Vauxhall reveals new Corsa GSi
Revived badge finds its way onto a VXR-lookalike. Hurrah. VXR dies in the process. Boo.
Vauxhall announced the Corsa GSi last month, an event that triggered much wistful staring from the windows of PH towers. Matt Bird, being no older than a fertilised egg, was despondent at the idea of Vauxhall's supermini being 25 years old. For me, the waters run deeper still: I'm old enough to recall yearning - and I mean physically lusting - after an early nineties Nova GSi. Ditto the Mk3 Astra GSi of the same vintage.
Of course, both were legitimate (if relatively short-lived) range-topping hot hatches. The badge's revival in 2018 does not confer the same status: the GSi label is now about 'performance through dynamics' according to Vauxhall - which is of course marketing shorthand for building a car with go-faster running gear, but without the engine required to, you know, make it go faster.
That said, the enduring popularity of the warm hatch class in the UK - especially cars the Ford Fiesta ST-Line - will not have been lost on Luton, and it'll likely be this model in the new GSi's crosshairs. To that end, Vauxhall has confirmed that the three-door-only car will get the VXR's stiffer springs and dampers, as well as its uprated brakes - and adopt the more expensive Corsa's styling pack, including its 18-inch alloys.
And the VXR? Well, sadly time has finally been called on the 205hp variant. The GSi's arrival will see it discontinued; a strategic decision which handily reduces the number of Peugeot 208 GTI rivals by one. Such consolidation was inevitable with PSA now paying the bills, although we'll admit to mourning the quickest Corsa's departure: in the right spec - i.e. with the Drexler limited-slip differential fitted - the car lived up to its image.
Now it will be up to the GSi to emerge from its shadow. Vauxhall hasn't yet said which engine it will get, although the smart money points to the 150hp 1.4-litre turbocharged four-pot that several Corsa special editions share with the latest Astra. That ought to make it a 8.9 seconds-to-60mph prospect. Coincidentally what you'd get from an early nineties Nova GSi with a fair wind...
Say whatever you will about the VXR range, less choice can't be a good thing. Sad.
Say whatever you will about the VXR range, less choice can't be a good thing. Sad.
I bloody hope so as the marque has always suffered in the shadow of the overrated and currently overpriced pseudo-fast Fords.
Don't know what you've got 'till it's gone, as the song goes.
Looking forward to the GSi, it’ll be a nice package i reckon, i’ve noticed that on the ‘Limited Edition’ Corsas they have the VXR Steering Wheel and the same style Gearknob so my guess is the GSi will be the same.
edit: Oh and Recaro’s too! According to Vauxhall.
I wouldn’t rush into investment just too quickly.
My take on this that probably the most affordable and appealing new/nearly new car at the moment is that basic Corsa I see everywhere - the ones that are white with black wheels or red with white wheels and have the option of the two stripes over them. Owners of those aspire to the VXR and will hanker after one long after they have sold on their first car as it will be their overriding memory of starting out in motoring.
Cue demand for tidy ones decades later when those individuals can afford to own an insure them.
Add in to the mix that the future of Vauxhall is touch and go. If PSA decide to retire the name you can add all the watery-eyed nostalgists for the brand into the potential customer pool.
I bloody hope so as the marque has always suffered in the shadow of the overrated and currently overpriced pseudo-fast Fords.
Don't know what you've got 'till it's gone, as the song goes.
Would never buy a Vauxhall, Fords are much better built.
Round here you do tend to see 3 or 4 times more ST-lines as the full on ST. If they're rationalising their range under Peugeot ownership it maybe pays to concentrate on the big sellers
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