Vauxhall Corsa GSE Review

Introduction and model history – Vauxhall Corsa GSE

​This might be the most important Vauxhall in years. Not because it's the quickest Vauxhall ever made, and certainly not because it's the most expensive. It's important because this is the car that needs to convince enthusiasts that an electric hot hatch really can be fun.

Vauxhall has some history here. If you grew up in the '80s, '90s or noughties and considered a McDonald's car park to be a perfectly acceptable place to spend a Friday evening, there's a good chance you lusted after a fast Vauxhall. From GTE and GSi to the later, fire-breathing VXR models, Vauxhall knew how to make hot hatchbacks with a properly mischievous streak. Then things went a bit quiet.

Now GSE – or Grand Sport Electric – is supposed to bring some of that magic back for the electric age. We've already seen it on the Mokka GSE, but somehow putting the badge on a Corsa feels much more significant.After all, hot Corsas are supposed to be a little bit silly. Thankfully, this one is.

Range, battery and charging

Right, we'd better calm things down for a moment and talk about sensible electric car stuff.

The Corsa GSE uses a 51kWh usable battery, which is the same battery you'll find elsewhere in the Stellantis electric-car family, but in particular the regular Corsa Electric. Official range is up to 232 miles if you spend £100 and have the more efficient Hankook tyres fitted; if you decide to save your cash, the standard-fit Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tyres are claimed to give 220 miles. That's perfectly respectable for an electric hot hatch on paper, and there’s the issue – drive the GSE like a GSE, you're not going to get anything like 232 miles.

Charging isn't groundbreaking, either. Maximum DC charging speed is 100kW, with Vauxhall claiming a 0-80% charge in around 30 minutes from a suitably powerful rapid charger. There's also an 11kW onboard AC charger.Vehicle-to-Load functionality means you can use the Corsa's battery to power external electrical equipment, too, although you'll need an adaptor.

None of that is especially exciting, but perhaps that's the point. Underneath all the GSE bits this remains a perfectly usable small electric hatchback. It just happens to be one with rather a lot of power and engineering – but more on that later.

Practicality and boot space 

Here's the good news: turning the Corsa Electric into a GSE hasn't suddenly made it useless.You still get five doors, five seats and the same 309-litre boot as the regular electric Corsa, so there's enough room for the weekly shop or a few weekend bags.

The rear seats are a bit snug for adults, especially if there are taller people sitting in the front, but that's true of the ordinary Corsa as well. In this respect, the GSE is a typical hot hatch as it has the standard car’s focus on usability but has some extra performance and attitude thrown in.

Interior, design and technology 

I actually quite like the fact that Vauxhall hasn't gone completely mad with the Corsa GSE, but I am undecided as to whether it stands out enough as the hot model.

Outside, there are new front and rear bumpers, wider wheelarches and some very tasty 18-inch three-spoke alloy wheels. If you're old enough to remember a Nova GTE then they might look rather familiar.

But there aren't fake vents everywhere. There's no enormous rear wing, no carbon-fibre overload and no desperate attempt to make it look like something that's just escaped from the Nurburgring racing circuit. It's just a smart-looking Corsa with a bit more attitude.

Inside, it's much the same story. There are some Alcantara-style materials and the infotainment gets GSE-specific performance displays showing things such as G-force, torque and acceleration. Otherwise, though, this remains recognisably a Corsa.

Until you see the seats. For me, a hot hatchback has to have a pair of special chairs up front, and the GSE really scores on this front. There's loads of extra bolstering to keep you nicely tucked in when you're throwing the car around, but it's the fabric that really makes them. The neon tartan is another little nod to Vauxhall's hot-hatch past and I never knew I needed neon tartan in my life. Oh, and there are also yellow seat belts – coloured seat belts in a hot hatchback is a real throw back to the eighties. 

Does the interior go far enough? Or do you prefer the more sophisticated feel you get in the Alpine A290? Let me by posting a comment in our video above.

Motors, performance and handling

The Corsa GSE gets a single electric motor driving the front wheels, producing a whopping 281hp and 345Nm of torque.

To put that into perspective, this little electric Corsa has more power than the original Astra VXR. It also comfortably outguns the 220hp Alpine A290 GTS+, the electric MINI John Cooper Works, and even the new 225hp Cupra Raval VZ Extreme and Volkswagen ID. Polo GTI twins. Although unsurprisingly being a Stellantis product, it has the same power output as the Peugeot E-208 GTi, Abarth 600e Competizione and Alfa Romeo Junior Veloce. 

Vauxhall claims 0-62mph in 5.5 seconds, and I have absolutely no reason to disagree with that as it is stupendously fast. Give the car full throttle even at 40mph and the front wheels spin. But the important thing is that Vauxhall hasn't simply shoved a huge electric motor into the front of a Corsa and called it a day. There's been some serious work underneath.

The GSE gets chassis upgrades inspired by Vauxhall's electric rally programme, including quicker steering, stiffer springs, bespoke dampers, hydraulic bump stops and a rear anti-roll bar that's 33% stiffer than the standard car's. There’s also a sound generator that mimics the noise of a petrol engine, and the really important bit: a Torsen limited-slip differential between the front wheels.

Get back on the power through a corner and you can actually feel it dragging the car towards the apex rather than simply spinning away all that power through the inside tyre. It makes a huge difference.

The steering wheel does wriggle in your hands as the front tyres fight to put all that power onto the road, but you know what? I think that actually adds to the fun. This is a 281hp front-wheel-drive hot hatch. I want it to feel a little bit feisty.

The quicker steering makes the Corsa feel much more immediate and precise than the standard car, too. And because the Corsa sits much lower than the Mokka GSE, which uses essentially the same performance hardware, it feels noticeably keener to change direction. There's virtually no body roll and it feels properly agile. This doesn't feel like an electric car that's merely very fast in a straight line. It feels like somebody has actually thought about how to make it entertaining.

There is a price to pay, though – the ride. It is extremely firm, which is great on the one hand it gives the Corsa excellent body control, and helps keep the car welded to the road. But on the other hand, the ride is a little much for everyday driving. It’s not very forgiving, and I would guess that if you’re not in the mood for some enthusiastic driving and just want to pop to the local supermini, the ride would get very tiresome. 

Maybe that’s what you want from a hot hatch, and it does give the GSE a very different feel to otherwise being a regular Corsa with a powerful motor up front. But the Alpine A290 does balance between engaging handling and comfort noticeably better.

Running costs and pricing

The Corsa GSE is priced from £34,495, and it is eligible for the £1,500 discount through the government’s Electric Car Grant (ECG), knocking the price down to £32,995. It gives the GSE a competitive edge over its nearest rivals.

The Alpine A290 GTS+, with its more sophisticated character and softer ride, comes in at £37,995 (before the £3,750 ECG, bringing the price down to a more comparable £34,245), while the Cupra Raval VZ Extreme is priced at £36,310 (£34,810 post £1,500 ECG) and the MINI John Cooper Works Electric at £34,905. The GSE’s biggest problem is its sister, the Peugeot E-208 GTi, which is priced at £34,995 (£33,495 after the £1,500 grant). 

Currently, there are no PCP or leasing offers available, but this will quickly change – and as soon as it does, we will update this review. Being a Corsa, which is one of the best-selling cars in the UK, we expect finance and leasing prices to be pretty competitive. 

As for the warranty, it's the standard Vauxhall cover, so three years or 60,000 miles for the car, and eight years or 100,000 miles for the battery. That's the same as the GSE's main rivals.

Verdict

The Corsa GSE feels like a proper performance car, and that's probably the biggest compliment I can give it.

It's not simply an electric Corsa with loads more power. The limited-slip differential, quicker steering and heavily reworked chassis give it genuine character, and it's the sort of car that actively encourages you to take the long way home.

It's seriously quick, too, but the straight-line performance isn't actually the most impressive thing about it. It's the way the Corsa turns into a corner, the confidence it gives you to lean on the front tyres and the way that differential drags you out the other side that makes it properly entertaining.

The ride is very firm, though, and the 232-mile maximum range will fall off a cliff as soon as you drive the GSE in the manner Vauxhall intends. There's also the small matter of its sister, the Peugeot E-208 GTi, looming in the background; it’s just £500 more expensive than the Corsa, it’ll drive in a similar manner to the most likely, and I think the GTi badge carries a lot more kudos. 

But none of that takes away from what Vauxhall has achieved here. Fast Vauxhalls used to have a reputation for being slightly mischievous, slightly unruly and enormous fun. The Corsa GSE isn't quite as wild as some of its ancestors, but the spark is definitely back.

Like the Vauxhall Corsa GSE? Try these...

Alpine A290 Review

Abarth 600e Review

Cupra Raval Review