BETTER LATE THAN NEVER Stylish looking Corsa should inject some life into Opel's local lineup

By Justin Lee

TWO YEARS AFTER its world premiere at the London Motor Show, the Opel Corsa has finally reached local shores.

The car is based on General Motors’ – Opel’s parent company – Gamma SCCS platform which was developed in conjunction with Fiat before the dissolution of the partnership between the two companies. SCCS stands for Small Common Components and Systems. Besides the Corsa, the underpinnings are also used by Fiat for its Grande Punto compact hatchback.

External dimensions are 3999mm for length, 1737mm for width and 1488mm for height. It is 50mm wider than the Grande Punto but its length and height are shorter by 31mm and 2mm respectively.

The Corsa’s exterior design takes cues from the Astra small hatchback. It looks sleek with plenty of contoured surfaces and a distinctive shoulder line.

The interior is stylishly designed and features backlighting for the major controls on the dashboard fascia, and many big and small compartments littered around the cabin for storing items.

Its boot has a capacity of 285 litres and this can be increased to 700 litres when the 60:40 split rear seats are folded down.

Power comes from a 1.4-litre 16-valve engine. This unit produces a maximum of 90bhp and is mated to a standard four-speed automatic gearbox.

The new Corsa is priced at $66,888 with COE.