Vauxhall Corsa SRi: the lowdown
Here’s a sneak preview of a junior Corsa VXR – disguised as a panel van. Vauxhall/Opel will unveil the Corsavan concept at the Paris motor show tomorrow (Thursday 28), but there’s more to it than meets the eye. The show car previews the forthcoming Corsa SRi, which will go head-to-head with the Ford Fiesta ST and Volkswagen’s Polo GTi from spring 2007. The SRi will sit just beneath the 190bhp-plus VXR in the Corsa range. Both cars run a new 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol engine, but the SRi will have less boost to rein in power output to 150bhp. That will make it cheaper to insure and list price will be around £13,500, bang on Fiesta ST money. The Corsavan concept’s bodykit hints at the SRi’s. It features deeper sills and bumpers, plus a chunky rear spoiler. The five-spoke alloys have 17inch rims, with red brake callipers peeping out from behind.
And the Corsa van…
No prizes for guessing the other vehicle previewed by the Corsavan concept. For city deliveries, the three-door Corsa gets black panels over the rear windows, an protective rear bulkhead and a lined load bay. The concept is powered by Vauxhall’s new 1.3-litre diesel engine, kicking out 89bhp and mated to a six-speed manual ‘box. It’s a drivetrain far more suited to van-riding than the 1.6 turbo.