The Opel Corsa was once a serious sales rival to the likes of Polo but in recent times, the Opel brand has not had as much recognition from the Mzansi buyers. After its most recent facelift, we tested its local top spec GSI to find out if Mzansi is missing out.
The front hasn't changed much with the facelift getting a black plastic cover linking the grille with the LED lights. Even though more noticeable when compared to the previous model, one does feel Opel Mzansi missed the point when they didn't include the bigger and more stylish alloys as seen on overseas GSI models. If one looks at the Polo R-Line and Hyundai N-Line, it does feel like the GSI could have done better.
The twin exhaust hint at the sporty nature of the GSI with the two tone (black roof) getting some positive comments from onlookers.
Overall the Opel Corsa changes did get attention but whether its enough to steal sales away from the likes of Polo R-Line and N-Line i20, I don't think the Corsa has done enough.
The interior layout felt well put together with soft touches in places where occupants touch giving the Corsa a premium feel. The 10inch touchscreen tends to reflect light which makes driving and making adjustment a bit of a challenge. The GSI does come with a standard wireless mobile charger, something thats a boon in today's smartphone world. It does suffer from a reluctant to connect system though (Bluetooth and Apple CarPlay) something which happened a couple of time whilst on a call.
The seats are nice and supportive and comfortable however occupants at the back complained of claustrophobia. The limited leg room didn't happen matters either when one compares to rivals (Polo & i20).
The one area where the Opel is ahead of its rivals is in the performance stakes. The 1.2 litre 3-cylinder Turbo engine credited with 96kW linked to a 6 speed auto gives brisk performance when pushed. One interesting omission is the lack of drive modes (Eco, Sport) which would have helped the rather high fuel consumption we achieved during the test at 9.8l/100km. The ride is comfortable and when pushed, the handling proved neutral but not exactly sporty (maybe larger alloys would have helped).
At R 459,900, the Corsa GSI Auto does come with a five-year/100,000 km warranty, and a three-year/45,000 km service plan as standard for peace of mind. The limited dealer network when compared to VW and Hyundai might be a negative for some buyers placed out of Metro and city areas. So to answer the question we hinted at the beginning, Yes Mzansi hatch buyers are missing a good alternative when considering other rivals but I do feel Opel hasn't done enough to take sales from its direct rivals.