Vauxhall Corsavan Review

But that's not necessarily a bad thing. The old Corsavan had plenty of strengths and Vauxhall has been able to make what was already a good van markedly better.

The looks follow on from the Corsa car with the same front end - giving it a wider and sportier stance - along with redesigned rear lights that now flow onto the tailgate. The cabin has been redesigned and it's here where the biggest changes are.

The seats are more comfortable and the steering column now adjusts for reach as well as height, meaning the Corsavan is far better for taller drivers, particularly if you spend all day behind the wheel.

The interior quality is much improved and the new layout means it's easier to use than before, plus standard equipment levels are impressive with DAB radio, Bluetooth plus electric windows and mirrors are all included.

Under the skin there are significant changes with new suspension front and rear which has helped to increase the payload up to 571kg. The load area is the same as before which means it's surprisingly good with vertical sides although the usual problem of a high load lip means it's not that easy to lift heavy items in or out.

The engines have been updated to Euro 6, with the choice of a 1.2 petrol or a 1.3 diesel. The CDTi is available in two outputs and will return up to 83.1mpg with the 95PS unit, while the 75PS averages a claimed 72.4mpg.

The Corsavan can also be ordered in Sportive trim, which adds a bodykit and a host of extras, including air conditioning, a leather steering wheel, front fog lights, alloy wheels and cruise control.

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It's still useful and practical at more than 1.2 metres in both width and length while the near-vertical sides built around the rear wheel arches makes carrying larger boxes easier.

As with the previous Corsavan, the loadbay is hindered by a high load lip, which makes it difficult to lift heavy items in and out. Plus, if smaller things slide to the front, it's quite a stretch in to reach them.

What has changed is the maximum payload - now up from 550kg to 571kg- which is considerably more than the Fiesta Van. The actual cargo volume remains 0.92 cubic metres - or 920 litres in old money, slightly less than the Fiesta Van.

A half height metal bulkhead comes as standard with a mesh top half to stop anything in the back tumbling into the front cabin. We'd recommend the rubber floor mat for the cargo area. It doesn't cost a lot, yet it's tough and durable.

Vauxhall has made big improvements to the cabin of the Corsavan; it echoes the Corsa with a much more modern look and better quality feel. The picture above is a Sportive model - hence the posh stitching on the leather steering wheel and bright red trim, but standard Corsavan models aren't that different.

The seats have been redesigned and are now more comfortable, especially noticeable on long journeys, plus they slide back further. Another plus point is the steering column, which now adjusts for reach as well as height. It makes it a lot easier to find a comfortable driving position. The only real criticisms are the tiny glovebox and the low-placed ventilation controls.

The Corsavan comes with an impressive level of standard kit with DAB, Bluetooth, electric windows and mirrors and six airbags as standard. In fact it has a long list of safety equipment including ESP and hill start assist, useful when trying to negotiate your way out of those tricky spots, plus straight line stability control and a tyre pressure monitoring system.

Vauxhall made changes under the metal of the Corsavan with new engine mountings to reduce vibration from the engine. The suspension has also been recalibrated, at both the front and back, which means the van is a lot more refined. It also handles well, both in town and at speed.

Of course its natural environment is town and at just four metres long, the Corsavan is ideal for getting into small spaces. That said, the turning circle isn't as tight as you'd expect.

Vauxhall fitted a new speed-sensitive electric power steering which works well with a nice weighty feel. It means you can easily hustle through traffic or along a country road with confidence, helped further by a lower ride height which has improved handling and lowered the van's centre of gravity.

It comes with a City Mode as standard - activated via a button the dash - which makes the steering lighter and easier at low speeds. It's great if you have to manoeuvre out of a particularly busy loading bay or building site.

The mainstay of the engine range is the 1.3 CDTi diesel which, like the 1.2-petrol, is now Euro 6 compliant. While there's less vibration from the diesel, it's still pretty noisy, although not coarse even when at higher revs. That's thanks to a new dual mass flywheel and a revised exhaust manifold.

Vauxhall also fitted a new turbocharger which means more torque from low revs, making the Corsa quicker from low speeds with less lag. There are two versions of the 1.3 CDTi available - one with 75PS and the other with 95PS.

It's eager enough and with 210Nm of torque in the top model, it certainly pulls well, even with a load on board. Admittedly, it's no ball of fire, but rarely feels sluggish, so you can easily keep up with faster flowing traffic.

The best is the ecoFlex model which is fitted with the more powerful 95PS engine. According to the official figures it returns 85.6mpg but gets a five-speed gearbox rather than the six-speed of Sportive model. The six-speed has a more positive shift and is by far the nicer gearbox.

The 1.3 CDTi 95PS Sportive and the lower power 75PS engine both return the same 74.3mpg. Surprisingly, the 1.2 petrol is no longer available with start/stop technology, which means economy falls from 65.7mpg to 52.1mpg.

Vauxhall Corsavan comes with ESP, hill start assist, six airbags (driver/passenger, side-impact and curtain), one-touch electrically operated windows, electrically adjustable door mirrors, CD30 audio unit with MP3 player, aux-In, Bluetooth, USB, DAB, tyre pressure monitoring plus speed-sensitive electric power-assisted steering with city mode.

Sportive adds air conditioning, metallic or pearlescent paint, four-Twin Spoke 16-inch alloy wheels, interior ambient lighting, heated windscreen, sports front seats, leather-covered steering wheel, steering wheel mounted audio controls, cruise control with speed limiter function, rain-sensitive windscreen wipers, electrically adjustable/heated door mirrors, front fog lights and automatic lighting control.

Options available were: Electronic Climate Control (ECC), Technical Pack (features Forward Collision Alert, Lane Departure Warning, Rear Camera, Traffic Sign Recognition and Following Distance Indicator), Winter Pack with heated seats and steering wheel 
Intellilink with seven-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Bluetooth and DAB