Opel South Africa is keen to keep the momentum with regards to their new product offensive with the introduction of a new Corsa derivative, called the Corsa Sport.
A few years ago Opel was very much on the rocks with a dwindling and aged range and an uncertain future under the GM umbrella.
Thankfully though GM has decided very much to revive the brand, and what seemed like another brand soon to be consigned to the history books, is now growing from strength to strength, with exciting new models such as the Corsa, Adam and Mokka already on showroom floors.
The new Corsa Sport is set to appeal to those seeking a little more oomph than what is currently offered by the existing Corsa's 1.0T engine, without the overtly boy-racer looks.
Fortunately, the Sports nomenclature in this case actually translates into sportier performance as the new model in the Corsa range benefits from Opel's 1.4-litre Turbo engine. Power output is a healthy 110kW and torque 220Nm peaking at 3 000rpm, with a combined cycle fuel consumption of a claimed 5.9 litres per 100km.
Opel claims the new Corsa Sport will hit 100km/h in 9.6 seconds and top out at 204km/h, meaning the Sport is a rather luke-warm hatch rather than out-and-out hot.
A few tweaks to the suspension geometry as well as the steering promises a slightly more dynamic feel over lesser vanilla Corsa's, again, this is no hot hatch and as a result it will favour comfort over outright performance with regards to ride and handling.
Looks wise the Corsa Sport is far more restrained than the OPC pocket rocket, which will please some and irritate others. Exterior changes include an 'OPC Line Kit' which spices things up a bit and includes front and rear bumper extensions, side sill mouldings, a sportier looking oval exhaust tip and carbon look rear view mirror covers.
Additionally on the new Corsa Sport you'll find 17 inch Dark Titanium wheels, with the option orders yours in no less than 15 exterior colours, 5 solid and 10 metallic.
Inside you find an all new leather covered flat bottom sport steering wheel with silver bezel, alloy sports pedals, leather gear shift knob and leather covered handbrake lever from the Corsa OPC as well as cloth covered Moonray Sports seats.
The comprehensive list of safety features found standard in the Corsa Sport includes Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Straight line Stability (SLS) and Brake Assist System (BAS).
A variety of options packs can be ordered separately and include additional systems such as City Mode which at the push of a button increases power assistance to the steering for tight city manoeuvring. Bi-xenon headlamps with cornering light control and LED daytime running lights and Advanced Park Assist which will automatically parallel park for you, as well as Side Blind Spot Alert.
Opel's IntelliLink infotainment system, which brings the connected world of smartphones and apps into the car, is standard on the Corsa Sport. It features a standard seven-inch colour touchscreen and its home page provides access to five major functions: phone, audio, gallery, settings and apps.
One of the IntelliLink's standout apps is BringGo. Easily downloaded from the phone’s app store and, once downloaded, the map data remains installed on the user’s smartphone, which means Corsa owners do not need an ongoing smartphone broadband connection to use the BringGo navigation system. BringGo solely uses the smartphone’s GPS to locate the Corsa and can also provide functionality for live traffic updates, accident information, Points of Interest (POIs) and Google search.
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