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Sub-VXR Vauxhall Corsa GSi on the way this year
Vauxhall has confirmed that we're about to get a Corsa GSI warm hatch to top the range while the VXR wait goes on
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The “warm hatch” market will grow further this year with the introduction of a new Vauxhall Corsa GSi.
Details are very slim at the moment, with the car announced in just a single line of a press release celebrating 25 years of the Corsa model line, but Vauxhall confirms the model will arrive in late 2018.
As with the recently-launched Vauxhall Insignia GSi, the Corsa GSi is effectively a less hardcore, more usable model to sit below Vauxhall’s high-performance VXR range.
As such, it’s unlikely to share the Corsa VXR’s 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder and its 202bhp output. Instead, we’d expect it to use a smaller engine - possibly the company’s 1.4-litre turbocharged four, as found in the smaller Vauxhall Adam S, where it develops 148bhp through a six-speed manual gearbox.
Styling too is likely to be toned down in comparison to the VXR, though the Insignia GSi shows that Vauxhall may well look for a balance between drama and subtlety with the new car. Chassis modifications are likely too, with lowered and uprated suspension compared to more conventional Corsas, but without the sometimes punishing ride quality - and without the aggressive limited-slip differential of the Corsa VXR.
The GSi tweaks should turn the Corsa into an entertaining warm hatchback, closely rivalling the more powerful versions of Ford’s Fiesta 1.0 EcoBoost (which make 138bhp) and the upcoming Suzuki Swift Sport, which packs its own turbocharged 1.4-litre engine and an identical 138bhp to the Fiesta - albeit tipping the scales at 970kg, undercutting the 1100kg-plus Corsa and Fiesta by quite a margin.
The future of Vauxhall’s VXR performance division is still unknown, following last year’s takeover by PSA, the company which owns Peugeot and Citroen - but given the next Corsa is likely to sit on PSA’s new CMP platform and both French brands have a strong hot hatchback heritage, we’re hopeful that any performance model for Peugeot or Citroen will result in an equivalent from Vauxhall. Given Peugeot’s recent hot hatch form in particular, a future Corsa VXR could be off to a very good start.
According to our sister title, Auto Express, Vauxhall’s “late 2018” launch date for the Corsa GSi should mean an early-autumn arrival for the new car, while pricing should come in at under £20,000.
