Item: Vauxhall Corsa VXR
Rating: 2
Author: What Car? Team

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Vauxhall Corsa VXR

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Introduction

Performance & drive

Interior

Passenger & boot space

Costs & verdict

Although the Corsa VXR has a similar list price to its chief rivals such as the Fiesta ST and Renault Clio RS, that’s not relevant to most people: cars such as these tend to be bought on finance. And PCP rates for the Corsa VXR aren’t great, so you’ll end up paying considerably more per month than you would even for a top-spec Fiesta ST3.

Resale values aren’t quite as strong as some of its rivals, either, and servicing costs over three years are around double that of a Fiesta ST.

It’s also one of the least efficient small hot hatches, so be prepared to spend more at the pumps putting petrol in it, and paying more in benefit-in-kind tax if you’re thinking about running one as a company car.

You do get a reasonable amount of equipment, though. On the inside this includes Recaro sports seats, a heated windscreen, cruise control, air-conditioning and the 7.0in touchscreen to operate the DAB radio, Blutooth and smartphone-mirroring functions. Outside, the VXR treatment adds more aggressive bumpers, 17in alloy wheels, a roof spoiler, twin exhaust tailpipes and xenon headlights.

Safety-wise, the VXR is a five-star-rated car in a crash according to EuroNCAP, and comes with six airbags, tyre-pressure monitoring, traction control and hill-start assist (so you don’t need to use the handbrake to stop rolling backwards on a hill). The optional VXR Technical Pack is pricey, but worth considering for the added safety of forward collision alert, lane-departure warning, traffic sign recognition and automatic main beams. It also includes front and rear parking sensors and a rear-view camera as well.

Security expert Thatcham awarded the Corsa VXR four stars out of a possible five for resisting theft, and three out of five for resistance to being broken into.

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Hmm, well, if great driving dynamics are the key to a great hot hatch, we’re afraid someone must have dropped the key down a drain with the Corsa VXR. Pace is fine; it’s reasonably quick and delivers similar outright performance to chief rivals such as the Ford Fiesta ST and Renault Clio RS, even if the 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol up front is a little flatter low down. It makes up for that by building strongly and delivering a good burst of acceleration at mid to high revs, though.

But it sounds so coarse and unexciting. Hot hatches should have a rorty bark to their exhaust note and sound sweet to rev, because that’s part of what makes them fun. The Fiesta ST does and the Clio RS, too, whereas the VXR is at best dull, and at worst, coarse and irritating.

This isn’t the only thing that doesn’t gel. Take the control weights for example. The gearbox is notchy, the clutch biting point is too high and rather woolly, and the brake pedal a little too soft – although the brakes are still jolly effective. Meanwhile, the steering’s lightness at town speeds is good for parking, but when you pick up the pace and want more feedback it doesn’t weight up like the Fiesta ST’s, so where the ST communicates exactly what the front wheels are up to, the vague helm in the VXR leaves you constantly making little corrections through bends to keep to your line.

It’s no surprise that the stiffened-up suspension of a hot hatch affects the ride, so you need to accept being bounced around more over lumpy roads; this is the case in the VXR, and is certainly true also of the Fiesta ST and Clio RS. But whereas those cars, in particular the Fiesta, compensate with pin-sharp handling responses that make you grin like you’ve won the lottery, the Corsa VXR doesn’t. There’s way too much body lean for a sports model, and it shimmies and bucks over mid-bend bumps that the Fiesta sails over without you noticing. On the way out of tight corners it also struggles to put down its power cleanly, too, generating a lot more wheel spin as a result.

Road and wind noise are a little worse than in the Fiesta, too, but to be fair, none of the VXR’s rivals are especially relaxing motorway cruisers.

It’s worth mentioning the VXR Performance Pack, but only to advise ignoring it. It costs a small fortune and although you get bigger brakes, a limited-slip differential, bigger 18in wheels and revised suspension dampers, none of it improves the VXR significantly.

What makes a great hatchback isn’t necessarily what makes a great hot hatch. Take the Vauxhall Corsa VXR for example: yes, we’re interested in how spacious it is, how much it costs to own and what toys you get etc. But the reason we buy hot hatches over their more mundane siblings is for the pure, hedonistic thrill of driving them.

In our view, as long as those basic attributes are in place - that is to say you can fit in it okay and it’s not vastly more expensive to run than its rivals - we tend to place the emphasis on how well it drives: the engine’s performance and sound, the feel from the steering, how well it corners and, of course, how well it stops.

<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5pEM8Tsx2Ng"></iframe>

So how well does the Corsa VXR drive, relative to similar pocket rockets such as the superb <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/ford/fiesta/hatchback/review/n140">Ford Fiesta ST</a> and <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/renault/clio/hatchback/review/n97">Renault Clio RS 200</a>? Read on and we'll tell you, as well as telling you how easy the VXR is to live with day to day.

Although most people will be able to get comfortable in the Corsa VXR, not everyone will. If you’re tall, for example, the driver’s seat doesn’t slide back as far as it does in a Fiesta ST, leaving you short on leg room, and while the steering wheel moves in and out as well as up and down, again, the range of movement rearwards isn’t as good as in some rivals. There’s no footrest for your left leg, either. You do get height adjustment as standard, and the VXR’s sports seats are figure hugging but still comfortable on a long journey.

The rest of the dashboard is easy to use, though, with clear dials and a simple layout for the major controls, such as the heater.

Visibility is about par for the course. The thick, steeply angled windscreen pillars can block your vision through a tight corner, while the chunky rear pillars are similarly obstructive when reversing, but you won’t find the Fiesta ST or Renault Clio RS distinctly better. Front and rear parking sensors, and a reversing camera, are available as options to help out.

The VXR does have a better infotainment system than both those rivals. Vauxhall calls it its Intellilink system, and it comes with a 7.0in colour touchscreen as well as a DAB radio, Bluetooth and a USB port. Where it really trumps the Fiesta’s and Clio’s antiquated systems is the standard Apple CarPlay or Android Auto function, so you can use your smartphone’s apps through the touchscreen, including Google Maps to act as a sat-nav (there is no in-built sat-nav option).

The menus and the system’s responsiveness also make it easier to use than the Fiesta’s or the Renault’s, but even so, there are issues. The touch-sensitive control buttons underneath the screen, for example, are a bit fiddly to use on the move.

A variety of textured materials, including gloss-finish trim and cushioned rests on the front doors, make the VXR’s interior look and feel smart, and certainly much plusher than the Fiesta’s. One let down is that Vauxhall didn’t differentiate it more from regular Corsas, with a few more sporting flourishes to liven it up a bit.

Hatchback

Vauxhall has an incredibly diverse range of cars on sale, a few of which stand out above the class average. Add in the fact that it still offers some of the largest Target Price discounts in the market (something it is trying, without huge success, to cut back on), and there are very good reasons to consider buying one of its better models.

However, you need to choose carefully, because it is also a brand in transition. It has a newish parent company – the same one that owns Citroën, DS and Peugeot. And while Vauxhall’s newer models tend to be competitive, some of the others feel dated; a quick check of our star ratings will reveal which is which.

Still, given the recent success of sister brands Citroën and especially Peugeot, each new launch should make its range more appealing to buyers.

VAUXHALL

CORSA

The performance-focused Corsa gets the touchscreen infotainment system, plus Recaro sports seats that a particularly comfortable over long distances. The dashboard gets smart high-gloss trim, although the air-con controls are the same as those in other Corsas, and they feel a bit cheap for an expensive hot hatchback.,

The Vauxhall Corsa VXR looks the part, but to drive it’s so far behind the brilliance of its rivals that it’s best avoided

There’s lots of head room in the VXR, more than in the Fiesta for that matter and we wouldn’t call that lacking, but leg room isn’t quite so good. It’ll be fine for most people, but if you’ve got particularly long legs you might find yourself questioning why the driver’s seat doesn’t slide back a bit farther. Cabin width is relatively generous, though, so at least you won’t feel too hemmed against your passenger. Storage is also reasonable, with cup holders and large door bins that’ll fit a drinks bottle, but the glovebox is a bit titchy.

It’s a quite a squeeze getting in the back, because although the VXR’s sports seats slide forward the backrests don’t hinge forward very far. Annoyingly, after letting someone in or out of the rear the seats don’t slide back to their original position, so you have to reset your driving position. At least there’s a comparatively good amount of space in the back, with slightly more head room than a Fiesta and lots more than a Clio, although adults will find their knees pressed in to the front seatbacks.

The boot is slightly bigger than the average small car’s so will easily take a couple of weekend bags, although there’s a bit of a lip from the edge of the tailgate down to the boot floor to negotiate. If you want a bit more room, 60/40 split-folding rear seats come as standard, but when folded, there’s a sizeable step in the extended boot floor.

The Vauxhall Corsa VXR looks the part, but to drive it’s so far behind the brilliance of its rivals that it’s best avoided

<h2>What we're looking for:</h2><ul><li>Engaging handling </li> <li>Thrilling performance </li> <li>A characterful engine with an enticing soundtrack </li> <li>Reasonable running costs </li> <li>Not hard to live with day to day</li></ul>

A popular choice with UK buyers since the days of the original Volkswagen Golf GTI, the hot hatchback mixes everyday practicality with higher performance and the sort of handling and agility that’s ideally suited to British roads. A good hot hatch should be fun and, since it’s likely to be your daily drive, it should also deliver respectable running costs.

The Golf GTI remains one of the best hot hatches on the market, along with its main competitor,&nbsp;the&nbsp;equally as responsive and cheaper to buy Hyundai i30 N. But there are some terrific options for even less money than both of these cars. We're big fans of the Ford Fiesta ST, which is definitely one of the best hot hatches ever and certainly one of the most fun to drive. It's full of character and its engaging handling makes it a bit of a hoot at all speeds.&nbsp;

If you’ve got a bit more money to spare, there are even faster cars available, such as the Honda Civic Type R. This latest version is sublime to drive, either on road or on a track, as it's so sweetly balanced. It's also incredibly quick in a straight line&nbsp;and round a corner, and yet it's as practical as a regular Civic.&nbsp;

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Vauxhall Corsa VXR review

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Buying advice for the Vauxhall Corsa VXR covering running costs, MPG, Fuel Economy, Reliability and Safety, from the expert What Car? review team.

Although the Corsa VXR has a similar list price to its chief rivals such as the Fiesta ST and Renault Clio RS, that’s not relevant to most people: cars such as these tend to be bought on finance. And PCP rates for the Corsa VXR aren’t great, so you’ll end up paying considerably more per month than you would even for a top-spec Fiesta ST3.,Resale values aren’t quite as strong as some of its rivals, either, and servicing costs over three years are around double that of a Fiesta ST.,It’s also one of the least efficient small hot hatches, so be prepared to spend more at the pumps putting petrol in it, and paying more in benefit-in-kind tax if you’re thinking about running one as a company car.You do get a reasonable amount of equipment, though. On the inside this includes Recaro sports seats, a heated windscreen, cruise control, air-conditioning and the 7.0in touchscreen to operate the DAB radio, Blutooth and smartphone-mirroring functions. Outside, the VXR treatment adds more aggressive bumpers, 17in alloy wheels, a roof spoiler, twin exhaust tailpipes and xenon headlights.,Safety-wise, the VXR is a five-star-rated car in a crash according to EuroNCAP, and comes with six airbags, tyre-pressure monitoring, traction control and hill-start assist (so you don’t need to use the handbrake to stop rolling backwards on a hill). The optional VXR Technical Pack is pricey, but worth considering for the added safety of forward collision alert, lane-departure warning, traffic sign recognition and automatic main beams. It also includes front and rear parking sensors and a rear-view camera as well.,Security expert Thatcham awarded the Corsa VXR four stars out of a possible five for resisting theft, and three out of five for resistance to being broken into.For all the latest reviews, advice and new car deals, sign up to the What Car? newsletter here

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