By: IOL Motoring Staff
Rüsselsheim, Germany - Opel has unleashed the feistiest member of its new Corsa family and this new OPC re-enters the baby hot hatch war armed with a more powerful engine.
The 1.6-litre OPC-developed turbopetrol powerhouse now pushes 152kW and 245Nm (or up to 280Nm on overboost), up from 141kW and 230Nm, to give it an extra 0.4 seconds in the zero to 100km/h sprint, now achieved in a claimed 6.8 seconds. It also gains 5km/h in top speed, now up to 230km/h.
The urge goes to the front wheels via a six-speed manual gearbox and to keep things relatively tidy, under those circumstances at least, the OPC has sportier suspension, perching it 10mm lower to the ground than standard Corsas, and a multi-mode ESP stability control that can be switched off completely. To solve that age-old conundrum of stiff/sporty versus soft/comfortable suspension, Opel teamed up with specialist Koni to develop an adaptable damping system that they call Frequency Selective Damping.
Those uncompromising drivers that demand maximum agility can also opt for a Performance Package that includes a multi-disc mechanical diff lock, 18-inch alloys with grippier rubber, Brembo high performance braking system with 330mm front discs and an even sportier chassis set-up.
While many carmakers keep their hot hatches looking rather anonymous on the street, the Corsa OPC rebels against all sleeper antics with a boisterous OPC exterior styling package and a cabin that gets you in that racing mood with race-style Recaro front seats, flattened steering wheel, sports pedals and bespoke instruments.
There's no roughing it on the gadgets front though, with Opel's smart-phone friendly Intellilink infotainment system being on the options list.