Electric Vauxhall Corsa-E is lighter and efficient — and as British as a bacon sarnie

WHATEVER your team, whatever your music, whatever you think of Brexit, we all agree on one thing. A new Vauxhall Corsa is a big deal for Britain.

The Corsa has topped the charts — ­alongside the Ford Fiesta — every month for 26 years. Since Britpop in the early Nineties.

It feels as British as a bacon sarnie with a blob of HP Sauce.

Well, this right here my friends is the very much improved 2019 Corsa and it’ll come in three flavours — petrol, diesel and fully electric.

I wasn’t supposed to share these pictures until next week but some smart arse leaked them on the internet so now I can.

The camouflaged pictures show me ­testing prototypes in Germany earlier this month.

Now let’s start by answering your most obvious question first.

How much?

From £15,000 when the petrol Corsa hits showrooms in November, and not far off double that for the battery-powered Corsa-e being readied for early 2020.

Not only will it replace the current car but also the Viva and Adam — making it the smallest Vauxhall you can buy.

Yes, very. Like night and day compared to the current car and I can say that with 100 per cent authority as I drove them back to back.

The improvements are down to French owner PSA giving Vauxhall the same ingredients as the new Peugeot 208 and DS 3 Crossback.

So, the new Corsa is ten per cent lighter. Which is good for agility and efficiency. Stiffer. Which means it rolls less and has a smarter turn-in. And you sit lower, which pleases me but won’t suit everyone.

It’s also quieter and more sophisticated and has a bigger and wider boot, up 24 litres to 309.

The chassis is still not as sorted as a Fiesta, it must be said — nothing drives as sweetly as that for the money — but it’s right up there with the VW Polo.

As for engines, I’d nudge you towards the three-cylinder 1.2-litre turbo petrol with eight-speed paddleshift auto.

That’s smooth and easy to live with around town and yet alert and torquey for a quick squirt down the bypass.

Just don’t expect it to set your pants on fire because it won’t. It’s 100hp. The current car is also 100hp but that’s a 1.4, this is 1.2.

Vauxhall is also sticking with a 100hp 1.5-litre diesel but unless you do more than 15,000 miles a year I wouldn’t bother.

Other observations: Five-door only. Comfy seats. Touchscreen. Apple CarPlay. All sorts of camera-based driver aids. Fancy Matrix LED headlights.

And there was one other thing I circled in my notes: The engineering chief is a German guy called Thomas Wanke.

Thankfully, his car isn’t.

Good job, Vauxhall.

And this lot need a plug too

VAUXHALL will have six all-electric models by 2021: Corsa, Mokka X, Vivaro van, Vivaro Life people carrier, Combo van and Combo Life.

The Mokka X – previewed as the GTX Concept, – will use the same innards as Corsa, meaning a 50kWh battery pack and a range of around 180 miles. It launches next summer alongside the zero-emission Vivaro.

The Combo follows soon after.

Before all that, the Grandland X will be available later this year as a plug-in hybrid. That’s your stepping stone to electric cars as it combines a 1.6-litre turbo petrol with a small 13.2kWh battery.

Vauxhall quotes 128mpg – yes, really – just 49g/km CO2 and a pure electric range of 30 miles. It’s also 4WD and 300hp so it’ll be rapid too.

With a wallbox at home, the battery fully charges in two hours.

Vauxhall has said that every model will be electrified by 2024.

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