Corsa Changes Pallete
Everybody loved the bubble shaped Opel Corsa of the ’90s. One couldn’t help but grow fond of the Corsa’s round, cutesy physique and sporty character. I remember one of the television advertisements for the dainty car: a Corsa manouevering briskly through piles of scrap in a junkyard, evading the pursuit of a menacing wrecking-ball. The Opel managed to leave the iron ball in a cloud of dust – there was simply “no contest” between the mighty little Corsa and the behemoth wrecking-ball, as stated by the caption.
Recent Corsa models have grown more mature, becoming rather boring in the process. That inherent Corsa fun factor has been relinquished and replaced with sophistication. Maybe this isn’t such a bad thing, but really, when was the last time you stared at a plain, dark grey suit and thought “hmmm…….interesting”?
Perhaps this might rekindle the excitement brought by Corsa models of the past: the new Corsa Colour Edition. It isn’t entirely new though and it’s simply the same 1.4 Sport 3-door model, now available in 5 striking shades. You can choose from Magma Red, Oriental Blue, Casablanca White, Black Sapphire and if you’re really daring, Sunny Melon.
The Opel press machine says that this colourful Corsa is “targeted at a youthful and exuberant audience” and promises to give the driver “individuality in styling with a distinctive attitude”. From the pictures, the Corsa Colour Edition certainly delivers from an aesthetics point of view. It’s very pretty, but in a subtle way – it’s not as dramatic as the garish OPC model, in the absence of flared wheel arches and an elaborate body-kit. And even if you do opt for the yellow, nobody will see you anyway, as the Corsa has darkly tinted windows all round. In addition to this, the roof is coated in shiny black paint, pulling off that M3 carbon fibre roof look. The Corsa wears 17-inch wheels – alloy, of course – which can either be silver or black, the choice is yours.
Inside you’ll find seats with red, blue or yellow stitching. This reminds me of an old Corsa GSI I once rode in, which had seats with outlines matching the exterior colour. Interior fittings such as the surrounds for the air-conditioner vents also receive the colour treatment, a bit like you would find on one of those Peugeot 1007 MPVs. Although I doubt these colourful components can be taken off and swapped with other colours, as one is able to do with the Peugeot. Driver and passenger seats are sport orientated, complemented by racy looking alloy pedals and a leather steering wheel with radio controls.
The Corsa Colour Edition comes with the usual array of goodies: electric windows, air-conditioner, radio compatible with MP3 and fancy looking charcoal trim.
It does seem like you get a lot of car for the price, R 180, 750. I would consider this if I was looking out for some MINI or Citroen DS3 individuality on a budget.
Brenwin Naidu
Photo Credit: Quickpic