The Opel Corsa-e is 4.06 meters short, looks like a normal Corsa, but it’s only from 29,900 euros to get – and for that there is only the basic version. Our test car is in “Power Orange” and with the black 17-inch wheels, however, quite bold. We cover the marathon distance with him in Frankfurt, that is 42 kilometers; The average German doesn’t commute much more during the day.
Full power is only available in “Sport” driving mode
If you were to squeeze a full bottle onto the tube, the Opel Blitz would need a silent one 8.1 seconds for the sprint to 100 km / h. Yes, 136 hp and 260 Nm torque are fun, but no, it won’t work 337 kilometers Range according to WLTP standard. So just don’t lose your nerve, instead of “Sport” (then it has full power) and “Normal” (then it is 109 hp) rather drive in “Eco” mode. 82 hp are enough for the city tour. And it’s better to pull the automatic “banana” again, switch from D to B: Then it recuperates, so it brakes automatically when the accelerator is released and loads juice into the 50 kWh battery.
The battery consists of 216 cells, distributed over 18 modules, which are housed under the front and rear seats.
With the low center of gravity, the Corsa-e takes you around the corner quickly
City likes the Corsa-e, always taking off the gas and braking automatically, reloading again and again. The fuel gauge has seven gray bars and a red one at the end; we have already descended 30 kilometers and are still nibbling on the first square. Range fear? In all honesty: If you are afraid of lying there, you always have three cases of beer at home because your buddies could spontaneously ring the doorbell. We haven’t even mentioned Opel made the Corsa-e even sportier than the combustion engine. This is due to the six centimeters lower center of gravity, the 345 additional kilograms due to the battery and the crisp, firm driving experience because the rigidity of the body has been increased by 30 percent. The Corsa-e steers precisely around the corner, you can move it sportily because Opel has modified the front axle; There’s a lot of engineering brainwash in there so that the Corsa drives as you can expect from an Opel.
Electrification also has tangible disadvantages
And that makes up for everything that objectively makes him worse. First, its trunk is smaller, packs 267 to 1042 liters. In the case of diesel and gasoline engines, there are 309 to 1081 liters. Second: The batteries make the small car heavy, it weighs 1,455 kilos empty, a 100-horsepower gasoline engine weighs 1138 kilos.
The electric Corsa also drives as you would expect from an Opel: taut and definitely sporty.
The consumption of the Opel Corsa-e is close to the factory specification
When we arrived at our destination, we only ate away one of the eight bars. And do the math: 42 times 8, that’s 336 kilometers. Consumption is also very close to the Opel promise: 17.1 kWh, the prospectus says 16.8. The Bill please! For 29,900 euros they screw steel rims on it, better take the “GS Line” equipment for 33,245 euros, then LED light and 16-inch aluminum are in it. By the way, thanks to funding, 9,570 euros are still deducted from the price. So let’s land at 23,495 euros. Maybe change your parking space at the gas station?
Technical specifications
Opel Corsa-e • Motor: electric motor • Battery type: lithium-ion • Battery capacity: 50 kWh • Power: 100 kW (136 hp) • max. Torque: 260 Nm • drive: front-wheel drive, single gear • length / width / height: 4060 / 1765-1960 / 1433 mm • empty weight: 1455 kg • trunk: 267-1042 l • 0-100 km / h: 8 , 1 s • Vmax: 150 km / h • Consumption: 16.8 kWh / 100 km (WLTP) • Range: 337 km (WLTP) • Price: from 29,900 euros
