Vauxhall Corsa Hatchback (2014 - 2019) 1.4 Limited Edition 3d Owner Review

My first ever car was a 1998 Corsa which had a lot of milage and was very dull to drive, I have also driven numerous over models of Vauxhalls and never found them engaging when behind the wheel. After reading numerous reviews of the newer models It seemed like Vauxhall had really improved the quality of their cars not just on style but also behind the wheel. At this point I was driving a 2008 Volkswagen Golf and wanted something cheaper to run and easier to drive, I decided to visit a Vauxhall dealership and see if they really have upped their game. I test drove a lower trim Corsa which I liked compared to the Golf, was easier to drive, smoother and a more modern interior, yes it was slower which is why when I ordered the Vauxhall I asked for the 1.4 but not the lower 75bhp model. I've had the car less than a year and I can honestly say I'm bored of it, don't get me wrong, it does look nice both inside and out, but I find it very unresponsive, loud and poor at handling. Handling was something I was hoping would be better, I want a car that grips the road and feels solid in bends, whilst I was under the illusion it was good at handling during the test drive, it seems like the handling is the worst of all cars I have driven. The car leans into every corner and I have no confidence in certain bends as you can feel the car struggling to grip, even at slow speeds. Then there are the pot holes and odd bumps in the road, the Corsa does not handle these well, every time I hit a bump I have to grab the steering wheel as the car is immediately thrown into another direction. The steering struggles to cope with turns on rough roads and it seems very easy for the car to lose control once it hits something minor like some lose stones. Then theres the 'City Mode' button which I HATE!, the last car I had which was a Golf had heavy steering so the city mode button was such a pleasure, however I've found that after using it frequently driving round the town etc that I rely on it and cannot cope with the standard steering which seems like its gotten heavier than it did when I purchased it. I don't know if this is psychological or whether there is a fault but I know I would rather not have the choice of steering resistance. Road noise is an absolute pain, I would expect this in an old car but I am surprised at the amount of road noise you can hear in the cabin, it's so loud that you can hardly hear the radio even when turned up. I know the low profile tyres wont help but even the sound of the engine idling is enough to make you want to turn off the engine to have a conversation with someone in the car. Build quality of the interior is good, it looks a lot nicer than the previous model which was slightly dull, however I find that there are still the odd rattles from lose pieces of material somewhere and the clutch has already started squeaking when suppressed which is annoying. Initially I thought fuel consumption was good however I seem to find myself at the petrol station just as much as I was when I had the Golf which I got rid of for those reasons. It does say I'm averaging between 34.5 and 37.5 mpg but I find myself putting at least £80 a week in and I drive roughly 15 miles a day to and from work. Performance and power, this is something this car lacks, I assumed the 1.4 I got would be plenty of power for a small car however it feels like you have to rev the engine high to build some speed. The highest power outputs seem to be between 3500 to 4500 rpm so overtaking on the motorway is loud and slow. They do a 1.0 which is faster and has much more low down power thanks to its turbo but unfortunately for me I didn't realise this until after I bought the 1.4. Overall, I would not recommend this car as I feel there are a lot of cars in this category which will be much more engaging to drive with better handling and stronger build quality such as the Ford Fiesta or Volkswagen Polo. If you are going to get a Corsa then I would recommend getting something with a turbo as the 1.4 model I have is very slow and unresponsive. I unfortunately have 2 years left with this car and as soon as my agreement is up I'm handing it back and never getting a Vauxhall again.