2004 Vauxhall Corsa SRi from UK and Ireland - Comments

I've had a 2005 Corsa C Sri 1.8 and a 97 Saxo VTS (and VTR), and I have to say that the Corsa beat the Saxo in almost every respect. Personally I feel the Corsa looks better, I love the aggressive front end and curved roof spoiler. The straight-line performance was better in the Corsa because of the better torque, which made it a better motorway car. I'd say there's not much between the two interiors, however for long drive comfort I preferred the Saxo. As standard I much preferred the engine noise of the Corsa, deeper and more rorty than the Saxos. The only other concession the Corsa has to the Saxo is possibly the handling, because the Saxo is lighter and feels a lot more steery and loose, which is more fun in the bends, however this is because it comes with less kit and poor safety, whereas the Corsa feels chunky and safe and has lots of grip.

In terms of fuel consumption I can't say I noticed any difference between the two cars, both seemed a little bit juicy (may have been the driving though). Another plus for the Saxo is that it's incredibly easy to pick up pretty much any spare for, whereas the Sri has some bespoke items that are hard to get hold of, my example being a rear brake caliper, which took my local dealer almost a week to locate (in Germany), and a further 3 weeks to get to me. I had to sell both for different reasons, neither to do with the cars themselves, but I know which one has me hankering for more. The Corsa C 1.8 Sri.

I am looking to buy an 1.8 SRi, and I wanna know if it will beat a Fiesta 2.0 ST in a race?

That depends on what you call a race. Straight line there won't be much in it, but the Fiesta will probably pull away, but you will only notice it at about 110. But you do have to take in to consideration, the Fiesta's got 2.0L 150bhp engine so it will have more torque, but the 0-60 is almost the same; the Fiesta takes 7.9 seconds and the Corsa takes 8 flat, a perfect gear change will get you the extra 0.1 LOL.

Round town I'd say the Corsa, but only because I have raced about 4 or 5 STs. My Corsa doesn't have traction control (LOVE IT) so I can throttle more and not have my power cut off. Whereas the Fiesta has got traction, but I was told by a guy after we stopped at the lights that it is a Switchable ESP, but in the rain he would have probably beat me, seen as my car doesn't grip in the rain (wheel spins in 3rd gear).

So yeah, it all depends on you and the other driver, they're identical when it comes to performance. But when you're racing in your 1.8, make sure you're awake ;)

Lol cheers mate.