2019 Vauxhall Corsa GSi | UK Review

Big-name badge returns to the Corsa - can it adequately replace the VXR?

In the 14 years that have elapsed since Vauxhall launched its VXR performance brand it has created a fistful of feisty hot hatches, one genuinely exciting sports car in the VX220 and a raft of effortlessly characterful V8 coupes and saloons. That the lightweight two-seater and heavy-weight muscle cars in question were actually rebadged duplicates rather than Vauxhall's own work was neither here nor there: the product was good.

VXR has won a handful of British Touring Car Championship titles and it built a devoted following here in the UK, so how we've reached a point in 2018 where it's no longer possible to walk into a Vauxhall showroom and buy and brand new VXR seems something of a mystery. Actually, it's no such thing, because the performance models that were culled last year were apparently done for by emissions legislation.

So is VXR dead? Perhaps not. The brand may yet return with more fuel efficient models, maybe with hybrid or full EV powertrains. Until that day, though, the performance Vauxhall you can buy is badged not VXR, but GSI. That once celebrated designation was revived earlier this year by the likeable but somewhat forgettable Insignia GSI. Now, the little Corsa hatchback has received the same treatment.

It's probably necessary to manage expectations a little at this juncture because the Corsa GSI is clearly no replacement for the absent Corsa VXR. We know as much because its turbocharged 1.4-litre petrol engine is down on power to the tune of 60hp, peaking at 150hp. If the GSI is no replacement for the VXR it is surely no rival to the likes of the Ford Fiesta ST. Better perhaps to judge it in the context of the sprightly little Suzuki Swift Sport, except that by some uncomfortable quirk of fate the £18,995 Vauxhall asks for a Corsa GSI is exactly the same sum, to the pound, that Ford will relieve you of for an entry-level ST. Vauxhall won't thank us for it, but that means it's the brilliant Fiesta that must serve as context for the GSI.

If GSI and VXR are to one day coexist, Vauxhall seems to have left itself precisely zero headroom in terms of chassis setup. A performance Corsa wouldn't be a performance Corsa if it didn't boing and bounce about on its springs, and true to form the new GSI does exactly that, but somehow it is even tougher and more uncomfortable still than any hot Corsa before it. At low and medium speeds on poor surfaces the ride quality is borderline unacceptable, particularly for a second-tier performance model.

It is better at higher speeds and no issue at all on smoother roads - how many of those do we have? - but on a typical B-road driven at pace it actually becomes less of an issue. The car is busy and hyperactive, but the suspension does do its job of allowing each wheel to rise and fall over bumps, potholes and the like to keep each tyre pressed into the road surface. With bundles of grip from Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tyres and decent performance that means the Corsa GSI does have pace along a road, while the inherent agility and responsiveness in that focused chassis means there is plenty of fun to be had.

The steering is a little light and although it feels flighty and nervous to begin with you do soon tune into it and begin to appreciate exactly how precise it is. Rather like the Fiesta ST mentioned above, the Corsa GSI rolls in corners and pivots about its centre point in a cohesive and natural way, but that isn't enough to make the Vauxhall anything like as entertaining as the Ford. Despite being down on power compared to some, the GSI's engine is actually potent enough, but it doesn't do a great deal before 4,000rpm, it isn't especially energetic at the top end and it never sounds at all exciting. The gearshift is pretty good, but the lever itself is actually quite unpleasant to grasp.

Sporty Corsas from years gone by have been equipped with a bucketload of authentic high-performance hardware, such as LSDs, Bilstein dampers and Brembo brakes. You'll find none of that here, although if you hand over an additional £1,055 Vauxhall will fit yourCorsa GSI with a pair of Recaro seats. They look the part and offer decent support, but could really do with being mounted closer to the floor. You could probably pick out ways in which the Corsa's cabin is not as good as some of its rivals', but in isolation there really isn't much to take issue with.

Spend a day with a Fiesta ST and you'll come away with a vivid mental picture of scores of dedicated engineers working long days for months and years to build the best small hot hatch they possibly could. It feels as though it has been developed with care and attention to detail. In contrast, the Corsa GSI feels as though it was cobbled together in a hurry. Fun at times, but too unyielding in normal driving and - very generous dealership discounts notwithstanding - simply too expensive to buy.

SPECIFICATION: VAUXHALL CORSA GSI
Engine: 1,364cc, four-cylinder, turbo
Transmission: Six-speed manual, front-wheel drive
Power (hp): 150@5,000rpm
Torque (lb ft): 162@2,750-4,500rpm
0-62mph: 8.9 sec
Top speed: 129mph
Weight: 1,278kg
MPG: 49.6
CO2: 139g/km
Price: £18,995