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Diesel power the Corsa jewel E-mail
Written by Michael Moroney   
Wednesday, 24 January 2007
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Diesel power the Corsa jewel
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Some weeks ago Michael Moroney wrote about the new Opel Corsa and the performance of the petrol model. For many the jewel in the crown of the new Corsa range is the small 1.3 litre turbo-diesel model, which has power and economy. Michael Moroney took the diesel Corsa test and was impressed

2750.jpgOpel's new diesel powered Corsa delivers more space, safety and fuel economy than in the past and the price increase for the new model is modest. Entry prices start at E18,195 before delivery charges.

When I wrote about my driving experience of the latest Opel Corsa some weeks ago, in a way I was more looking forward to how the diesel car would perform. Back then I had the petrol version of the car, with its 1.2 litre engine. This week it's the turn of the 1.3 litre diesel Corsa, which for me is the jewel in the Corsa crown.

This diesel engine option comes in both the three-door and five-door model and it was the five-door Corsa that I had on the road. And its performance lived up to my expectations all the way.

Opel has taken advantage of its Fiat linkage (short-term as it was) to develop its diesel engine technology based on the Fiat Multijet system. And it was well worthwhile from the Corsa point of view. This 1.3 litre engine with a turbo-charger and intercooler delivers impressive power and economy. What more could you ask for?

As I wrote in the past, this latest Opel Corsa feels a bigger and more spacious car than previously. The use of a diesel engine in place of a petrol one has no adverse effects on the car's driving dynamics and stability. This car handles with confidence and is solid and positive to drive in a control and steering sense.

And the overall benefit of this new Corsa is all down to the diesel engine. Opel gets similar engine power to Fiat from the 1.3 litre engine, 125bhp at a relatively high 4,000 engine rpm. And while Fiat grabs more torque from the engine, the Opel team get enough to allow this entry level Corsa diesel to achieve a respectable acceleration pace of 13.6 seconds in a 0 to 100km/hr race.

I've compared this acceleration pace with a range from the supermini type competition and found that while the Corsa pace is a little slower than average its still very impressive for a car of this size. Relative to the older Corsa fitted with a slightly older 1.3 litre turbo-diesel engine, the new bigger and heavier model can achieve an almost identical acceleration pace.

The second ace in the Corsa pack is its fuel economy. This entry-level Corsa diesel delivers an impressive 4.6 litres/100km (61mpg) fuel economy rating. That's the official figure and my test drive showed just how thrifty the car is. My estimate is that on longer runs you could easily add another ten per cent to that figure, which is indeed an impressive economy figure for a car that has space, comfort and lots of new safety features.

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