VAUXHALL CORSAVAN
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IPRICE AS TESTED: £7,465 (ex-VAT). ENGINE: 1.4 litres, petrol, 59hp (44kW). GVW: 1,375kg. PAYLOAD: 383kg (plus 75kg driver). SPEED (laden): 63.0km/h (391mph). FUEL CONSUMPTION (laden): 42.1mpg (6.71it/100km).
Take one Vauxhall Corsa, remove the back seats and windows, stir in a couple of steel panels, some eye hooks, a load mat—and voila! You have a Corsavan. Does this car-derived morsel cut the mustard, or is it a recipe for disaster? And how does it compare with other car-derived vans on the menu?
ynics might suggest the only reason manufacturers offer so many car-derived vans is that they're so easy to throw together. But what manufacturer with an ounce of common sense would spend good money developing and marketing a product no-one wants? If there weren't a demand for midget runabouts, surely noone would build them, would they? Perhaps its all a bit chicken and egg.
The Vauxhall Corsa, Fiat Punto, Ford Fiesta, Peugeot 206 and Renault Clio all play mother hen and offer a working sibling. What a feast! None carries enough for a banquet, mind you, but if all you want is a take-away delivered quickly through towncentre traffic, these little nippers could be just the ticket.
PRODUCT PROFILE
Vauxhall offers the Corsavan in one spec level, the GLS, costing £7,465 with the HiTorq petrol engine as tested here, or £8,040 with a 1.7-litre diesel. Our petrol model develops 59hp (44kW) at 5,400rprn and io6Nm (78Ibft) at 3,000rpm; the diesel gives the same peak power at 4,400rpm, with ri2Nm of torque on tap at 2,650rpm.
Standard equipment includes a halfheight steel bulkhead, an RDS radio-cassette, power steering, central locking, intermittent wash-wipe on the tailgate and a driver's airbag. Other safety features include twin side-impact door bars and pre-tensioning on the height-adjustable seat-belts.
Side orders include an upper mesh load restraint for £85—a passenger air bag will set you back another £285.
Load bay length is 1.3m by just under a metre wide, with a height of about 9 oomm, giving a claimed load volume of i.o3m3. Maximum payload is 383kg with a 75kg driver. Servicing intervals are 12 months or to,000 miles.
PRODUCTIVITY
At 42.impg fuel consumption can't match the diesel competition, but is still pretty good, particularly compared with the Carry, which returned a figure almost 'mpg worse (bear in mind that it was holding over rzokg more). The diesel version of the Corsa we tested six years ago returned a class-leading figure of 48.9mpg (CM 55-21Sept 1994).
The Corsavan's payload capacity of 383kg is beaten only by the Carry, which is a little bit of a stranger in this company anyway. For a van of this size, axle tolerance is really rather good at 55kg. The load area comes with all the trimmings, including half-height side protection, tie-down points and a load-bay mat to stop cargo slipping around (this can also make it trickier to remove).
CDVs are notorious for lofty loadbeds, and the Corsavan is no exception, with 68omm to conquer. We guess most loads aren't going to be that heavy, so this isn't likely to be the most important of complaints. In any case, you could do worse with the Suzuki and a loading height of 74ormn.
These little vans are all about delivering small loads into tight spaces, diving in and out of traffic and making the most of their small size. On the Corsa we measured a kerb-tokerb turning circle of 7.35m, which is the tightest on test, and there's only two-and-ahalf turns of the wheel from lock to lock—perfect for the nip and tuck of urban driving.
Central locking is standard, and this is a welcome addition on any van, even if it takes only a split second to get from the driver's door to the tailgate on the Corsavan. However, the locking system didn't seem to be working particularly well on our test vehicle, and the tailgate lock proved a little reluctant.
As well as the central deadlocking and engine immobiliser, buyers are also spoilt with a security system which features sound detectors—excellent.
ON THE ROAD
Performance, ride and handling on the Corsa are lip-smacking, up to a point Tackle the throttle with gusto and you'll quickly be whooping along like a good 'un—until the police stop you for reckless driving and speeding.
Acceleration figures are about two seconds ahead of the crowd, and a second or so ahead of the best of the rest. The Corsa moves from standstill to 50mph in 12.3sec; from 305omph in 7.6sec; and from 40-60mph in 9.6sec: a nippy little thing, and no mistake.
It's a measure of the versatility of the gearing and the flexibility of the engine that the 4 o-Gomph figures were virtually identical using second and third, third and fourth or third on its own. Take your pick and away you go.
Despite the good turn of speed and sensible ratios, the gearbox constantly surprises by actually finding the gears you are after. Given the almost total lack of feedback or feel through the stick, it's a marvel that you don't end up selecting the wrong gear each and every tune you want to shift.
Around town the Vauxhall is great, with nice quick responses. Actually, this is understating it a little—the chassis feels as if it's wired into the national grid. Chuck it into a bend—sorry, negotiate a corner—and the ladder frame jumps into life. Driving through London traffic is like a mad trip on a giant Scalextric layout. Turn-in is ultra-sharp, and hold around the corners is very good indeed.
But this fiery Mexican-like mouthful of madness becomes a bit much along the motorway, where a gentle cruise can turn into a bit of a hectic headlong dash. It becomes hard to keep the imp on the straight and narrow when a small turn of the wheel translates into a large movement on the road—great in a go-kart, but a little annoying in a van after Go miles on the Mi. Vauxhall says feel is improved on the van but we reckon it could do with a little more calming down.
A full load clearly doesn't mean the best ride, as this little Vauxhall is on a much more stable and even keel when it is unladen (it might be even better suited to a part load, which we didn't try). In any case, drive it like a boy racer around the roundabouts and the Corsa will understeer gently, but snap the steering wheel from side to side on the motorway and you could be in for a lively time.
In general, the brakes came across as safe, but they proved disappointing when pushed at the test track. Here there was little feel, early lock-up and fairly long stopping distances for something carrying so little weight.
CAB COMFORT
The cab is pleasant, cool and calming. The patterns on the seat are nice, and the doors are upholstered for that luxurious feel. Most vans in this class cosset their drivers and passengers, but if you want a more austere environment or have a fetish for certain materials, Vauxhall will fit vinyl seat coverings at no extra cost—you lucky people!
Seat rails in the Vauxhall are pretty short. Even if you pull the back up to get more space to push the seat back, there's not a great deal of travel on offer to the taller driver: this is a midget van, after all.
Most drivers should be able to find an adequate position, however, as the driver's seat is adjustable for height as well as reach and recline. Seat-belts are also height-adjustable, as are the headrests, but the steering wheel is staying put.
Visibility is pretty good but the top of the roof line is a little low, especially if you jack the seat up. Keeping the view clear to the rear is helped by a heated rear screen with intermittent wash-wipe. Wing mirrors are internally adjustable. It's easy enough to reach over and fiddle with the passenger side, but we wouldn't recommend doing this on the move. Controls are all where you would expect to find them and are easy to understand and use.
The multi-function display is clear, and takes in the radio, which is a built-in affair but very good nonetheless, coming with RDS. Outside temperature can also be displayed which is, er, useful for knowing if you were right in thinking it was freezing before you got in the van. Or, if the temperature suddenly rises to 30° outside, you could take emergency measures, like opening a window.
Storage opportunities come in the shape of a lidded glovebox, a shelf by the passenger's knees, a brace of coat hooks, door pockets and an ashtray. None of these is particularly large, but this isn't a Tardis, after all.
This class of van offers a tasty little selection to the right buyer, and the Corsavan is a well-prepared and appointed example of the breed. The petrol engine doesn't gulp down fuel by any standards, but if you want something even leaner, then pick a diesel version from the menu.
• by Peter Lawton