Vauxhall Corsa gets dramatic facelift, second electric powertrain and more kit

Recognise that face? That’s Vauxhall’s ‘Vizor’ - the basis of its so-called brand identity - which has already been applied to the Astra, Mokka, Grandland and Astra Sports Tourer, and now finds itself on this: the heavily refreshed Corsa supermini.

In styling terms it's a big departure from the pre-facelift Mk6 car, which for our money was already the best-looking small Vauxhall ever. Alas, other additions include those 17in alloys with black-effect detailing, and that shark fin antenna at the rear.

There’s also LED matrix headlights which block off the beam to oncoming traffic, and the model name’s been spelled out along the width of the bootlid in that most curious of modern trends.

Meanwhile the Corsa Electric variant gains a new 51kWh battery (the old one was 50kWh) but there’s a 15 per cent improvement in range, claims Vauxhall, rising to 255 miles.

That’s for the new, upgraded 154bhp motor by the way: you can also choose to stick with the existing 134bhp powertrain, although range for that tops out at 222 miles, apparently.

The on-board charger is good for 11kW AC, which means a full top up in five hours 15 minutes, or more likely seven-and-a-half hours via the typical 7kW dished out by most home smart chargers. Rapid charging of up to 100kW is possible: expect 10-80 per cent in 30 minutes.

As expected there’s a 48v mild hybrid powertrain on the way too, which will complement the existing petrol line-up when it arrives later in 2023. More on that when we have it.

Inside the cabin has been given a refresh, with a bigger 10-inch infotainment screen and seven-inch digital instrument cluster carrying all-new graphics.

The steering wheel design has also been updated (though we can’t pinpoint any from the interior image above) and the seat patterns and shifter have been spruced up.

You want tech? There’s tech. Wireless phone charging is available for the first time, and Vauxhall’s thrown in its Connected 3D Navigation system with the promise of over-the-air updates to keep the software up to scratch. There’s even a voice assistant, triggered by the command ‘Hey Vauxhall!’ Which won’t get annoying…

Anything else? Oh yeah, there’s a new high-res panoramic rear-view camera and an updated safety suite including AEB with pedestrian recognition and adaptive cruise control.

Vauxhall reminds us that 2.8 million Corsas (including half a million Novas) have been sold in the UK since it first went on sale in 1982. As of May it is still the best-selling car on these shores, suggesting there’s still an appetite for the humble supermini after all. RIP Fiesta.

Order books for the new Corsa open this summer, with first deliveries expected in the fourth quarter of the year. What d’ya reckon?