Biltest, Opel Corsa-e | Test: Opel Corsa-e

A few years ago, it seemed that Opel would dominate the electric car market. The Ampera-e was perfect in many ways: Long range, OK size and low price.

Unfortunately, at that time it was too good to be true. The car was produced by Opel’s owner GM in the US, apparently solely to take advantage of financial support systems.

Production was low because the car was produced at a loss, and the waiting lists became so long that Opel stopped accepting orders.

It was over and out when GM decided to sell Opel to the French PSA group, which already owns Peugeot and Citroen / DS.

Opel did try to revive the car this winter, but significantly higher prices and much stronger competition meant that interest was gone.

Also read: – Ampera-e shows how fast the electric car market has turned

Real comeback

With a new owner, Opel is now finally back with an electric car, and more are on the way. The first has been named the Corsa-e, and is an electric variant of Opel’s sleek small car.

That the car comes on the market more or less at the same time as the PSA models Peugeot e-208 and DS 3 Crossback e-Tense is not coincidental at all. It is also no coincidence that these models have the same size battery, the same size engine – and cost about the same.

This is an electric car like Opel actually wishes to sell, and which is part of the European car industry now almost desperate electrification struggle to avoid billions in fines from the EU.

Also read: This wild chase can create complete electric car chaos

Price-squeezing small car

The Corsa is a small car, and with its 406 centimeters it is a direct competitor to models such as the VW Polo, Ford Fiesta and Peugeot 208. They have nevertheless been given space for rear doors and the rear seat space is such that they can be used.

In the world of electric cars, it is also not unreasonable to compare it with it tailor-made electric car BMW i3, and in terms of space it is also not very much smaller than the significantly more expensive compact SUV Hyundai Kona Electric.

Prices start before you pick from the extra equipment list of 268,000 kroner. There are not many competitors that are cheaper than that.

Low price is not the same as this being a ribbed car. The battery is 50 kWh, the electric motor provides acceptable 136 horsepower (100 kW), official range is 330 kilometers (WLTP) – and 0-100 is done in 8 seconds. Fast charging goes up to 100 kW.

In comparison, you should struggle to get the charging speed of the cheap electric car e-Up significantly above 30 kW – and it amounts to a lot if you would like to travel on a long trip.

Also read: Test: VW e-Up Range 37 kWh

Opel is one of the manufacturers that also offers ISOfix in the front passenger seat, which many parents of children will appreciate – even if this is not the most spacious family car.

Slightly lavish press truck

Even though the car has a starting price of 268,000 kroner, our test car passes 300,000 kroner by a good margin. The Elegance equipment package, premium package, security package and parking package are what pull it up.

What you end up with is a car that looks quite sleek and tough on the outside – while you have an interior that has both good and bad sides.

With small cars, you normally have quite low expectations for the complexity of the interior, but a lot has happened in recent years. This also applies to the Corsa: The test car has both a fully digital instrument panel and a 10 “pressure-sensitive infotainment screen – as well as wireless charging of mobile.

Leather seats and adaptive cruise control are also in place. There are a lot of boxes that have been ticked off.

However, Opel has not gone the extra mile to make things perfect. The all-digital infotainment screen seems a bit haphazardly designed, and the infotainment system is only moderately user-friendly.

Functionally, most things are in place, but the integrated GPS is cumbersome, for example, and the system forgets that you listened to music from your mobile phone every time you restart the car. Thus, one must go in and actively select Bluetooth every time.

Part of the Elegance package is what Opel calls comfort seats. The lower half of the population will like these well, but for the longer ones we are not the most comfortable seats Opel has to offer.

The new rechargeable hybrid Grandland X, for example, comes with seats with significantly better thigh support. These are probably dropped for space reasons.

It is otherwise worth noting that the noise level is perfectly acceptable to be a small car.

What is it like to drive?

Like most other electric cars, the Corsa-e is very easy to drive. The electric motor provides instant torque and seamless propulsion, and since the car is compact, it is easy to maneuver.

The car is not a sports car, but you have enough power to be able to overtake, and it is completely unproblematic to follow in the left lane on the highway. Opel states the top speed of 150 km / h, which is more than fast enough on Norwegian roads.

The car has three driving modes, which affect a lot. In normal mode, you have access to only 109 of the car’s 136 horsepower, and the car feels restrained and comfortable. Zero tension, zero irritation.

In our small range test, we experience the car as civilized and good to drive over time – although we might have wished for better seats. The chassis is in many ways perfectly balanced. Not too stiff over bumps, not too dull in the turns.

In Eco mode, you eat with only 82 horsepower, and that mode is probably for those who are particularly interested – possibly when you sit with your heart in your throat to get to the charging station.

If, on the other hand, you activate the sport mode, all the forces are unlocked – and the throttle response becomes surprisingly sharp. Suddenly you discover that the car can be quite fun to drive on a slightly winding road. We were simply surprised at how much more “on” the car was by pressing the drive mode button.

How far does it go?

The car has a stated range of 330 kilometers. When we set out on a small range test with a fully charged, but not newly charged battery on a nice summer day, the car itself stated that it would be able to cover 300 kilometers before it was empty.

After a trip from Oslo, down to Drammen via E18 and a nice round trip into Telemark, and home again, the car could report that 265 kilometers had been covered and that we still had 48 kilometers left – a total of 313 kilometers.

We must be able to consider this as approved, given that the test route went both over steep Liertoppen at high speed twice – and hilly terrain in Telemark.

The car does not have the world’s best system for retrieving statistics, but the power consumption is in the range of 1.5–1.8 kWh per mile.

Delivers exactly what it is supposed to

It’s actually a little strange that the Opel Corsa-e has not received more attention in the run-up to the launch. The reason is probably that the car ends up in the shadow of the Peugeot e-208 which has already been on the market for a while.

We are quite convinced that if this car had been on the market a year earlier, it could have the potential to be one of the country’s best-selling cars.

In these times, it risks becoming a bit “one of many” – not least with competition from closely related varieties from the same group.

But the combination of being price pressures, having a snazzy design, good range, some practical solutions – and the absence of real irritation, makes the Corsa-e a car that appears surprisingly sensible and that more people should consider.

The good

• Good range
• Nice design
• In sports mode, it is quite a snap to drive
• Good charging speed
• Fully acceptable performance
• Isofix X3
• Good with equipment
• Among the cheaper electric cars

The bad

• The price is not so impressive with the equipment you want
• The screen solutions are so-so
• Some short seat cushion for the longest of us
• No luggage compartment in front

The cruel

• Should it be even cheaper?

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