News: Vauxhall Corsa VXR hot hatch is essence of 'pocket rocket'
Gone to the shops in 60 seconds
WHAT A week for petrolheads. First Ford revealed a Focus RS; then Ferrari took the wraps off the 488 GTB, at which point Porsche decided to join in and wheeled out the Cayman GT4. Not to be outdone, Vauxhall has a new VXR version of the Corsa, which aims to prove that superminis don’t have to be sensible.
Browse the used Vauxhall Corsas for sale on driving.co.uk
Not for this Corsa a fuel-sipping 1-litre engine; it gets a 1.6-litre turbo that turns the VXR into the very essence of the “pocket rocket”. An impressive output of 202bhp gives this Corsa the ability to zip from 0 to 62mph in 6.8 seconds and on to 143mph. This is a far cry from the needs of most supermini buyers, who worry about ease of parking and the cost of road tax.
Vauxhall says it took the VXR to the Nürburgring race circuit in Germany to tune its Koni dampers. An optional Performance package will bring a limited-slip differential, uprated dampers and stronger brakes. Sounds as if this is one shopping car with serious attitude.
A price has not been announced yet, but it is likely to be at least £20,000, given that the previous, less powerful version cost £18,995. The new model goes on sale in May.
Browse the used Vauxhall Corsas for sale on driving.co.uk
