VAUXHALL CORSAVAN
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G„ to work in an egg. Well, not quite, but Vauxhall's new Corsavan is the most curvaceous commercial since... the Vauxhall Combo.
One might have expected Vauxhall to have launched the Corsavan before the Combo, as it is a straightforward conversion of the three-door Corsa hatchback: no rear seats, blanked-out side windows, a bulkhead and tie-down eyes turn it into an urban van that replaces the Novavan in competition with the Fiesta and its peers. We tested the catalyst-equipped 1.4-litre petrol model, which puts out 44kW (59hp)—the same quoted power as the 1.7-litre Isuzu diesel available at £500 more.
The aggressive pricing that Vauxhall showed with the introduction of the Combo has been carried over to the Corsavan, though Ford's dramatic CDV price cuts (CM17-23 March) have dulled their impact considerably.
Still, the cheapest petrol Corsavan comes in at around £565 less than the smallerengined Fiesta 1.1CFi, while diesel models are roughly on a par. Other rivals—the VW Polo, the Fiat Unovan and Renault's new Clio van—are generally a few hundred pounds less.
You have to ask yourself: who buys small vans like the Corsa? Those buyers suffer from restricted load space and awkward access: they have the high loading lip of most hatchbacks—but they are easy to drive and relatively easy on the eye. The Corsavan is probably best seen as a combination of mobile billboard and tax-friendly personal transport.
The Corsa will win no prizes for load volume; its quoted figure of 1.02m3 is roughly on a par with the Fiesta (0.94m3), the Polo (1.26m3) and Renault's new Clio Van (1.06m3), but it's not very tall and the sharply curved sides make it seem rather cramped. It's a good-quality loadspace, though, with a steel half-bulkhead and a mesh upper bulkhead, four tie-down eyes and a vinyl load mat. Above all, it appears strong the generously curved roof pillars look disproportionately massive.
The Corsavan's payload is on the pace, at 395kg (plus a 75kg driver); this leaves no axle tolerance, but it's appreciably more than the Fiesta's 340kg. The class leader is the Polo, at 440kg.
Fuel consumption is smackdab on the petrol-engined class average at 6.11it/100km (46.0mpg) fully laden, with an unexceptional average speed round our Kent test route of 67.5kni/h. We would expect the diesel version to offer roughly 20% better economy.
Where a diesel loses out is in servicing the petrol model requires a major service every 18,000 miles (29,000km) with an interim service every 9,000 miles, while the diesel needs an oil change at half that distance. Any Vauxhall dealer can handle the Corsavan, so servicing should be easy. Admirably, the Corsa's sixyear anti-perforation warranty does not rely on periodic bodywork inspections.
One expects a small petrolengined CDV to be easy to drive above all, so it came as a surprise to find that the Corsavan had rather heavy steering at low speeds; power assistance is an option, but if the Clio diesel can do without, why can't the Corsa?
Vauxhall boasts of the Corsavan's advanced suspension, with progressive-rate coil springs at the rear and anti-roll bars at both ends, but in truth ride quality is average for the class and there is some vagueness, as if the suspension bushes are too soft. An odd oscillating motion is set up if the steering is allowed to self-centre vigorously, which leads to body roll while travelling in a straight line. Handling is otherwise predictable, but ultimate grip is limited by the tyres, and it's easy to lock up the front wheels on braking. The Corsa wears 145/80 Michelins which look rather small on its 5Jx13 wheels; both the Uno and the Clio vans sit on fatter 155/70 rubber (and the Fiat makes do with 4.5J rims).
The engine is bigger than most of the competition's, but this petrol van is not an exceptional performer. The gear change is disappointing: first is slow to engage, and it is all too easy to go from second to fifth. Acceleration is OK, but the engine works best on the motorway: think of a speed, and the Corsa will get you there eventually. Highly illegal speeds are possible (and seem easy, thanks to a pretty optimistic speedometer) without excessive road or wind noise, though the van gets a little twitchy in side winds, The doors are noticeably heavy: they are fitted with not one, but two side-impact protection bars apiece. We chose not to test whether this was simply a gimmick. But Vauxhall takes safety pretty seriously: anti-submanning seats and seat-belt tensioners are standard, and a full-size driver's-side airbag is optional.
More immediately useful is central locking, standard on all Corsavans. LS models also come with Vauxhall's excellent built-in radio—its separate display makes it practically theft-proof though the Merit comes without a radio as standard.
The Corsa is not a big vehicle, so legroom may be restrictive for larger drivers, and the left foot can foul the steering column, but ergonomics are generally good. The instruments are perfectly legible, switchgear is nice and there is a decent amount of stowage space. The door mirrors are adjustable from the inside and offer a reasonable field of view, but they aren't as impressive as the Combo's massive mirrors. Thankfully, the Corsa retains the Combo's electric headlamp levelling, which should be compulsory on CDVs.
Finally, it's worth mentioning the owner's manual: this is a model for other manufacturers, being well laid out and well indexed. And there is a neat slot for the service book in the glove compartment.
There's no reason to avoid this ovoid. You probably won't be able to. If Vauxhall's latest poster campaign is as successful as that for the Combo, you'll see a lot of the cute Corsavan.
The Corsa suffers from being less immediately impressive than the Combo. Ford has jumped the gun with its newly airbagequipped Fiesta and Renault has come out with the Clio. But the Vauxhall's petrol engine is a nice one—it suits the Corsa better than the Combo—and the Corsa-van is comfortable for the (smaller) driver and is as well suited to the motorway as to the town.
Coma? No, it's as fine as the next van.
II by Toby Clark