Vauxhall Corsa Hatchback (2006 - 2014) 1.2 Excite (AC) 5d (2014/14) Owner Review

What does this car say about you?

They are so common and anonymous I doubt it says anything. But if it does, its probably "Mug who believes everything he is told and is content to follow the heard." If mediocrity is all you aspire to then it's fine, but the smart money will go elsewhere.

What do your friends / family / neighbours think of the car?

I doubt they would have noticed it if it wasn't for the number of times its come home on the back of a tow truck! It's now become something of a running joke. My friend who has driven it a few times isn't impressed and recons his 10 year old fiesta 1.2 leaves it for dead.

Would you buy this car again and why?

NO! I wouldn't have another one if it was given to me! The reliability has been terrible, the performance is pathetic, the fuel economy is dire, and the standard of service and aftercare offered by Bristol Street Vauxhall is a disgrace to the world of motoring. If you are forced into a Corsa for whatever reason pick the diesel, otherwise avoid.

What are you likely to buy next?

Something properly built with good dealers and customer support, like a BMW 1 series or Merc A class. I can't wait to get out of it!

Type of dealer you bought from?

Franchised

Did you buy this car new?

Yes

What price did you pay?

£13,000

When did you buy the car?

August 2014

Did you get a good deal and why?

No. Failed to get the free insurance the car was supposed to come with. Free fuel card took over 5 weeks to arrive. I was deliberately mislead about the running cost of the car because the dealer had a load of 1.2s in stock to shift, even though I wanted the 1.3 diesel version (which has a waiting list).

Is there any special reason why you bought this car?

Yes. It came with a good finance offer and I thought it would be cheap to run and reliable, but it is in fact neither. Don't be fooled by Vauxhall's claim of 51.4mpg. You won't see anything near that in the real world. So far I am averaging 38mpg, and you have to be incredibly dedicated (and patient!) to top 40mpg. To put that in context, my partner's BMW 318i will give the same figure and is actually MORE economical on cross country trips and motorways! Thrash it (as you will have to regularly) and the little 45L fuel tank will be empty before you know it! As I have found, a small car with a small engine is not necessarily a fuel efficient choice if you drive on fast roads or challenging gradients regularly.

What was the dealer like?

Sale process - Quick, friendly and efficient. Aftercare - Disgraceful. The car had numerous electrical faults from new. Luckily it came with the "lifetime" warranty. But the dealers attitude (Bristol Street Vauxhall, Keighley) was truly shocking. When the car was brought back to them faulty, they simply denied all knowledge of the problems and sent the car back to me, still faulty. When taken further they implied the faults had been caused by somebody tampering with the car an attempted to charge me for the work. I have never experience such appalling service in my life!

What's it like to drive?

Plus points are it rides ok, handling is safe and secure and the steering + brakes are light and easy without feeling over assisted. Unfortunately the gearchange is clunky and stiff, particularly 1st, 2nd and reverse. However the real let down is the engine. It has absolutely no torque what so ever below 3500rpm and feels utterly gutless even at town speeds. On open roads and motorways it feels well out of its depth and you have to drop it a couple of gears to maintain speed up even moderate gradients. Even at low speeds there's far too much engine noise in the cab, and it sounds harsh when you rev it, which you have to. MPG ends up being worse than a much larger engined cars because you have to thrash it so hard just to keep up with traffic.

What's it like to park?

Light controls and short rear overhang make reversing easy, but as with most modern cars you cant see where the bonnet ends at all so going forward is mostly guess work.

Have you had any problems with the car?

Where to start!? Numerous electronic problems relating to ECU and engine sensors causing it to cut out/fail to start. Dealer has been worse than useless about sorting it out. Erratic fuel gauge + Faulty computer needed recalibrating 3 times. Strange clunking sounds from front end when setting off which I'm told is normal...!? Tyre pressure sensor warnings coming on randomly when pressures are perfect. 1st gear sometimes refuses to engage. Overall pretty dire for a new car in 2014.

What's most practical about your car?

Ermmm...it has 5 doors? There's decent space in the cabin but not much in the way of handy storage for things. The useless glove box cant even take a a handful of CDs if the owners manual is in there! More modern rivals offer a lot more places to store things out of sight. Boot size is average for this class.

Favourite gadget, option or accessory?

Aux-in and bluetooth are handy, as are the streering wheel mounted controls. But then the stupid indicators that fail to behave like every other cars indicators are a pain in the behind. Having aircon is nice, but it reduces the car's already pathetic acceleration to almost nothing. Add a few passengers and really would feel more lively if you got out and pushed it! The 16" alloys and front fogs look good but deserve a better home.