Test drive Opel Corsa 5 doors 2000 - 2003 hatchback

Baby from Ryusselshaim

Opel: Russian debut in segment b
Having seriously take up the promotion of its European vassal of the Opel brand on the Russian market, GM is gradually expanding the lineup of the German company. Work is underway to certify the Zafira minivan, and the appearance of the Frontera SUV is not excluded. The first swallow in the updated Russian line of Opel was Corsa hatchback, who debuted in the market at the beginning of the year. To get acquainted with the smallest Opel, we chose a five-door modification equipped with a 1.2-liter engine and the latest automated EasyTronic transmission.
The heiress of the glorious traditions of the first two generations of Corsa, who had been dispersed around the world, more than nine million circulations flashed in the sun with defiantly pink metallic. A great color for a B-class car, which is traditionally considered to be feminine, I thought, looking at the transformed appearance of a small machine. However, there was no revolution in the exterior: somewhat added in the dimensions compared to his predecessor, Corsa nevertheless remained Corsa that, in fact, from the designers was required. Perhaps the most radical changes have undergone lighting equipment: the rear lights moved to the racks of the fifth door, and the front headlights received transparent glazing. A much brighter impressions await the owner of the new Corsa in the cabin. For its class, the little car is unexpectedly richly equipped. In addition to a gentleman's set (electric package, a steering wheel with an electric power and a column-adjustable column, air conditioning), Corsa boasts an Infotainment system unique in its segment, including a large, two-dine radio with a four-disks, a telephone and a navigation system. In fairness, it should be noted that only the radio reached Russia, and indeed our Corsa motorists are offered only in the Comfort configuration, which implies the average level of equipment. To the standard driver seat settings, the opportunity to adjust the chair in height was added, which provides an almost minivan landing and, as a result, quite decent visibility. True, having driven the seat to the top point, the tall driver almost rests his head against the ceiling, and the rear passengers of the car, despite the record wheelbase in the class and the additional eight centimeters of the width, does not indulge in the living space. Honestly, having sat in the back seat, I doubted whether it makes sense to overpay for a five -door version of a car, in which only two adults can accommodate. In addition, a very modest 260-liter trunk wants to increase, throwing forward a separate back of the rear seat. In this position, the volume of the Corsa luggage compartment increases to 1060 liters, and the car becomes suitable not only for low -budget excursions to the nearest supermarket. By the way, about excursions. Long trips will require the crew of a car of certain resistance: after the first hundred kilometers of the journey, you experience a painful desire to move in a car class above. As already mentioned, only subtile and stunted people can count on any convenient placement. In addition, when developing the chassis, engineers clearly preferred not sidelous comfort, but controllability: the suspension is significantly lacking energy intensity, and on our no ideal roads it often comes to breakdowns. Not at a height and acoustics: the engine, which is out of the smart box with intense accelerations in automatic mode, is hysterically worshiped, and aerodynamic noises begin to exhaust at high speeds. However, Corsa never claimed the role of the intercity liner. And those same nine million drivers saw and loved in it a brilliant economical city car, capable of shoved into any hole in a crowded parking lot. Yes, Corsa is by no means Drivers Car, but, the heart, 75 horsepower, developed by a modest 1.2-liter motor, is enough not to feel like a stepson in a dense city stream. A small hatchback even allows you to light a traffic light, and in the manual control mode, this can be done relatively painless for both the motor and for the ears. By the way, according to the Corsa passport with the transmission, Easytronic accelerates to hundreds in 14 seconds and is able to reach 170 km/h. True, experience shows that the threshold of comfort lies significantly lower: even on a decent road, riding turns from pleasure into work, as soon as the speedometer arrow exceeds the mark of 140 and with each subsequent division of the scale, this work becomes more and heavier. However, I repeat, Corsa is an urban car, and it is unlikely that the normal driver would have occurred to set speed records on the overloaded streets of the metropolis. But modest dimensions allow you to screw into traffic jams, and the semiautomatic device helps to preserve in this Brownian movement and nerve cells, which, as you know, are not restored, and the clutch, the restoration of which is associated with certain expenses. By the way, the creators of the new Corsa have done everything possible so that the car maintenance does not burden its owner too much. For example, the intervals between planned ones increased to 30 thousand km, and a fully galvanized body with a 12-year guarantee from through corrosion promises brilliant prospects in the secondary market. The only trouble is that Corsa may not reach the second hand: things with the primary sales of the Russelsheim baby are bad in Russia. For six months, the dealers failed to find hundreds of buyers. It seems, however, that the reason for this is by no means low consumer qualities of one of the European bestsellers Opel, but the specifics of the Russian market. In Europe, B-class cars are popular due to their efficiency, compactness and affordable price. The conjuncture of the Russian market is fundamentally different. By and large, domestic motorist has not yet concerned about parking problems, and domestic prices for gasoline to European still grow and grow. There is no such powerful incentive as cheap insurance. At the same time, the costs of maintaining a small foreign car practically do not differ from the costs associated with the operation of a higher class car. However, sales of segment C are gradually gaining momentum in Russia. Recently, Skoda Fabia, Renault Clio Symbol, Peugeot 206 has been in sustainable demand. Even Fiat, the dealers of which still cannot boast of sales growth, the small hatchback of Palio diverges best. Against the background of successful competitors, Corsa is still looking at an outsider. However, in the Moscow office of GM, our pessimism was absolutely not divided. On the contrary, as the Opel brand manager Andrei Glazkov said, the representative office did not expect such a brilliant start of sales. Despite the fact that the official presentation of Corsa was held back in January, the first commodity cars came to dealers only in June, and the demand for hatchback is increasing monthly, and just our machine is of greatest interest. I sincerely want to believe that sooner or later Corsa will be able to be popular with competitors-classmates. The baby has all the prerequisites for this. The car only needs to help a little, assigning a real price for it. Today, dealers are asking for a little car $ 12,285 $ 14,070, which makes it perhaps the most expensive in the classroom. Honestly, to give for a small hatchback the amount, almost equivalent to the cost of a golf-class car, only a passionate fan of Ryusselshaim baby will decide. And about Russian Corsa clubs, you can’t hear something yet ...
Andrey Tsybulsky
 

Source: Wheel (company)