Opel is refreshing its Corsa for the summer. The bestseller in the range is undergoing so many changes that the Rüsselsheim-based carmaker even speaks confidently of the “new” Corsa.
His fathers hardly expected such a success. The Opel Corsa has been the best-selling small car in its home country of Germany for the past two years. Recently, the model built in Zaragoza, Spain even pushed the Germans’ eternal favorite from the new registration throne, the Golf. A sensation that probably spread a champagne mood in the headquarters in Rüsselsheim. It’s easy to get over the fact that the Corsa wasn’t even in the top 20 in Austria. Given the success story, why a major model revision now, some will ask. Never change a winning horse. But so-called facelifts are part of the cycle for car manufacturers and are already planned for the debut of the respective series. This usually happens after about four years. And that’s exactly what the Corsa (Generation F) now has under its belt. The facelift is extensive The “new” Corsa, as the Opel strategists confidently call their small car, can be distinguished from the current version at first glance. The most striking was the so-called Vizor face, similar to that of the Mokka or the Astra. So the Corsa gets an optical family connection. The bumpers are also new. Headlights and taillights received a new interior. The designers did not go to the sheet metal of their Corsa. It would entail tooling costs in the millions. Therefore, one usually limits oneself to the attachment parts mentioned. On closer inspection, one discovers that Opel has banned the chrome trim, among other things. The window surrounds are now – depending on the equipment line – black or matt silver, as is the lightning bolt and the CORSA lettering, which is now placed in the middle of the tailgate. And an even closer look unmasks: A small shark fin replaces the former rod antenna on the roof. Anyone who now also ticks the newly mixed color graphic gray in the price list drives up with a Corsa with a completely new look. The designers also saw room for changes in the interior. There are new decors such as Alcantara in the doors and on the sports seats as well as a kind of glitter metallic on the dashboard.High-tech as a highlightThe highlight, however, is the optional, fully digital cockpit with new infotainment. A so-called Snapdragon platform from Qualcomm Technologies was integrated. It includes brilliant graphics and state-of-the-art multimedia, computer vision and AI (Artificial Intelligence) functions. The latter is intended to enable an adaptive cockpit experience that can adapt to the wishes of the occupants. The navigation system now offers connected services, natural speech recognition – activation via “Hey, Opel” and over-the-air updates (OTA). And for the first time in the Corsa, smartphones with Apple CarPlay or Android Auto can be connected and charged wirelessly. A look at the center console reveals that the automatic selector lever with its typical Cobra head shape is gone. It is now replaced by a small switch, called the e-toggle, like the one used by various sister models in the Stellantis Group.More power, more rangeFor many Corsa customers, one of the most important questions is: what has happened under the hood? First of all: The Corsa-e is now called the Corsa Electric, and with that comes the option of choosing a more powerful drive. Although the 100 kW/136 hp version is still available, you can now alternatively order an electric motor with 115 kW/156 hp and a WLTP range that has been improved to up to 402 kilometers. The battery should be able to be 80 percent recharged in around 30 minutes on the fast charger. In addition to the new electric motor, the Corsa will also be available as a 48-volt mild hybrid later this year. You can choose between a 100 hp and a 136 hp version. The latter would then be the most powerful Corsa petrol variant for the time being. Both engines are combined with a new dual-clutch automatic transmission. It replaces the previous eight-speed automatic. New combustion engine Opels will not be available for long: the brand wants to become purely electric by 2028. It remains to be seen whether Opel will complete the range of drives with this. After all, there is the newly created sub-brand GSe. So it could well be that something sporty will also be added to the Corsa series. (SPX)
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