Category: Superminis 
Price Range: No data available
Great 1.3-litre diesel and petrol engines, reasonable quality, refined.
Only averagely roomy, resale prices poor, sparse equipment at bottom of range.
Popular Corsa supermini is not a bad choice, but not the best car in this class by a margin.
It's certainly easy to drive; so many driving schools wouldn't use the Corsa otherwise. Visibility is good, the steering is light, the clutch is smooth and, while the gearbox is a bit notchy, it's foolproof in action. The petrol engines are all keen, but although the engines show considerable verve, the chassis does not. Competent and stable it may be, but the Corsa is geared towards comfort, and so it lacks real agility and keenness.
The exception among the mostly good petrol engines is the 1.0-litre, three-cylinder. Though characterful, it's only slightly quicker than walking. The 1.0 ECO with Easytronic gearbox may squeeze a few more miles out of every gallon (57mpg), but it's even more lethargic. Given the ECO's higher price, too, you might as well buy the 1.3 TD. The 1.2-litre, 75bhp petrol is considerably better, smoother and more mature, while the 1.4 is probably the best all-rounder, with 90bhp. Then there's the quite gruff and not-all-that-brisk 1.8, which powers the SRi.
Earlier models in this generation of Corsa had a 1.7 normally aspirated diesel, but this was replaced by a 1.3-litre turbodiesel at the car's facelift in autumn 2003. The 1.3-litre TD is quiet, smooth and, for its capacity, surprisingly perky, with 69bhp, while returning some 63mpg. It's the pick of the range.
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