Vauxhall Corsa is the 95PS 1.3 CDTi turbodiesel that claims a combined consumption of 87.8mpg. Real MPG numbers show this at an average of 63.9mpg. If you want a petrol engine, the 90PS 1.0 Ecotec turbocharged three-cylinder motor has a claimed economy of up to 65.7mpg and Real MPG combined 48.3mpg.

Engine and trim choice have a big bearing on insurance premiums. Choose the basic Life 1.2-litre petrol version and it falls in the group 2, so insurance is cheaper for young drivers. At the other end of the scale, the GSI model with its 150PS turbocharged 1.4-litre engine sits in group 20. A 1.0 Ecotec in Excite trim attracts a group 10 rating.

Later Corsa registered from 1 April 2017 will now pay a flat fee of £150 per year for their road tax. Cars registered before that date have their Vehicle Excise Duty determined by their carbon dioxide emissions. As a result, several Corsas enjoy free road tax thanks to their sub-100g/km emissions with the 1.3-litre turbodiesel engine. Next best is the 90PS 1.0 Ecotec turbo petrol in Band B with a £20 per year tax.

You cannot accuse Vauxhall of lacking effort when it came to sorting out how this generation of Corsa drives. There was an all-new front suspension, stiffer body shell to make it safe and quicker to respond to driver inputs, and the car’s weight was moved lower down to help with handling.

The Vauxhall Corsa is just as happy around town where the steering is light, with a tight turning circle that makes it a doddle to park in compact spaces.

There’s not much steering feel, but there’s nothing wrong with the way the Corsa handles, however, and there is plenty of grip to make sure you have something in reserve if you need to avoid a hazard mid-corner. If only the same were true of the ride quality, which feels like it has nothing more to offer than jitters and bumps.

1.2-litre turbocharged Ecotec three-cylinder unit in 90- or 115PS forms. It’s refined and punchy. There’s also a 1.4 Turbo petrol with 100- or 150PS, the latter reserved for the warm hatch GSi model.

If it's outright economy you're after, the 1.3 CDTi ecoFlex diesel is the engine to go for. In its most frugal guise, it had a claimed 88.3mpg with carbon dioxide emissions of just 85g/km. It's perfect if you spend a lot of time on the motorway but we'd suggest sticking with a petrol if you're covering short distances.

The Vauxhall Corsa covers the basics with twin front, side and curtain airbags as standard. It also comes with ESP traction and stability control, and ABS anti-lock brakes.

Every version of this generation of Corsa also has three-point seat belts for all five occupants and headrests for them too. The two outer rear seats have Isofix child seat mounts.

Also included with all trim levels is a tyre pressure monitoring system and Hill Start Assist to prevent the car from rolling backwards as you go to pull away on an incline.

However, the Corsa only scored a four-star rating from Euro NCAP in crash tests, which was a bit disappointing at the car’s launch in 2014.

Vauxhall slimmed down the trim line-up from 10 to nine versions. We’d avoid the sparsely fitted out Life, Sting and Sting R models. Instead, pick the Excite to get standard air conditioning, 16-inch alloy wheels, rain-sensing wipers, height adjustable driver’s seat, and heated seats and steering wheel. This trim also comes with the IntelliLink infotainment with 7-inch touchscreen, DAB radio, Bluetooth and USB port.

The Design adds cruise control, while the SRi has sports front seats. Take the Sri VX Line and you get a sport body kit and sports suspension with lowered suspension, while the GSI has this plus a more powerful engine.

The full-on VXR hot hatch has a unique specification that includes Recaro front seats, limited slip front differential and uprated Brembo brakes. For a more luxurious slant, the SE has automatic wipers and headlights, electrically adjusted door mirrors, leather-covered steering wheel, heated seats, and all-round parking sensors.