Is Vauxhall's hot Corsa VXR enough?

Click here for more pictures of the Vauxhall Corsa VXR

Auto Trader Ten Point Test rating: 83%

Vauxhall is presenting its VXR brand as the solution for thrill-seeking petrolheads, and the latest edition, the Corsa completes the six-model line-up.

The standard Corsa is a very good car and excellent value for money, so with a beefy bodykit and a potent engine the VXR is shaping up to be great fun.

But with so many talented rivals, can Vauxhall's smoking supermini cut it?

Looks | Looks Inside | Practicality | Ride and Handling | Performance
Running Costs | Reliability | Safety | Equipment | X-Factor | Rivals | Gallery

1. Looks

Some say the Corsa VXR's bulky bodykit is over the top, but hot hatches are about standing out from the crowd as much as being fun to drive. It's available in a range of bold colours, including its trademark red – and the fantastic electric blue our test car was finished in. The VXR wears unique front and rear bumpers, side skirts, honeycombe grille and roof spoiler. But the real stars of the show are the wing mirrors which sit on two stalks and a huge rear 'diffuser' on the rear bumper which houses a centrally-mounted exhaust. Our test car came with the standard 17-inch 'Y-Design' alloys, although a subtly different 18-inch set are available as an option.

8/10

2. Looks inside

The interior is fundamentally a spruced-up version of the standard cars', although it does feature a pair of fantastically supportive half-leather Recaro seats. They are capable of pinning the occupants in under even the most extreme cornering, and proved very comfortable as well. VXR logos appear on the gearknob, dials and on the flat-bottomed steering wheel, while the pedals have alloy covers. The centre console is shiny black plastic, and although looking suitably 'Max Power', reminded some roadtesters of a cheap home stereo system. The dials always remain illuminated, while the knobs for the stereo, lights and air-con, and the window switches are attractively finished in translucent, illuminated plastic.

8/10

3. Practicality

For such a small car, the Corsa offers a decent amount of space – more than any previous model. There's plenty of leg, head and shoulder room in the front, and enough space in the rear for all but the tallest passengers. The floor lifts out and can be stored in the compartment it covers to reveal an additional 135 litres raising the total storage under the parcel shelf to 285 litres. The rear seats split and fold, increasing capacity to 700 litres (to window level) or 1,100 if loaded to the roof.

8/10

4. Ride and Handling

The Corsa VXR is fantastic fun on the move, with responsive steering reacting to the tiniest of inputs. Only two things go against the Corsa – slightly too much bodyroll and too much torque steer (that's when the steering wants to pull to one side under hard acceleration). While the later is perfect for the car's hooligan demeanour, and becomes quite endearing, the former means the ride quality is excellent for a hot hatch.

9/10

5. Performance

This is a Corsa which will hit 140mph and reach 62mph from rest in 6.8 seconds – a real fireball. That's because it has a turbocharged 1.6-litre engine under the bonnet, which produces 189bhp and a clever 'overboost' function which spins the turbo harder for short periods to add to VXR's blistering overtaking potential. The power is channelled to the front wheels via a slick six-speed, close ratio gearbox.

10/10

6. Running Costs

At more than £15,500, the VXR is one costly Corsa, but it's priced to do battle with the Mini Cooper S and Renault Clio 197. And insurance, although average for a hot hatch, is an expensive group 16. Vauxhall give an official average fuel consumption figure of 35.8mpg, which isn't too bad considering the power available on tap. Emissions of 190g/km of CO2 place it in tax Band F, which currently costs £205 per year.

7/10

7. Reliability

The Corsa has been around for a little while now, so any niggles should have been ironed out, and there's no anecdotal evidence of common problems. The only point of concern should be around crash damage on used examples.

8/10

8. Safety

With its full five-star rating in the EuroNCAP crash tests, the Corsa range is a safe one. The VXR model – like many others in the range – has driver, passenger, front side and curtain airbags and ISOFIX child seat anchor points. It also comes with ABS, electronic stability programme (ESP) with brake assist, traction control, hill start assistance and a tyre deflation system.

9/10

9. Equipment

The Corsa VXR is so well equipped, few buyers need to dip into the options list, unless sat-nav is one of their 'must-haves'. The VXR boasts its bodykit, alloys, sports suspension, bigger-than-usual brakes, electrically-heated wing mirrors (which sadly don't fold), cruise control, a trip computer, MP3-compatible CD player, air-con and even a chrome-lipped ashtray.

8/10

10. X-Factor

Other hot hatches might handle better on paper, and purests could describe a Corsa VXR at speed as rough around the edges, but it never fails to entertain. It looks like a hot hatch should, with its brash bodykit, and works wonders for Vauxhall's intoxicating VXR brand. Only the Clio 197 looms large in its mirrors.

8/10

Rivals

You might also want to consider:
Suzuki Swift Sport
Mini Cooper
Seat Leon Cupra
Peugeot 207 GT
Fiat Grande Punto Sporting

Compare the best prices of a Used Vauxhall Corsa VXR Car with Auto Trader

• Used VAUXHALL Car
• Used VAUXHALL CORSA 1.6 VXR
• Used VAUXHALL CORSA HATCHBACK (2006 - ) 1.6T 16V VXR 3DR