Russelsheim - Opel revealed its new Corsa GSI back in March, and be ‘revealed’ we mean the company showed us some nice pictures of it, but didn’t bother to impart some important details, such as what kind of engine powers the car.
Now Opel has spilled the beans and it turns out the GSI will be motivated by Opel’s 1.4-litre turbopetrol engine, credited with 110kW and 220Nm, which Opel says is good enough to get it from zero to 100km/h in just 8.9 seconds and on to a top speed of 207km/h.
Cogs are swapped the good old fashioned way, with a short-ratio six-speed manual gearbox doing service in the GSI.
So as expected the Corsa GSI is more warm hatch than hot hatch, albeit a potentially enticing pocket rocket alternative to Suzuki’s Swift Sport, but doesn’t the current Opel Corsa Sport - which is already on sale in SA with the same 1.4T engine - already fill that role?
It sure does, but apart from the engine, the GSI enhances the overall experience with an OPC chassis and it’s a lot sportier looking as Opel has based it on the coupe-like three-door bodystyle and given it a more distinctive body kit.
To that end, the Corsa GSI gets carbon-look trim on the wing mirrors and honeycomb grille, pointy satin chrome accents on the lower air intakes of the redesigned front bumper, side skirts and a large rear spoiler. Buyers can also opt for chunky 18-inch alloys as seen in the pics.
Clients will also have to pay more for Recaro performance seats, although a bespoke sports steering wheel is standard, along with aluminium sport pedals.
The local importer has not officially confirmed whether the Corsa GSI is coming to South Africa, however a spokesperson did state that bringing GSI derivatives would “make sense”, given the heritage inherent in the badge.