SA Road Tests

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This is the home of automobile road tests in South Africa. I drive South African cars, SUVs and LCVs under real-world South African conditions. Most, but not all, the vehicles driven are world cars as well, so what you read here possibly applies to the models you get where you live.

My most recent drive is on the home page. Archived reviews and opinion pieces are in the active menu down the left side. Hover your cursor over a heading or manufacturer's name and follow the drop-down.


We drive the Sportliche new Opel Corsa 1.4T Sport for 2015

Sporty but not OTT

Posted: 12 November 2015

The numbers
Price: R257 800 (basic) or R262 800 as tested
Engine: 1364 cc, DOHC, 16-valve, four-cylinder
Power: 110 kW at 5000 rpm
Torque: 220 Nm between 3000 and 4500 rpm
Zero to 100 km/h: 9.6 seconds
Maximum speed: 204 km/h
Real life fuel consumption: About 7.2 l/100 km
Tank: 45 litres
Boot: 285 litres
Warranty: 5 years / 120 000 km; with roadside assistance
Service plan: 3 years / 60 000 km; at annual or 15 000 km intervals

This latest addition to the Opel Corsa line-up boasts an uprated version of the 1364 cc turbomotor fitted to Mokka, Sonic and Cruze. While they all have 103 kilowatts of power and 200 Newton-metres of torque, this one gets a bit more turbo boost to bring its numbers up to 110 kW and 220 Nm.

By the way, this is the iron block and alloy head motor that’s been around a while. The new, all-aluminium, 1399 cc motor, with similar power but more torque, was only announced this past September. It’s due for  release in the new Astra that’s coming next year. Not that there’s anything “wrong” with the present engine, by the way – an iron block is inherently more rigid than aluminium, so it has advantages.

Before you ask: “Is that all the Sport has to offer?” no, it isn’t. It takes more than a bigger engine to turn a Corsa Cosmo into a Corsa Sport. To add to the previous flagship model’s trim package, Opel made it look the part with some OPC Line kit. That includes front and rear bumper extensions, side rocker mouldings, sporty exhaust tip and carbon-look rearview mirror covers. The interior was treated to a leather covered flat-bottomed steering wheel with silver bezel, alloy sports pedals, and OPC-style handbrake lever and leather gear knob.

Seats are covered with Moonray cloth in place of the Graphic Black material found in Cosmo, while the wheels are 17” Dark Titanium alloys fitted with 215/45 R17V tyres. The overall effect is sporty without going over the top. Put another way, it looks good and it’s decently quick and fun to drive without going the full wannabe GTI route.

Because we didn’t cover much practical detail in our report on the otherwise similarly equipped 1.0T Cosmo, let’s have a look. The boot loading sill is about 68 cm above ground level and the cavity is 19 cm deep. A pair of lashing rings and a light make life easier, but there's no spare wheel; just a pump kit. Cosmo and other non-sport versions have full-size steel spares. The hatch lid is fitted with ambidextrous pull-down handles and the rear seatback splits 60:40 to fold almost flat but with a step up into the passenger area.

In the back seat, our six-foot passenger declared that headroom was “sufficient”, knee space was marginal (helped by cut-outs in the backs of the front chairs) and foot space beneath the fully lowered driver’s seat was just enough. The seat backs are adjustable through two distinct clicks, there are three belts and head restraints and a dual cup holder at the rear end of the central console. Window winders are mechanical. Never mind; it discourages bored youngsters from playing with the windows.

Up front, both chairs boast elevation adjustability but all movements are mechanical. The OPC-style hand brake lever is centrally placed,like its counterparts on other Corsas, and boasts a smooth and progressive action. The six-speed manual shifter is easy to reach and it snicks through the gears smoothly. Pedals are well spaced and the rest for the clutch foot is comfortable to reach. Steering action is pleasantly light and responsive. As mentioned in our report on the Cosmo, using “city mode” does not affect it much.

Our test car was fitted with the optional package that gives you Advanced Park Assist 2, a reversing camera and Side Blind Zone Alert; all for R5000. The camera’s almost worth the option money on its own, so you might as well spend it.

As we hinted above, the Corsa Sport is pleasantly perky, handles decently and is fun to drive; but it’s not a Polo GTI or an OPC. They’re for different buyers and cost much more.

Test car from GMSA press fleet

We drove the new one in 2021

What We Do

This is a one-man show, which means that every car reviewed is given my personal evaluation and receives my own seat of the pants judgement - no second hand input here.
Every test car goes through real world driving; on city streets littered with potholes, speed bumps and rumble strips, on freeways and if its profile demands, dirt roads as well.

I do my best to include relevant information like real life fuel economy or a close mathematical calculation, boot size or luggage space, whether the space is both usable and accessible, whether life-sized people can use the back seat (where that applies), basic specs of the vehicle and performance figures if they are published. In the case of clearly identified launch reports, fuel figures are of necessity the laboratory numbers provided with the release material. If I ever place an article that doesn't cover most things, it's probably because I have dealt with that vehicle at least once already, so you will be able to find what you want in another report under the same manufacturer's heading in the menu on the left.

Hope you like what you see, because there are no commercial interests at work here. As quite a few readers have found, I answer every serious enquiry from my home email address, with my phone numbers attached, so they can see I do actually exist.

Comments?
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