Surprise
Introduction: Opel is one of Europe’s largest automakers and even
with a change in ownership, its new Owners, have admiringly managed to retain
its German status. It was founded by Adam Opel in 1862 in Rüsselsheim, Germany
and despite its German heritage was owned by the American automaker General
Motors from 1929 until 2017 and the PSA Group prior to its merger with Fiat
Chrysler Automobiles to form Stellantis in 2021. Stepping into the Corsa, I
have to admit that I never realised that I was in for a lovely Surprise, so Carmen
Rodrigues’s latest hit song, had to be the name of this article. 42 years later
the fun and nostalgic Corsa of my 80’s childhood lives on, with the continued
theme of Corsa’s being zippy little cars, with a hint of cheeky attitude to go
with mine! The hatchback B segment vehicle has a lot going for it and despite
crossovers and sub-compact SUV’s gaining a lot of market share in this space,
one must remember that the differences are what distinguishes each segment and
you either love it or you prefer another. The only right or wrong answer is
your personal choice, matched with your personal preferences. Do yourselves a
favour and test drive this pocket rocket.
Engine/ Economy/ Drive/ Comfort: I was super impressed with this gutsy 1.2
L 3-cylinder, turbo petrol engine which delivered 96 Kw and 230 Nm of torque.
The 6 -speed automatic transmission was beautiful and worked very well in
between changes, which happened rather quickly in my 0 to 100 km/h sprints nearly
matching the claimed 8.7 seconds, with 9 seconds and some change. I naturally,
as per usual got a higher claimed fuel consumption of 6.3 Liters, due to me
racing to take advantage of the crazy tent special at Springfield Makro, for my
daughters Campout! I averaged a respectable 7.3 which was hugely impressive
considering my hunger to tame this feisty hatchling! The Corsa drove well, felt
comfortable, held the road very well thanks to its electronic stability control
and felt snug and safe in the corners, with these tests being done within the
speed limits of course.
Features: There
were some awesome features which included: Tyre pressure monitoring, Heated
front seats (I never saw the button!) 22.5 cm infotainment screen with Android Auto
and Apple car play (Mine would not connect for some reason – user error for
sure!), Traffic sign recognition, automatic LED headlamps, LED daytime running
lights, Drivers drowsiness alert, Rear parking sensors with a camera, height
adjustment for the driver’s seat, a 9 cm instrument cluster, cruise control,
hill-start assist, lane-keep assist, leather trim for the steering wheel, 6 air
bags, height adjustment for the front passenger pew, climate control, front
console and low-speed collision mitigation braking.
Interior/ Exterior/ Boot: The interior sported a cloth/ leather
type finish, with a simple and clean looking dashboard with the option of manual
aircon buttons or touchscreen functionality. I found the positioning of the
display screens excellent and was impressed with the sound system which produced
great sound when I pumped Surprise often as I
cruised the Hood in this black beauty. On my review model, everything from the electric
folding side mirrors to the bumpers and door handles, to the Corsa name badge was
also black and looked really sleek and ready to receive some deserved street
cred! I enjoyed the beautiful looking 16-inch alloys and thought the overall
exterior appearance was a showstopper, with a top looking set of LED front fog lights
set discreetly in the front bumper. The 309 Liter boot would be enough to accommodate
the boys on a fly-fishing trip with beers, tog bags, some braai meat and rolls
but fortunately or unfortunately no space for the ladies, if four portly Fly-fishermen
were to grace the Corsa with their presence.
Price/ Warranty/ Service Plan: R459900 The price includes a 5-year/100
000 km warranty and a 3-year/45 000 km service plan (with intervals of 15 000
km).
In Summary: I would buy
this car for sure. It excited me big time when driving it and I felt like I was
20 again and then I woke up from my dream and my Milo was flat! The chorus of Surprise, says it
all, “Surprise, Big Surprise, Celebrate the moment baby you are the prize,
Surprise, Big Surprise, Let the magic get you let it shine through your eyes”.
*This
article is written in my opinion only. For detailed information on the specs,
please contact Opel SA*
