Thursday 18th July 2013

Vauxhall Corsa VXR Nurburgring: Spotted

Overpriced new but now available with 100 miles for £17K, the VXR 'ring looks a hot hatch bargain

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Though everyone would love to buy cars purely on mechanical spec or expert reviews, price can seldom be ignored. But moreover, its influence on perceived value is significant too; what may look criminally cheap in a certain context could seem ludicrously expensive in the next.

'Discreet' and 'VXR' don't really go together

How many more BRZ/GT86s would be on the roads with a price nearer £20K? Will Peugeot regret pricing the 208 GTI significantly higher than the Fiesta ST? And is an M135i still a performance bargain when it's been specced-up to £37K?

Vauxhall asked a similar question to enthusiasts in 2011 when it launched the Corsa VXR Nurburgring: though ostensibly based on a sub-£10K supermini, the Nurburgring cost £22,295. Could a Corsa, even a significantly upgraded one, ever be worth that? This nearly-new VXR Nurburgring would suggest not. A 13-plate car with just 121 miles, it's for sale at a Vauxhall main dealer in Beverley for just £17,250. Tempting, no?

The biggest hindrance to the success of all Corsa VXRs was of course the Renaultsport Clio. Whether in 197 guise or as a 200 from 2009, it simply proved the more engaging driver's car. Whilst the VXR was decent, it lacked the Clio's freakish ability and effervescent nature.

Look elsewhere for a classy cabin...

The Nurburgring was a very different prospect though. The addition of a Drexler mechanical limited slip differential, Bilstein dampers, stiffer springs, forged wheels and some upgraded brakes transformed the Corsa VXR. That there was a smidge of extra power (up to 205hp from 192) seemed almost inconsequential given the added hit of dynamism, agility and composure the Nurburgring upgrades had injected. Maybe it wasn't quite the Clio's equal, but the gap between them was.

However, there was still that price to overcome. The Nurburgring wasn't even a better car the Clio, let alone one worth £6,000 more. But a fortunate repercussion of buyers' reluctance to accept the VXR's price is used examples such as the car featured here.

... at a Polo GTI perhaps?

Furthermore, with the latest breed of junior hot hatches all lacking mechanical diffs and expensive suspension components (Clio 200's hydraulic bumpstops notwithstanding), the VXR Nurburgring begins to look even greater value. Though it may be a generation older, it would be fascinating to compare the Corsa with the current crop.

Before this start to sound like a eulogy, there are other nearly-new pocket rockets to choose from, even if they don't represent quite such conspicuous value as the Corsa. This Polo GTI is around £2,500 below list, although will struggle to match the VXR for thrills. A Mini? The only JCW for less than the Corsa is a 2011 car with 20,000 miles and is being sold privately.

Let's hope the next Corsa VXR is just as much fun as the Nurburgring out of the box. But maybe a little cheaper...

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Vauxhall Corsa VXR Nurburgring
Engine: 1,598cc four-cylinder turbo
Transmission: Six-speed manual
Power (hp): 205@5,750rpm
Torque (lb ft): 207lb ft@2,250-5,500rpm (on overboost)
MPG: 37.2
CO2: 178g/km
First registered: 2013
Recorded mileage: 121
Price new: £22,295
Yours for: £17,290

See the original advert here

[anonymous-user]

I picked up a pre-registered Clio 200 in February this year for £13,800. It was registered in December 2012 and had 14 miles on the clock when I drove it away. Nimbus colour with recaros, no cup suspension or spoiler.

This article reminds me that I picked up a bargain. Pitting the 2.0 Clio 200 against the current crop of hot hatches would be the comparison I'd like to see.

[RandomTask]

Drive the Deal are quoting a brand new Fiesta ST for £14525 including a year's tax (although that is without any options).

That would be my choice.

[LuS1fer]

I have no idea what it is about the design of Corsas that annoys me so much but they really iritate me. It's irrational although the guy in one yesterday with full huge headphones and an annoying habit of gesticulating with his hand through the open window (on a phone or flicking bogies, it wasn't clear) didn't help the cause.

[Oddball RS]

LuS1fer said:

I have no idea what it is about the design of Corsas that annoys me so much but they really iritate me. It's irrational although the guy in one yesterday with full huge headphones and an annoying habit of gesticulating with his hand through the open window (on a phone or flicking bogies, it wasn't clear) didn't help the cause.

Same with any make of car though, why are all A3's glued to my rear bumper all the time?

[WCZ]

RandomTask said:

Drive the Deal are quoting a brand new Fiesta ST for £14525 including a year's tax (although that is without any options).

That would be my choice.

+1

then get the mountune on there

[iacabu]

A lad I know bought a green Nurburgring brand new and I have to say I really like it's looks. Plus he got 0% finance and a lifetime/100,000mile warranty

[Antj]

somebody said to me the over day " cor there are loads of those Corsa Nurburgrings on the road" he had a point i'd seen loads, also so many Corsa Arctics and i know that they only built 500 of those.........

I then explained to him that Vauxhall took the piss.

Vauxhall released a special edition with its own ditinctive colour, so the bronze for the Nurburging, the White for the Arctic and even the red for the racing edition.

So the owners were happy, the cars stood out and people would know when you drove passed you had the limited run arctic edition and ownership felt great, my brother loved his Arctic.

Then what did Vauxhall do, they nicked the vxr bodykit the exact same bodykits and then bunged them on 1.2 ste boxes. They are everywhere and really spoil the model they are effectively raping. its kind of like Ford taking a 1.4 focus sticking an RS bodykit on it and mat black vinyl wrap, pissing on the limited run RS500 just to sell a couple of extra 1.4's

these are good cars but vauxhall spoilt the special editions purely to shift a few units of the 1.2's.

[scruffty]

yeah ^ overtime I see a corsa with a bodykit i think oooh a vxr, then it turns out to be a an oil burner. shame.

[Axionknight]

Aye that is quite a drop in price but as others have said I would take the newer Fiesta ST, drove a standard VXR Corsa, while it was quick enough it was pretty shoddily built in my opinion (the owner had quite a few problems with it too before getting rid) and it just generally lacked any finesse or polish or just about anything good about it in my opinion, a total turd of a car.

[NotNormal]

Antj said:

.... Then what did Vauxhall do, they nicked the vxr bodykit the exact same bodykits and then bunged them on 1.2 ste boxes......

Not sure your right there but don't let reality get in the way of your little rant.

Looking at the two cars i'd say its certainly not the same bodykit

VXR


1.2

[supertouring]

Drove one of these on a recent VXR day and really loved it. So much better than the Astra VXR I tried.

[kayzee]

Antj said:

Then what did Vauxhall do, they nicked the vxr bodykit the exact same bodykits and then bunged them on 1.2 ste boxes.

It's not the same bodykit.

Apart from that you do have a point... but they kinda look good. I bet they've made more money from the 1.2's. Think about all the young lads that can get a car with a bodykit and actually afford the insurance! I wouldn't worry about it so much

[chrisemersons]

Except that Vauxhall never put the VXR bodykit on anything but the VXR.. The 1.2 limited edition has a bodykit but it looks nothing like the VXR kit if you look closely, no louvres, no central exhaust etc etc.

Vauxhall hit the market bang on with the 1.2 limited editions that at a squint look a bit like a VXR. Youngsters that cant get the insurance on VXR's buy them in their droves because of the cheap insurance. Go on comparison websites and its cheaper to insure a 19 year old on a brand new 1.2 LE fully comp than it is for the same guy third party on a 10 year old Corsa grot box ! Oh and they chuck in 100,000 mile warranty so the youngsters can rag them to their hearts content and get new engines free !!!

We were all young once, i know i would have loved a sporty looking, low insurance car when i was a youngster - they are built pretty well too.

Vauxhall have got the market bang on, shame some people cant see the bigger picture!!

Edited by chrisemersons on Thursday 18th July 12:55

[405dogvan]

Surely all we're seeing here is a mixture of

a - the discount most buyers will have gotten if they haggled and argued - abeit in an enhanced trade-in/freebies or cheap credit perhaps?
b - a bit of a discount because some idiot specced it in "Trouser Accident Brown"...

[GoonerP]

Probably a great little car, but 17k for a Corsa... and thats the discount.

[Amirhussain]

That colour makes me feel ill

[s m]

supertouring said:

Drove one of these on a recent VXR day and really loved it. So much better than the Astra VXR I tried.

Got to agree with you - was the pick of the day for me. Felt much better than the Astra VXR or Insignia VXR.

Were you at Oulton? Did you go for the hot lap with Paul O'Neill?

[alfaben]

Having driven a standard Corsa VXR a couple of years back round Thruxton it was a fantastic drive and I rated it more so then the Astra! If I had the space I'd perhaps look into one as a second car, fantastic how cheap they are now Anyone going to the morning session next Thursday for a drive of the range?

[Richyboy]

They were always less than 18k prereg weren't they?

[IanJ9375]

Richyboy said:

They were always less than 18k prereg weren't they?

Yep Aston Vauxhall and the other dealers who discount were selling them for £17444 iirc brand new