Have the Opel Corsa OPC and its 207 hp had your eye?This is understandable, but we will have to be reason: Blitz bomb deserted the hexagon at the end of 2017, condemned by an ecological penalty that has become delusional (5.573 euros for 174 g/km, almost a quarter of its price).Rest assured, the Corsa has not given up any sporting hint.

As a palliative, Opel is indeed relaunching today on his city car (after the insignia last year) the GSI claw, born in the 80s in response to the GTI/I from Volkswagen and Peugeot.This new variant takes up the 1.4,150 hp of the ephemeral Corsa S (the one who also animates the Adam S) but associates it with an even more suggestive presentation and especially the chassis of the OPC.When the Corsa OPC had in the crosshairs the Ford Fiesta St, Peugeot 208 GTI or Volkswagen Polo GTI, the GSI is aimed at Fiesta 1 customers.0 140 hp St-Line or Seat Ibiza 1.5,150 hp fr, in search of dynamism and versatility at reasonable prices.

OPC are you there?

As for the appearance, the Corsa GSI, available exclusively in three doors, has in any case nothing to envy the OPC on fire.Provided you opt for the beautiful 18 inch rims (€ 300… and € 1,013 of additional penalty, we will come back to it), we have before our eyes the same car, except in the stern where Opel did not push the thriftyUntil resuming the diffuser and the two exhaust outlets of the ex-flower.Large air intake at the edge of the hood, no less imposing spout at the top of the tailgate, red brake calipers, carbon -style mirror shells, this panoply - made up of OPC line and carbon packs, also available on most othersfinishes of the range - always hoading the shy Corsa nicely.

The illusion extends in the cabin if we check the Recaro option (including heated seats and flying) as on our test model.Apart from these splendid leather, expensive (€ 2,050) but unequivalent in direct competition, the presentation is duller than outside.The atmosphere is not lacking in cachet thanks to satin chrome inserts and well -placed leather touches, even if an Adam s is more attractive.The slightly low central screen, key starter or on -board computer screen (3.5 inches in black and white) betray the age of Corsa, launched in 2014 and closely derived from its predecessor.The most small drivers will probably regret that they cannot lower the steering wheel more.The rear space remains correct for two adults but the roof guard is penalized by the profile of the three -door body, and the leg space by the bulky optional recaro buckets (with rigid shell, beware of the knees when leaving)).This Recaro / three -door combination also nights in peripheral visibility, but you have to know what we want...As on all three -door corsa, the 280 -liter cube chest, a now passable value for a city car.He benefits here as a series of a floor with adjustable height.

Sports, in moderation of course

Thirty years ago, the first Opel GSIs passed for over -mobile cars compared to their rudimentary chassis.Here, it is quite the opposite and we can hardly blame the 1.4 turbo to be zealous.Debt of character, it goes out after 5,000 rpm (the maximum torque of 220 Nm already arriving only at 2,750 rpm), in a desperately ordinary exhaust note.It must also dial with a significant mass of 1,214 kg (one quintal more than an Ibiza FR despite a lower ground imprint).No miracle against the time: 8.9 s on 0 to 100 km/h, it's 1 s more than the SEAT but also 8 tenths more than the previous Corsa GSI (2007), for an identical power inboth cases.

It would take much more to overcome the front axle, which logically does the self -locking offered on the performance OPC.No need to take out the cannon to chase the sparrows, it would be said across the Rhine.On the soggy laces of the Vosges, the Corsa GSI, pavement of its Michelin Pilot Sport 4 in standard, demonstrates an absolutely stunning motor skills."During her development on the Nürburgring, she stood up to much larger than her in the most winding portions," confirms with a Volker Strycek corner, boss of the OPC division and incidentally DTM 1984 champion.One thing is certain, his youngest puts confidence even in delicate conditions thanks to his pleasantly heavy direction (just a little sticky in a straight line) and very direct, his disciplined rear train and his hard controlled body movements.Despite a slightly bulky knob, we also appreciate the command of the six -speed manual transmission, firm as it is necessary and correctly guided.

If the whole lack of salt for lack of a more virulent mechanism and a more playful stern, this global efficiency is all the more impressive since it is accompanied by a comfort of honorable suspension on good coating, and thisDespite our optional 18 -inch rims.The counterpart of the latter is rather to be found on the side of the rolling noises, stammered on the highway.

Cursed malus

At 20.€ 700, the price of the Corsa GSI place it as well as its performance between the Fiesta 1.0 140 hp St-Line (20.€ 100) and Ibiza 1.5 150 hp (21.170 €).This is without counting the ecological penalty, certainly much less than on the OPC but still between € 860 in 17 inch rims (138 g/km) and € 1,873 in 18 inches (147 g), when its tworivals manage to get rid of it without problem (from 102 g for the Ford and 112 for the SEAT).With the 18 -inch rims and the Recaro, you flirt quickly, understood, with the entry ticket of an Fiesta St of 200 hp (for 136 g)… the Opel catches up as it can with solid equipment of standard equipment, including automatic air conditioning, GPS, reversing camera and bi-xenon headlights with intersection lighting.However, it is necessary to count 500 € to access the recognition of the panels and the warning warning, while neither the automatic emergency braking nor the adaptive regulator is among the options.

Failing to fill the vacuum left by the OPC, the Corsa GSI is growing a little the sparse ranks of the pseudo-sporting city workers.With soil connections worthy of a real one, which makes it all the more frustrating its lack of mechanical pep but does not prevent it from distilling its reasonable pleasure quota.