Opel Corsa Test drive 5 doors since 2011 hatchback
Liter per liter
VW Pointer against Opel CorsaIt would seem that the Volkswagen concern finally said goodbye to the image of a folk car: either a luxurious limousine will present to the public or a prestigious SUV. Yes, and ordinary models, frankly, are expensive. Therefore, the appearance in Russia is available - from $ 9499 - VW could not go unnoticed. And the competitors' reaction was not long in coming: the eternal rival of Volkswagen Opel concern immediately brought to the market a liter modification of the Corsa model. Truly, squeezed into the framework of $ 10,000, however, it was not possible - it costs from $ 10,990.
What is offered to customers for this money?
Let's say right away, cars at advertising prices in nature are practically not found: dealers are actively promoting more or less decent equipped cars, which, of course, are more expensive. For example, in the VW salons, the client will be offered not a naked three-door Pointer, the basic package of which is included except for the third stop signal, but a five-door version of Safety Plus ($ 11,223) with GUR, air conditioning, two safety cushions and front power outputs (which, which, which, are, which. However, the list of corporate equipment is not included - they are installed by dealers themselves). Having added to this the cost of a dealer signaling with a central lock, a mechanical anti -theft for a KP and CD magnetols, we get the cost of a car that has been on our test - $ 12,370.
The list of basic Opel Corsa equipment in the most modest Essentia configuration can not be called wide either. However, it contains such quite important positions as a driver's pillow and an anti -lock brake system (we note that for Pointer the ABS is not provided at all). The test car was completely stuffed to the eyeballs: air conditioning, heated front seats, four airbags, electrified mirrors and front glass, an electric steering wheel with a variable characteristic. True, they ask for such a car, frankly, there are a lot - $ 14,900 (in the base a five -door hatchback with ordinary mechanics will cost $ 11,290, and with an automated EasyTronic transmission - $ 11,840).
It makes no sense to describe in detail the exterior of our today's heroes: both cars are already familiar to the readers of Mkobil. We only note that the appearance of the Pointer is neither ultramodern (although the third generation of this model debuted in the same 2000 as Opel Corsa) or harmonious you can not call. Disharmony in the proportion of the Brazilian VW makes an overly long hood - a consequence of the longitudinal location of the engine, visually (and constructively), which is disturbed with the domestic forty of the first Muscovite. For front -wheel drive machines, you can’t call such a solution to such a solution: as a rule, the motor is located transversely, which allows you to optimize the body by eating in modest dimensions of the city car more space for passengers and baggage. Pointer developers, apparently, had other priorities. Overgrowing in length, the same Corsa by 10 cm, the Brazilian loses somewhat in the width, height and size of the wheelbase.
However, we will talk about the level of passenger comfort and the cargo potential of rivals a little lower. First, let's see what drivers have. Getting behind a steering wheel with all the amenities of a person to a tall in both cars will not be easy. Adjustable steering columns are recognized by manufacturers of impermissible luxury (Opel, however, still offers such an option); Accordingly, only the position of the driver's chair can be varied. To two basic settings (longitudinal movement and tilt of the back) as additional equipment, the seat adjustment is proposed in height.
Note that using the Volkswagen mechanism is more convenient than Ophevsky: to sit higher, the Pointer driver is enough to shake the corresponding lever, but the steering Corsa will have to stand up, transferring the weight of the body, say, to the steering column. However, the ergonomic advantages of Pointer are perhaps exhausted. What is the use of the convenience of adjusting the chair if the steering wheel (normal diameter is not Zhigulevsky) still lies on the feet? With similar dimensions, the corsa steering wheel does not annoy this. However, people of medium height and complexion with this problem may not be encountered. But the constructive shortcomings of the driver's seats of both machines will surely cease with time: the pillows of the seats could be longer and tougher, and the backs (in the absence of a variable lumbar support) - more anatomical. True, the backs of Opel owners, where the seat is given a little more successfully, will still have to be easier.
The interior of competing vehicles is unlikely to hit the imagination: the quality of finishing materials, and the level of performance is satisfactory, and nothing more. On the other hand, in inexpensive cars, there is no other way. Thank you, at least the gaps between the panels are not in the finger with a thickness, and the glove compartment does not fall on your knees. However, the Brazilian proletarians for shortcomings in the work we still have a stroke. More thoroughly, comrades, it is necessary to clean plastic parts from the outer, more thoroughly. We will criticize the developers who designed traumatic buttons on the central console. Trying to activate the regime of air recirculation, the author of these lines rejected a finger on the acute edge of the neighboring air conditioning button. By the way, there are also a number of questions to the operation of the Pointer heating and ventilation system, and more serious ones. Take, for example, the control of blowing modes: for some reason, the driver is forced to painfully choose where to direct the air flow - to glass or to the legs (read, freeze or put up with a deterioration in visibility).
Combine pleasant with useful, as done in the vast majority of modern cars, the designers of the Brazilian prevented something. The legs of the owner of Pointer were not lucky at all, especially the right: the bizarre arrangement of ventilation deflectors completely deprives her of the ability to warm up, while the left product is directly exhausted from the heat (I must say that this also happens in other machines, however, usually with the right foot ). However, here we, perhaps, screamed our souls - the owner of the Brazilian VW should not be afraid of the tropical heat: the stove does not differ high performance. In any case, when we cut the heater to the maximum, there was no desire to cover the crane. The fan is another matter: contrary to the funded by the manufacturer, the radical insulation of the ventilation system declared by the manufacturer, at maximum speed it is quite capable of arguing with an aerodynamic pipe. You can’t call the Corsa fan and the fan. However, this is perhaps the only reason for displeasure. Opelian stove did not present others. In addition, it was not difficult to score the salon, and passengers in the back seat did not complain about the cold and with almost turned off ventilation.
By the way, since we remembered the rear passengers, it's time to tell what our heroes will please. There is nothing to rejoice, however: neither Pointer nor Corsa are pulling on the role of the family machine - the wrong car cars. Well, perhaps for a young family, not burdened with children and households. Manufacturers of the Brazilian honestly admit that there are only four places in the cabin. The back of the rear sofa is Opel, however, is equipped with three head restraints, but on any comfort you can only count on if the third is the third. By the way, it needs to be planted from the edge, since a miniature ashtray and an inconvenient small cup holder are located on the floor, exactly at the feet of the middle passenger.
However, the problem of placing passengers of the second row is removed by itself, when it comes to the need to transport something more or less large. Since the luggage compartments do not shine with volume, and the backs of the rear sofas are folded only entirely, at the same time to take a mother -in -law and her favorite refrigerator, only by installing the trunk on the roof, the benefit of the regular places for its attachment are provided for by both manufacturers
Well, now, obeying the laws of the genre, it's time to tell you what cars are on the go. We hasten to please potential owners: it will not be easy for them to lose their rights for quick riding. To accelerate to 120 km/h in the city stream is almost unrealistic - it is simply not enough time, and it is impossible to exceed the speed limit on the Moscow Ring Road - the maximum speed of both cars does not reach 160 km/h.
But jokes aside. The readers already know about what the owner of Pointer can count on - the car has visited the Mkobil test last fall. Recall that the dynamic characteristics of the liter Brazilian does not shine, but thanks to the successfully selected gear ratio of the transmission, it allows you to quite briskly start and not feel too deprived of fate even on metropolitan streets, where it may well be competed, for example, with Togliatti classics. There is no tachometer in a combination of devices (as well as a zummer warning about the excess of the maximum permissible engine speed), so the driver determines the time to operate the time in folkswagenovsky with an accurate and short-flowing lever of the KP. The first two gears skipping in one breath (the author’s ears were surrendered about 40 km/h), but at the third, without risk, you can put the speedometer arrow in a hundred without risk. So in the city the fourth program to the driver Pointer is definitely useless. And on the highway and even more so, because, having intended to overtake someone, with an economical fifth, you will have to immediately jump to the third.
Similar problems have to be solved at the wheel of Opel. The only difference is that under the hood of Corsa is a three -cylinder 12 -valve motor, literally choking on the bottoms and reviving only after 3000 revolutions (the maximum torque is reached at 3800 rpm). The box is tuned more evenly than on Pointer: the first transfers are less clamped with the same wide possibilities of the third. The manufacturer is modestly silent about the time required to accelerate to a hundred (in the Swiss catalog Automobil Revue - 16 seconds), but by subjective sensations, competitors are approximately equal. Be that as it may, it is better to forget about the frisky starts from the traffic light (in any case, those who do not intend to fork out for an unscheduled clutch replacement). But the owner who has mastered the sedate, measured driving style, the liter Corsa will pleasantly surprise with efficiency. The gasoline tank (44 liter of the 92nd) in the city without any problems is enough for 600 km. In general, what is closer to you, frequent visits to the service or rare - for refueling, decide for yourself.
It makes no sense to dwell on controllability in detail. She, let’s say, is satisfactory in full -time situations, with the optimal driving mode for these machines, there is no need to wait for unpleasant surprises. Both cars tend to forgive small mistakes, and it is better not to allow gross. Joke. In fact, to manage with the heroes of this test can do any person who comprehended the foundations of driver’s skill. For example, under the discharge of gas in the turn of Corsa, it will be eagerly breaking into a skid, which, however, is equally easily adjusted, the benefit of steering is quite informative. On the other hand, the loss of course stability can be avoided: just enter the turn with normal speed
However, quite notations. It's time, having weighed all the pros and cons, give an editorial preference to one of the participants in the test. To do this, we note, is not easy. It would seem that the winner should go out the folk VW: with a similar set of basic and additional equipment, it is cheaper than the test Opel (artificially delivered by us from a number of options) for about $ 1000. The amount for machines protruding in the light price category is considerable. But do everyone decide money? Perhaps the best answer to this question will be given by customers themselves.
Yan Segal
Andrey Tsybulsky
Alexander Polunin
Source: Mkobil magazine [01/17/2005]
