2013 Opel Corsa Reviews

June 30 is D-Day. The end of the financial year is the best time to buy a new car because there are always special deals in showrooms. As carmakers and dealers aim to clear their outdated stock, Toyota uses a June push to cement its showroom leadership. Some of the special deals are on cars that have done demonstrator duty, or were built in 2012, or are just not selling as well as expected. So they're not the tastiest fruit in the bowl.But there is great buying across the board as demand for new cars fuels one of the longest growth periods in motoring. The bottom line is that you can save money -- and lots of it. So here's a look at the June sales, with Carsguide's assessment of the best deals on wheels.CITROENThe new importer is pushing hard so the Aircross SUV starts at $31,990 drive-away front-wheel drive or $33,990 with AWD, a saving of $3800. There's $5000 off the C4 Seduction turbo diesel auto hatch at $25,990. Carsguide says: The Aircross isn't great, but the C4 discount is tasty.FORDThe death notice for the Falcon and Territory has not helped buyer confidence but a 2.9 per cent finance push on Fiesta and Focus still looks good. The superseded Kuga SUV from $31,990 drive-away is a $10,000 saving. You can save about $3000 on a 2012 Escape SUV from $27,990 drive-away.The Territory gets a $6500 tickle, the TX seven-seater at $38,490 drive-away (third-row seat usually costs $2500). The impressive Mondeo liftback starts at $29,990. Good buying on Falcons, thanks to the arrival of the VF Commodore, from $33,990 and better if you haggle.HOLDENAs the VF Commodore creates queues, the outgoing Z-Series starts at $34,990 with five years' warranty and roadside assist. That also applies to the SV6 at $35,990 and the Cruze SRi and SRi-V at $23,490 and $26,990. Last year's Barina CD hatches are $15,990 drive-away with a sunroof. The Colorado is $39,990. Hard to see past the excellent Cruze SRi.HONDAClipped prices and free on-roads. The City VTi sedan is $17,990 and the (slightly) more lavish VTi-L automatic version starts at $21,990. The bigger Civic sedan is being cleared from $21,990. Free auto on the Jazz VTi at $19,990. The Civic is worth a look at $2500 off.KIAFree on-roads, discounts and $1000 gift vouchers on many models. A five-door Rio S is about $3K off at $15,990 drive-away with a $500 gift card; the three-door Rio is $14,990 and the five-door Si is $18,990. Runout Cerato TD sedans start at $17,990 for the S, saving about $5000, the Si sedan is $23,990 and hatch at $17,990. All get a $1000 gift card. Cerato SLi and SLS have drive-away pricing but miss the gift card. All Optimas have free on-roads. A 2012-build Optima Platinum is $37,990, saving about $4000 with a $1000 gift card. Most Sportage SUVs include on-roads and a $1000 gift card. Carnival and superseded Rondo pricing is drive-away. The Sportage diesel and Optima are top-notch.MITSUBISHIThe manual Lancer gets an old-school value pack on the Special Action Model for $19,990 drive-away. The Mirage is $12,990 drive-away for the ES manual, with a $500 cash-back that also applies to the auto.Driveaway prices also for the compact ASX at $24,990 for the 2WD manual, the Outlander LS 2WD auto at $29,990, Pajero GLX-R auto at $54,990 or $59,990 for VRX. Both come plus $3000 cash-back, saving about $6000.The Triton ute is now tackling Great Wall from China at $19,990 drive-away for a GL single-cab 2WD with alloy tray, or add luxury for a GLX dual-cab 4WD diesel at $31,990 drive-away with $2000 cash-back, saving about $14,000. The utes look good at those prices.NISSANA 2.9 per cent finance package, with agreed value after three years, makes the Pulsar ST sedan look good at $49 a week or $19,990 drive-away. The X-Trail ST 2WD petrol manual cops a $4000 reduction to $25,990 drive-away, while the Navara RX 4WD dual-cab manual is cheaper than ever with a $9500 cut to $30,990 drive-away. The Pulsar sedan deal is attractive.OPELThere are drive-away deals across the range. The basic Corsa is down by about $2500 to $16,990 drive-away, the Astra is from $22,990 drive-away for the 1.4-litre turbo petrol hatch with three years of free servicing, saving about $5500. The top-line Insignia sedan is from $39,990 drive-away with heated leather seats. The Astra is easily best of this breed.PEUGEOTFree on-roads at Peugeot on most models but not the cool new 208. The 4008 SUV cops a $1500 saving from $29,990 drive-away and there are deals on the outgoing 4007. Nothing to see here.RENAULTA Koleos from $26,990 drive-away looks even better with interest-free finance. The Megane hatch is from $22,990 drive-away with finance pegged at 1.9 per cent. The slow-selling Fluence and Latitude sedans are available with 2.9 per cent finance. The Megane CC convertible goes from $43,990 including on-roads. The sporty Clio RS is from $34,990 drive-away and the hotrod Megane RS has 2.9 per cent finance.Commercial deals start with the short-wheelbase Kangoo petrol manual with dual sliding doors from $20,990 drive-away, moving up to the Trafic short-wheelbase manual for $29,990 and the long-wheelbase manual for $32,990, while the Master large van starts from $46,990 drive-away. There's a five-year/200,000km warranty on all light commercials ordered in June. Hard to argue against a $3000 bonus on the Koleos but stocks are tight.SUBARUDrive-away pricing -- for savings of $3000 to $4000 -- is the bait, with Impreza pricing from $23,990 (excluding the WRX, of course). The Tribeca from $54,990 now includes on-roads but you need to visit a dealer to get the full story. Nothing outstanding.SUZUKIThe front-drive SX4 gets a Navigator pack with voice-controlled 6.6-inch satnav with Bluetooth for $19,990 drive-away for the manual and $21,990 auto. That also applies to the 2WD auto Grand Vitara at $29,990 drive-away, including reversing camera and satnav with Bluetooth. The Alto GL manual also gets satnav for $11,990 drive-away for the manual, with the Swift GL manual at $17,490 drive-away including cruise control and Bluetooth. The Grand Vitara is a polished piece.TOYOTAThere's 2.9 per cent finance on Aurion and Camry with the Camry Altise looking best at $29,990 drive-away. Other drive-away deals include $15,990 for the Yaris YR five-door, $21,490 for the Corolla Ascent automatic, $39,990 for the Kluger KX-R 2WD five-seater, $60,990 for the Prado GXL turbo diesel auto and $39,990 for the HiLux SR 4WD dual-cab ute. The right time for the cabbies' new favourite, the frugal hybrid Camry.VOLKSWAGENDrive-away pricing on passenger cars and zero finance on commercials. The Polo is $16,990 on-road, the Jetta is down to $25,990 and the Passat $36,690. The Polo is Carsguide's 2010 COTY.VOLVOFuel and servicing for three years or 60,000km plus roadside assistance. There are conditions -- with a pre-paid BP card based on 15,000km a year and $1.50 a-litre pricing -- and the latest V40 hatch is excluded. Clever twist on bargaining but a pity it doesn't apply to the V40.Paul Gover's 10 COMMANDMENTSYou must still do your homework. You must still check the fine print. You must still be prepared to haggle and compromise.But do it right, crunching the numbers and running right to the dealer's deadline, and you can drive away in something special at a special price.The starting point is all the deals, from sticker specials to cheap finance and steak knife-style free extras, being offered by most of the 60-plus brands in showrooms today.If something you want is on special, go for it. But check that the car was built in 2013, and is not a geriatric old-timer from 2012, and ensure your target is exactly what you want - not a stripped-out stocker, perhaps missing an automatic gearbox - that will cost thousands to get the way you want it.Once you lock down a target, don't think the advertised special is the end of the deal. You also need to negotiate for a better price on delivery and on-road costs, and avoid the trap of buying over-priced extras such as paint and upholstery protection, window tinting and extra-long warranties.No-one can expect to go into the ring with a showroom professional and expect to win, because buyers only get a new car occasionally and sales staff are dealing every day. But, by concentrating on the real bottom line - the changeover price - and being prepared to compromise, you can come out ahead.The best tips are the simplest. Run as close as you can to June 30 to sign the deal and get the car, because dealers are all aiming for targets that can mean tens of thousands in bonus money from headquarters. Also be prepared to take a car they have in stock, even if it's not your favourite colour, because dealers are aiming to clear everything they have on the lot.And have your finance in place before you arrive, especially if you're taking up a special deal, because that makes things quicker and you'll also be spared any hassle and potential extra costs.Watch out for 2012 cars because the warranty clock has already been running, don't forget that a big discount today will also mean less at changeover time, and remember that a demonstrator car could have had a hard life already. 

The recent emergence of Opel in the Australian car market makes for interesting times for small car buyers. The car once sold here as the Holden Barina is back, this time carrying its original name of Opel Corsa.Opel, a division of General Motors since the 1930s, hopes to gain an image that’s European, thereby pushing itself further upmarket than the Asian produced small cars.Made in Germany and Spain, the Opel Corsa offers buyers the chance to own a sporty looking hatch - albeit with less-than-sporty performance. However, it’s a chance to own a European compact hatch at a competitive price.VALUEThere are three variants – Opel Corsa, Corsa Colour Edition and Corsa Enjoy; bright and breezy names to give it a different place in the overall scheme of small cars.Prices start at $16,490 for the Corsa three-door manual and top out at $20,990, plus on-roads, for the Enjoy five-door automatic. Our test car was the latter with manual transmission, which sells for $18,990.The Colour Edition comes standard with a black painted roof, 16-inch alloy wheels and is available in range of bright exterior colours, which are carried through to the interior where the colours and instrument panel patterns create a two-tone effect. A seven-speaker audio can be controlled via steering wheel-mounted controls, while USB connectivity has just been added to Bluetooth with voice recognition plus auxiliary input.Added appeal comes from Opel Service Plus, with the Corsa costing a reasonable $249 for standard scheduled services in the first three years of ownership. Also available is Opel Assist Plus, an Australia-wide 24-hour roadside assistance program for the first three years from registration.TECHNOLOGYThere is a choice of either five-speed manual or four-speed automatic transmissions. No choice with the engine, though, just a 1.4-litre producing 74 kW of power at 6000 rpm and 130 Nm of torque at 4000 revs.  DESIGNThe Australian Corsa has been the subject of serious design upgrades recently in a move to give the hatchback more road presence. The lower of the double radiator grilles is expanded, giving width to the front of the car. The Opel Blitz (lightning) badge is incorporated in a sculpted chromed bar, adding to the assured appearance.The Corsa joins the rest of the Opel range by incorporating wing-shaped daylight running lights in the headlamps. Fog lamp units with integrated chrome blade complete the assertive character of the car.Black plastic surroundings and dark material seat coverings give the interior a utilitarian look, the only contrast being a matt silver centre stack panel. Analogue instruments are clear and simple to read, while audio, fuel, air-con and other information is displayed on a screen centrally located on the dashboard.With room for up to five occupants, shoulder space with three in the back is not the best and not up to the legroom, which is ample for the average-sized person. With power front windows only, the folk out back are left to twiddle the window winders by hand.At 285 litres with the rear seats up, cargo space is at a premium. However, fold the backs down and there’s 700 litres and up to a maximum of 1100 litres to take bulky items.SAFETYThanks to a rigid passenger cell with computer-modelled deformation zones and high strength steel sections in the doors, Euro NCAP awarded the Corsa the top rating of five stars for passenger safety.Restraints include two-stage front airbags, dual side airbags and dual curtain airbags. Opel’s patented Pedal Release System and front active headrests are standard throughout the Corsa range.DRIVINGWhile Corsa sets out to put on a sporty face, the performance falls short. Best kept in the upper rev range, the five-speed manual transmission calls out for the extra cog. A six-speed manual would make the car a much livelier, more appealing driving proposition.With a zero-to-100 km/h saunter taking 11.9 seconds, the five-speed manual test vehicle made its way through heavy traffic consuming more than eight litres of fuel per hundred kilometres, while stretching its legs on the highway the Corsa cut an economic dash at six litres per 100km.VERDICTNeat styling gives the Euro Opel Corsa a head up in the affordable car stakes. Anyone wanting more performance from an Opel Corsa – a lot more performance – can opt for the recently introduced Corsa OPC, the acronym standing for Opel Performance Center, which is to Opel models what HSV is to Holden.Opel CorsaPrice: from $18,990 (manual) and $20,990 (auto)Warranty: Three years/100,000kmResale: N/AEngine: 1.4-litre four cylinder, 74kW/130NmTransmission: Five-speed manual, four-speed auto; FWDSafety: Six airbags, ABS, ESC, TCCrash rating: Five starsBody: 3999mm (L), 1944mm (W), 1488mm (H)Weight: 1092kg (manual) 1077kg (auto)Thirst: 5.8L/100km, 136g/km CO2 (manual; 6.3L/100m 145g/km CO2 (auto)

Opel Corsa. To the average person in the street it’s just another new brand and model adding to the vast choice of cars available to Aussie car buyers.But, as car enthusiasts will already know, Opel is not only one of the world’s oldest carmakers, but has effectively been sold in Australia for more than 30 years disguised behind our best know brand, Holden. Corsa was sold between 1994 and 2005 as the Holden Barina, arguably our best-known small car nameplate.Holden’s decision to source most of its small to medium vehicles from GM Korea (formerly Daewoo) has opened up the opportunity for Opel to sell cars here in its own right. As well as the Corsa it released the small-medium Astra and the medium Insignia sedan.Though Opel’s corporate headquarters is located within Holden’s Melbourne head office, Opel is keen to sell itself as a semi-prestige Euro brand. To this end it has adopted a similar approach to Audi and Volkswagen by using a German slogan, “Wir Leben Autos” (We Love Cars).VALUEThe current Opel Corsa is the next generation on from the Corsa / Barina that was removed from the Australian market in 2005. It’s been around since 2006 albeit with regular facelifts to keep it up to date, with the next generation model not due until 2014.Price and looks are the two biggest factors in the youth-dominated small hatch market and Corsa’s styling is neat and contemporary with wide headlamps and grille, dipping roofline and a wide, square stance.While it doesn’t stand out from its crowd of competitors in appearance it does stand out in terms of price, but for the wrong reasons - it’s between $2000 and $3000 dearer than its main rivals.Opel has targeted Volkswagen as its main competitor and the 1.4-litre Polo sells for $2000 less than the Corsa.Although Opel Corsa is available as a three-door hatch ($16,990 with manual transmission) most buyers are now looking for the convenience of rear doors. The manual Opel Enjoy 1.4-litre five-door is priced at $18,990, three grand more than the South Korean sourced 1.6-litre Barina CD manual.There are three variants, the entry-level three-door model just called Corsa, three-door Corsa Colour Edition and the five-door Corsa Enjoy.Corsa comes well-equipped with all models getting six airbags, electronic stability control, daytime running lights, rear foglamp, Bluetooth connectivity (phone only, but with voice control), USB and auxiliary sockets and steering wheel mounted audio controls.There’s a $750 Sport Pack that increases the alloy wheels to 17 inches and in gloss black and lowered suspension.The dressed-up Colour Edition variant adds front foglamps, body-coloured door handles, gloss black painted roof and exterior mirror housing, sports alloy pedals, an extended colour range together with 16-inch alloy wheels (the standard Corsa has 15-inch steels). As well as the extra two doors the Corsa Enjoy gets leather-bound steering wheel, front foglamps, FlexFloor removable boot floor that provides secure storage below the floor.The latter test car was an automatic five-door Corsa Enjoy, likely to be the biggest seller although with the optional $1250 Technology Package included it’s going to cost around $25,000 to drive it away from the showroom.TECHNOLOGYAll are powered by a naturally-aspirated 1.4-litre 74 kW / 130 Nm petrol engine mated to a five-speed manual, with four-speed automatic transmission in the Colour Edition and Enjoy only.DESIGNThere’s good interior space with no headroom problems and a pair of adults can fit with reasonable comfort in the rear seats. The seats are firm and supportive with side bolsters that were a bit too tight for the wider buttocked road tester, but will be ideal for its typical (20-something) buyer.The boot takes up to 285 litres with the rear seatbacks (split 60/40) upright, extending to 700 litres when they’re folded.DRIVINGWe’ve been able to test drive Corsa on a variety of conditions, initially on the rural-based press launch program and more recently in more relevant urban conditions during our week-long extended test.Corsa is nicely balanced with safe and predictable handling. There’s a semi-sporting feel to the steering and the ride is surprisingly comfortable for such a small car. We were impressed by how well the suspension reacted to several unexpected potholes reflecting the car’s European background.The 1.4-litre engine is capable enough in the suburban environment and on the freeway but struggled in hilly conditions where we often had to use the manual override to drop down to lower gears. We’d certainly recommend a manual gearbox if you live in hilly terrain as this will overcome the inherent power losses of an automatic.VERDICTIt’s too early to tell if GM’s Australian Opel experiment, especially its pricing structure, will be successful but sales in the first three months have been modest to say the least. This could be from the normal hesitancy of buyers in accepting a ‘new’ brand or it could be because of that ‘Euro surcharge’.Opel CorsaPrice: from $18,990 (manual) and $20,990 (auto)Warranty: Three years/100,000kmResale: N/AEngine: 1.4-litre four cylinder, 74kW/130NmTransmission: Five-speed manual, four-speed auto; FWDSafety: Six airbags, ABS, ESC, TCCrash rating: Five starsBody: 3999mm (L), 1944mm (W), 1488mm (H)Weight: 1092kg (manual) 1077kg (auto)Thirst: 5.8L/100km, 136g/km CO2 (manual; 6.3L/100m 145g/km CO2 (auto)

Opel is pitching itself as a "premium" brand, but you don't have to be very old to remember earlier Opel products sold here as 'garden variety' Holdens; Barina and Astra. So what changed between then and now. Not much really if you look at the Opel Corsa.PREMIUM?We got hold of a Corsa Enjoy five door auto last week and it's pretty much like all the other cars in the segment, a little behind the times in some areas, a bit bigger in some areas, a little different. Premium? We think not. Our car had wind up rear windows, something we thought had been consigned into car history. It misses out on a centre console arm rest, has an overwhelmingly hard plastic dash and a four-speed auto.VALUEThe Enjoy model brings with it plenty of kit including climate control, trip computer, piano black dash trim, steering wheel controls, cruise, keyless entry, seven speaker audio and other goodies.Our car had the $2000 tech pack that included adaptive headlights, rear park assist, auto dim rear view mirror and auto lights and wipers all what you'd consider premium features. The striking light blue metallic paint costs an extra $600 on the Enjoy auto's ticket price of $20,990.TECHNOLOGYThe Corsa’s engine is a twin cam 1.4-litre petrol four cylinder with variable valve timing lifted from the Cruze (without the turbo) Barina and other GM products and is good for 74kW/130Nm. The best fuel economy we saw was 7.4-litres/100km. It passes Euro 5 emissions regulations.DESIGNIt looks cheeky with a pert rear end and eagle-eye headlights -- in this case fitted with the optional adaptive see-around-corners system. The interior is roomy for the light class and there's a decent load space with a cunning two-tier floor for hiding stuff. The seats were comfortable with some side bolster support for fast cornering and the handling itself isn't too bad to a point.SAFETYIt gets a five star crash rating with six air bags and stability control among safety features.DRIVINGInitial steering turn-in is sharp with a sporty feel but push harder and the Corsa struggles. It loads up the front outside wheel and lifts the inside rear so the limits are clearly defined. Ride comfort is good from the strut front and torsion beam suspension but the rear drum brakes were a bit of a shock.We found the four-speed auto annoying particularly on highway uphills where it hunts from third to fourth to maintain a given speed. Performance can best be described as adequate. It might be different in the manual. We drove the Corsa for about 600km on the highway and urban roads and found it pleasant enough. The ride is comfortable but the trip computer and other electronic controls such as the air conditioning are difficult to master. It has a space saver spare.VERDICTCorsa is in against a swag of really good light cars: Ford's Fiesta, Holden Barina, Hyundai Accent and the Kia Rio to name a few. Against competition such as this, the more than four-year-old Corsa struggles a bit.Opel CorsaPrice: from $18,990 (manual) and $20,990 (auto)Warranty: Three years/100,000kmResale: N/AEngine: 1.4-litre four cylinder, 74kW/130NmTransmission: Five-speed manual, four-speed auto; FWDSafety: Six airbags, ABS, ESC, TCCrash rating: Five starsBody: 3999mm (L), 1944mm (W), 1488mm (H)Weight: 1092kg (manual) 1077kg (auto)Thirst: 5.8L/100km, 136g/km CO2 (manual; 6.3L/100m 145g/km CO2 (auto)