Opel / Vauxhall Corsa gains More Powerful and Fuel Efficient Engines and Chassis Improvements

General Motors’ European division Opel and its sister company Vauxhall have revealed the revised 2010 Corsa that’s scheduled to go on sale in mainland Europe early next year and in the UK, from April. If you’re looking at the photos to discover what’s new about the 2010 Corsa, you’d better stop because Opel/Vauxhall didn’t change a thing on the vehicle’s exterior and interior design. Instead, the firm’s engineers focused on improving the subcompact hatch’s powertrains and handling characteristics.

The company claims the it has managed to reduce average consumption by 13.2 per cent across the range (excluding the OPC / VXR model) with 5 out of 6 engines emitting less than 125g/km.

The most fuel efficient model of the range is the new 1.3 CDTI 95HP diesel ecoFLEX model, which achieves 76.3mpg UK (63.5mpg US or 3.7lt /100km) on the combined cycle and 88.3mpg (73.5mpg US or 3.2lt /100km) on the extra urban cycle).

The diesel range also comprises of a 75HP version of the same 1.3 CDTi that emits 114g/km of CO2, and a more powerful 1.7 CDTi which now produces 130HP, yet drops 12g/km in CO2 emissions.

The tweaked 1.0-litre petrol engine gains an additional 5HP for a total of 65HP while CO2 emissions drop to 117g/km. The 1.2-litre petrol also gets a 5HP boost to 85HP while the 1.4-litre petrol now produces 100HP instead of 90HP and returns 51.4mpg (42.8mpg US or 5.4lt /100km), up from the current model’s 46.3mpg.

In addition, most models in the range get a new eco gearshift indicator housed within the instrument cluster.

Complementing the powertrain upgrades is a revised chassis with new set-ups for the steering and suspension systems.

The automaker’s engineers added softer springs in the front suspension, mated to an anti-roll bar with new bushes and an increased diameter to improve ride and control characteristics. Furthermore, the 2010 Corsa also gets revised damper settings all round, an optional re-tuned ESP system and enhanced steering geometry.

As far as the Vauxhall-badged version of the Corsa is concerned, the new model gains additional standard features such as cruise control and an on-board computer on the SE, SXi and SRi trim levels while the SRi, which starts at a lower price point, gets revised suspension settings, air conditioning, 17-inch five-spoke alloy wheels, and a VXR styling kit fitted as standard.

On-the-road prices for the 2010 Corsa in the UK start from £10,285 for the 1.0-liter 65HP ecoFLEX model and top off at £17,155 for the sporty 1.6-liter Turbo VXR.