Vauxhall Corsa VXR Arctic White Car Review
Model tested: Vauxhall Corsa VXR Arctic White
Price as tested: £17,790
Insurance group as tested: 16
CO2 emissions as tested: 190g/km
Company car tax %: 26%
EuroNCAP result: *****
Date and place tested: April 23, West Sussex
Road tester: Andy Goodwin
If the standard Vauxhall Corsa VXR is thought of as a Chicken Balti, the Thorney Motorsport tuned VXR-R is a Vindaloo and this Arctic White limited edition is somewhere in between – possibly a Madras.
It’s fitted with go-faster equipment and should be even more fun to drive than the standard car. We tested it to see if it suited our palette or made us cry.
When the Corsa VX-R went on sale in 2006 it seemed amazing a front-wheel drive supermini could be endowed with a massive 189bhp.
Out on the road the turbocharged 1.6-litre engine certainly dominated proceedings and we concluded it was a ‘real fireball’.
The modifications to this limited run of 500 cars give the Arctic White an even bolder character.
Like Susan Boyle performing on Britain’s Got Talent, the bellow from this supermini’s pipes comes as a complete surprise to bystanders.
Not for the shy or retiring, the Remus exhaust has been tuned by Triple Eight Racing, the outfit responsible for Vauxhall’s racing cars.
The sound is at odds with the small size of the car itself, and raises the power to a similarly impressive 204bhp. The only supermini with more power is the Mini John Cooper Works, which costs almost £3k more.
Whitening
Black and white is a great colour combination, which suits the Clio Renaultsport 197 Cup down to the ground. It also looks great here, on this special edition Corsa Arctic with its glossy black wheels, matching black wing mirrors and a dark tinted glass roof.
Inside, it’s still easy to get comfortable and tightly gripped in place by the Recaro bucket seats.
The interior has aged slightly now the new Fiesta has been launched, but ergonomics and quality are good, especially compared with Corsa’s of old.
Handling is sharp and tidy, and the steering is incredibly direct, requiring only small inputs from the driver.
The suspension isn’t too stiff, allowing the car to lean slightly in bends and soak up mid-corner bumps.
Hot hatches like the Vauxhall Corsa VXR Arctic Edition appeal to a select group, and the go-faster additions to this model should go down as smoothly as a Mr Whippy with the hot hatch target audience.
Video: Fan of hot hatches then? Check out this footage of the new Daddy, the Ford Focus RS
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