Tested: Vauxhall Corsa Red Edition

Price: £17,125

RED cars have long been associated with speed. The classic Lamborghini Countach wouldn’t have been the same without a splash of red and for many Rosso Corsa (racing red) is the only colour for a Ferrari.

According to a recent scientific study, blokes who express a preference for red have higher levels of testosterone. They are more dominant and aggressive than fellas who prefer a nice blue car.

If you drive a red car expect some stick from fellow road-users. We react more aggressively to red cars than any other colour, honking our horns and using rude hand gestures. The phrase ‘like a red rag to a bull’ , springs to mind.

Which brings me nicely to the new Vauxhall Corsa Red Edition a car which comes in any colour you like - so long as it’s red.

ON THE ROAD:

Surprisingly, the Red Edition isn’t based on the crazy Corsa VXR and doesn’t get that car’s 1.6-litre turbo nutter engine. It’s better to think of the Red Edition (and its cousin, the Black Edition) as a spiritual cousin to the SRi - a warm-hatch rather than a red hot one.

HOT: Warm Corsa is almost as good as a VXR

Warm in this case still means a blown 1.4 which chucks out 150PS (10PS more than a Fiesta Zetec S) and 220Nm of torque - good enough for a near 130mph top speed. The 0-62mph time of 8.9 seconds is more indicative of how the Red feels on the road unless you’re prepared to rev it. When the red-mist comes down the power really comes in above 2,500rpm but until then, the sporty Corsa feels as docile as granny’s 1.3 CDTi.

The Red’s handling is sharper than a pensioner special, thanks to sports suspension, which lowers the ride height, and wider tyres, but it doesn’t have the front end grip of the VXR.

The upside is a ride which is infinitely more comfortable than the hottest Corsa, particularly on dodgy British B-roads. Whereas the VXR almost pummels your backside into submission, the Red Edition smooths out the worst bumps and dips.

Road roar and wind noise are well suppressed.

To help establish the Red’s credentials as a warm hatch it gets the usual styling makeover: 17-inch diamond-cut alloys, spoiler, skirts, chrome exhaust and blacked out windows.

ON THE INSIDE:

Vauxhall has liberally splashed red trim around the cabin. The fascia (which is uncannily similar to the Adam city car’s dashboard) is a mixture of soft-feel slush-moulded plastics where you can see, and cheaper stuff where you can’t. It looks good, though, and everything is logically placed. Drivers with sausage fingers will appreciate the big touch-sensitive on/off button for the music system.

Naturally, the driver and front passenger occupy sculpted sports seats. There’s a modest trade-off in rear legroom, but nothing too restrictive, and the fronts have a memory feature so you don’t have to readjust the back rest every time someone clambers in.

The comfortable steering wheel has lots of reach and rake adjustability - something we don’t always see on cars in this class.

WHAT DO YOU GET:

Vauxhall has loaded the Red Edition with kit. Cold morning? You’ll be needing the heated front windscreen and heated door mirrors. Too hot? Don’t worry, just activate the air conditioning. Fancy taking it easy? The cruise control is just a button press away. Steering too heavy in town? Select the City Mode steering function and it’s as light as a feather.

The DAB head unit has a 3.5mm aux input (for old school iPod types) and Bluetooth wireless smartphone streaming for the rest. Naturally, you can control it all from the chunky leather-wrapped steering wheel.

Vauxhall’s OnStar personal information system comes as standard, as does a seven-inch touchscreen interface.

HOW PRACTICAL IS IT?

Front passengers are spoiled for legroom thanks to a sculpted dash which sucks in its mid-rift for extra knee space. The centre console has a small cubby for spare change and a couple of moulded cupholders.

In the back the Corsa’s sloping roofline impinges on headroom and the small windows restrict the side view. At least getting in and out is straightforward thanks to seats that hinge and slide to make room. The five door model’s £700 premium could be worth paying if you regularly carry passengers in the back seats.

RUNNING COSTS:

Vauxhall claims the Red Edition can average almost 50mpg but if you extract maximum performance from the 1.4T engine your mileage will vary. The Ford Fiesta Zetec S claims more than 60mpg and lower CO2 figures, but it isn’t quite as quick.

Nevertheless, the Corsa Red Edition is a lot cheaper to run than a full blown VXR (37.7mpg and 174g/km of CO2) and, on the UK’s traffic-choked roads, almost as much fun to drive.

VERDICT:

The Corsa Red might be a step back from the VXR’s red hot performance, but that’s no bad thing in a country where a speed camera may be lurking around every corner. This little Vauxhall can keep you out of the red in other ways, too. It offers similar driving thrills to the VXR in a cheaper, more affordable package. A red-letter day, indeed.

Spec: Engine: 1.4T Power: 150PS Torque: 220Nm Top speed: 129mph 0-62mph: 8.9 seconds Fuel cons: 49.6mpg (Official combined) CO2: 132g/km VED: £130