Thursday 8th February 2018

Vauxhall Corsa VXR Clubsport: Spotted

A raw, rambunctious and rapid Vauxhall hot hatch, now on offer for less than £10k

---

If you were to cobble together a 'perfect hot hatch' recipe - goodness knows it's been discussed enough times - then what would you have? A three-door supermini would be a good start, with a manual gearbox and punchy turbo engine making more than 200hp surely welcome, too. Moreover, if you were choosing componentry, how about dampers from Bilstein, a limited-slip diff from Drexler and brakes from Brembo?

All of that features in the Corsa VXR Clubsport, a run-out model for the previous generation fast Corsa that reinstated the mechanical spec of the Nurburgring Edition. However, that griffin sat proudly on the nose would always ensure it would struggle to attract attention - fast Vauxhalls do still have an image problem, don't they? And while it might not be the best handling pocket rocket ever made, and the interior doesn't look fantastic just a few years on from launch, the Clubsport Corsa is still worth investigating.

Back when PH first drove this version of VXR - and where the lead image is pinched from - it was described as "a fittingly rapid and raw farewell for the Corsa", set to find a "small but delighted audience". With good reason, too, thanks to great traction, strong brakes and a resoundingly old-school attitude. There was plenty to like, and that continued into the updated car, even if some would never give it another look.

In addition, while the VXR Clubsport may not have driven much like other Vauxhalls, it certainly depreciated like them. Which means cars like this one, registered in 2014 with a £22k list price (and having covered just 13,000 miles), are available for less than £10,000.

£9,277 to be precise, which looks like something of a bargain for a car so talented that's only covered a little more than a year's average mileage. Even the very cheapest VXRs (that are seven years older than this) currently command more than £4k.

So what's the problem? You know the problem. It's the wealth of alternative hot hatch options available for the same money. There can be little denying that the Fiesta ST is a more rounded proposition than the Vauxhall, and the Mk3 Clio 200 is one of the best handling front-wheel drive cars ever - the Corsa is not.

That being said, a Fiesta for the same money has twice the mileage of the Corsa; this Clio at £9,495 has more than four times the mileage, as well as being five years older. Which is quite a lot, really.

Nobody is saying that the Corsa is some forgotten hot hatch legend, though it arguably deserves more recognition than it currently attracts - particularly as a Clubsport. When cars like this are available for relatively little cash, perhaps more people might be attracted to the Corsa's charms.

---

SPECIFICATION - VAUXHALL CORSA VXR CLUBSPORT

Engine: 1,598cc, 4-cylinder turbocharged
Transmission: 6-speed manual, front-wheel drive, LSD
Power (hp): 205@5,750rpm
Torque (lb ft): 184@2,250-5,500rpm
MPG: 37.2 (NEDC combined)
CO2: 178g/km
First registered: 2014
Recorded mileage: 13,000
Price new: £22,390
Price now: £9,277

See the original advert here.

[VR6 Eug]

Ive had my share of vauxhalls over the years and most have been poor, i just dont like them...the fast ones have to much power for the chassis to deploy, unreliable, exploding engines, chav image going all the way back to the 16v gte astra, the only good one for me was my fwd cavalier gsi 2000, that ticked all the boxes in 1991 and never broke down in 3 years....

[alorotom]

The Mrs had a Nurby VXR and I loved it ... sold it at 3yrs with 4K on the clock to low volume dealer sourcing it for “a collector” and I believe it’s now just in a collection.

It was a great little car! Loads of deals were to be had and not many ppl paid full list for one (list most VXs in my experience)

[s m]

I drove very similar car at Oulton on a VXR Experience day.

Thought it was a fantastic little hot hatch especially with the proper LSD, handling very entertaining.

Sporty Spice's brother was on hand to give passenger rides in these too. I watch the prices and will look out for one when they drop into budget.

Have really enjoyed the sporty Opel/Vauxhalls I've had - both great drivers' cars ( Manta GTE and GTE16v )

[S9JTO]

I test drove one of these last year, identical spec to the car above funnily enough. It was truly enjoyable to drive, great soundtrack, good brakes and pretty decent looking (especially from the rear).

I opted for the Ibiza Cupra in the end purely down to the interior quality, better 'image' (awaiting abuse), fuel economy (again, awaiting abuse), insurance and the fact it was only £1.5k cheaper than a 6 month old 1.8TSI Cupra at the time.

Agree that it is a very capable and underrated car. That interior is a game changer for me though, apart from the buckets.

[Roastie ITR]

I also drove these on a VXR Experience day & really really liked them, would consider one in the future.

[chris4652009]

Excellent little cars these.

[Jonno02]

The sporty little corsas look good (i.e. the 500 'special edition' variants). But the Vauxhall's I've owned have all been utter lemons!

[culpz]

These do look great from the outside. It's just the interiors that i can't get on with. A mate at work had a standard Corsa VXR for a good few years with a few mods done to it.. Made some lovely turbo noises but never seemed that fast. I never actually drove it though and was just a passenger a few times.

I think i'm too much of a Renault Sport fanboy really. So, a fast Clio would always be my pic in this segment.

[LewisR]

Can't get excited about a £10k FWD Vauxhall hatchback.

[DuncB7]

I want to like this but I just can't.

I'd struggle to look beyond the Fiesta ST-2 at this budget.

Sure the VXR has the fancy bits but it will still drive like a Vauxhall.

Even the steering wheel makes me feel inert and Vectra-ish.

[cholo]

Not sure if i'd feel right driving around in this without a Burberry baseball cap.

[FN2TypeR]

LewisR said:

Can't get excited about a £10k FWD Vauxhall hatchback.

Have you driven one of these?

[anonymous-user]

DuncB7 said:

Sure the VXR has the fancy bits but it will still drive like a Vauxhall.

Suggest you take a look at the reviews from when it was launched, by all accounts it's a lot of fun.

My question would be how much of the tendency for the engines to nuke piston 4 is internet mythology or whether it's something to genuinely worry about.

[WCZ]

+45bhp on a remap too so will be faster than a fst

[3yardy3]

Im sure its great... however it's probably one of the chaviest cars on the road currently, and its a Vauxhall...

[Quhet]

alorotom said:

The Mrs had a Nurby VXR and I loved it ... sold it at 3yrs with 4K on the clock to low volume dealer sourcing it for “a collector” and I believe it’s now just in a collection.

It was a great little car! Loads of deals were to be had and not many ppl paid full list for one (list most VXs in my experience)

Can't have loved it that much if she only did 4k miles in 3 years!

[NotNormal]

Quhet said:

Can't have loved it that much if she only did 4k miles in 3 years!

Since when did quantity of miles equate to how much someone loves their car?What a daft statement to make.

[S9JTO]

Quhet said:

Can't have loved it that much if she only did 4k miles in 3 years!

I thought the same when I read that, hopefully a typo.

[topless360]

WCZ said:

+45bhp on a remap too so will be faster than a fst

In a straight line maybe, everywhere else just no. The Fiesta ST is the better drivers car whichever way you look at it.

Fiesta ST also has a remap option, so your argument is invalid.

It speaks volumes that the article suggests the main advantage of the Corsa is it's cheaper than the alternatives. You get what you pay for ultimately.

[HorneyMX5]

For me a top of the pile edition of a model should look it. Sadly all the special edition Corsas mean these just look like any other Corsa.

I imagine they’re a great drive though.