Vauxhall Corsa cuts emissions with new mild hybrid petrol

Vauxhall’s revamped Corsa line-up now gets a new mild hybrid powertrain, delivering lower emissions and improved fuel efficiency.

The new mild hybrid joins the conventional petrols and the two fully electric powertrains in the Corsa line-up

On sale now, it’s priced from £22,890 and starts first deliveries from March, joining the existing conventional petrols and the two fully electric powertrains for the latest Corsa, which received a major update last year^[1].

Already seen in various Stellantis group models, including the Vauxhall Grandland^[2], the mild hybrid powertrain features a new 1.2-litre petrol engine in two states of tune – 100hp and 136hp – with a six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission featuring an integrated 28hp electric motor.

The electric motor allows the Corsa Hybrid to be driven short distances on electric power alone under low torque requirements, for example when manoeuvring or under 18mph in city traffic.

The mild hybrid tech lowers fuel consumption by around 20% compared to the standard petrol Corsa. The official WLTP figure stands at 60.1-62.8mpg while CO2 emissions are also lower at 102-106g/km.

The 0-62mph time stands at 10.7 seconds for the 100hp powertrain and 8.6 seconds for the 136hp powertrain – both 0.1 seconds quicker than the equivalent petrol models, thanks to the electric motor assisting the petrol engine under acceleration.

It’s available in Design (100hp only), GS (100hp and 136hp) and Ultimate (136hp) specifications.

The entry-level Design comes with 16-inch alloy wheels and chrome-effect badging, while onboard technology includes a new 10-inch touchscreen, with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard. All Design models also get LED headlights and daytime running lights, high beam assist and rear parking distance sensors as well as driver assistance tech, including lane departure warning with lane keep assist, speed sign recognition, driver drowsiness alert, cruise control and automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection.

GS models add in contrasting black roof and A-pillars, high-gloss black B-pillars, a black Griffin logo and Vizor frame at the front and 17-inch diamond-cut gloss black alloy wheels. Other additions over Design specification include LED front fog lights and taillights, front and rear parking sensors and a rear-view camera.

Top-of-the-range Ultimate models get Vauxhall’s IntelliLux adaptive LED Matrix headlights designed to provide enhanced visibility at night without dazzling other road users. They also feature a heated steering wheel, heated seats and keyless entry and start, along with more advanced driver assistance features such as enhanced automatic emergency braking and extended traffic sign recognition.

References

1. ^{^} which received a major update last year (fleetworld.co.uk)
2. ^{^} Vauxhall Grandland (fleetworld.co.uk)