God knows how this gets best in class. I recently had to drive one for a couple of days after someone smashed my car up - it has quite nice styling but is awful to drive. Thankfully it was then replaced with a Fiat Grande Punto 1.3, which was so much better - the two cars were co-developed but I know which one I'd give garage room to.
I had one of these for two days when my Vauxhall Astra was in for service and it was a great disappointment. It has to one of the worst small cars I have driven. Worst of all is the steering - it feels as though it is connected to the front wheels via rubber bands, and the ride is extremely jittery. I have never been impressed with any generation of Corsa and this one is very overrated. Build quality seems good though and the gearchange is not brilliant but better than previous Corsa versions.
Have just downsized from a Mercedes A-Class to help save on fuel costs on the daily commute. Have to say I'm really enjoying the Corsa and not missing the extra qualities that the A-Class had. The car drives really well, is fun in traffic and nippy enough when it counts. Seem to be able to use fifth gear at virtually any speed, so mpgs will be good. Nice looks on car and useful features like a double-layered boot.
Took the 1.4 90bhp auto model for test drive. It's the only version available here in Israel. What a disappointment. 0-60mph in 14.8 seconds! That's without the air conditioning on and not fully laden. They've also ruined the great dash by replacing the beautiful integrated audio with a standard Panasonic out of the '90s. With a wide open market, there's no way his will be a big seller here.
New cars come out all the time but the new Corsa has something that I have never found so far in basic small cars, and that is sex appeal, yes that's right sex appeal. This new Corsa is stylish, fun to drive and it thinks big. The 1-litre engine is not lacking in power and it's a very smooth ride, the cabin is more spacious than its predecessor. The three door black sapphire Life model looks like a more expensive spec model which is good when you are counting the pennies. Verdict, get one.
