Vauxhall Corsa 1.3CDTi (95 PS) ecoFLEX Exclusiv (s/s) (A/C)
Discussion
More names and acronyms than an X5, but these statistics caught my eye:
MPG figures generally aren't to be believed, but even so, the real-world must be pretty high relative to other cars. It's basically free motoring! I remain impressed by my Corsa C relative to its low value, and often I find myself browsing Auto Trader for the later models, purely out of interest. I found myself looking at the diesel 1.3 CDTi to discover that there are quite literally 15-20 different CO2/MPG combinations based on spec, wheel size, and the degree of engine development VX had reached at the time. The little engine seemed to evolve constantly during the car's lifecycle.
I became quite interested to set out on a quest to buy the highest MPG Corsa D I could locate, and find out how it really was to live with.
An ecoFLEX must be the pinnacle of white goods motoring, but actually, for the car nerd in me it's actually quite interesting; the slightly strange ecoFLEX label does bring a set of engineering changes:
It's performance of a different kind...
I set to Auto Trader and one car immediately stood out due to mileage and condition, and although I don't like the colour, my wife did. The styling is basically irrelevant for this car anyway, and given how revered Vauxhall's are on PH I thought it worthy of a post. The details are:
It was up at £3,200 but (surprisingly) my offer of £2,600 was accepted. It had been advertised for a while and the car market seems to be in a nose-dive, so it's a good time to be a buyer. Anyway, here it is in all its glory:
Exterior
Interior
The owning family were really nice. The mother had hoped to pass on the car to her daughter for uni but daughter wasn't interested in driving, so the car had to go. The family left various things in the car for me including a care kit, fluids, high vis jacket, and phone charging stuff. I appreciated it. As an aside, the mother was partly (lightly) disappointed that her daughter had chosen a uni close to home, because she loves driving and would have enjoyed the regular drive to a uni far away! It just goes to show that you don't always need a fancy car to enjoy driving.
Chariots of fire. It'll be interesting to compare the two over the coming months.
MPG figures generally aren't to be believed, but even so, the real-world must be pretty high relative to other cars. It's basically free motoring! I remain impressed by my Corsa C relative to its low value, and often I find myself browsing Auto Trader for the later models, purely out of interest. I found myself looking at the diesel 1.3 CDTi to discover that there are quite literally 15-20 different CO2/MPG combinations based on spec, wheel size, and the degree of engine development VX had reached at the time. The little engine seemed to evolve constantly during the car's lifecycle.
I became quite interested to set out on a quest to buy the highest MPG Corsa D I could locate, and find out how it really was to live with.
An ecoFLEX must be the pinnacle of white goods motoring, but actually, for the car nerd in me it's actually quite interesting; the slightly strange ecoFLEX label does bring a set of engineering changes:
- 20mm lower ride height to reduce drag. It's the sport suspension from SXi/GSi models
- 45kg weight reduction
- ECU calibration for increased economy
- Elevated tyre pressures (39 front, 36 rear)
- Narrower, low rolling resistance tyres
- Modified front air management to reduce drag through intakes
- Shorter second gear – for better low-speed response. Fourth and fifth are longer, for improved motorway economy.
It's performance of a different kind...
I set to Auto Trader and one car immediately stood out due to mileage and condition, and although I don't like the colour, my wife did. The styling is basically irrelevant for this car anyway, and given how revered Vauxhall's are on PH I thought it worthy of a post. The details are:
- 47k miles
- Air conditioning
- Full history, though due a service
- Lady owner
- MPG/tax as per the opening image
- Start/stop (max economy figures)
It was up at £3,200 but (surprisingly) my offer of £2,600 was accepted. It had been advertised for a while and the car market seems to be in a nose-dive, so it's a good time to be a buyer. Anyway, here it is in all its glory:
Exterior
Interior
The owning family were really nice. The mother had hoped to pass on the car to her daughter for uni but daughter wasn't interested in driving, so the car had to go. The family left various things in the car for me including a care kit, fluids, high vis jacket, and phone charging stuff. I appreciated it. As an aside, the mother was partly (lightly) disappointed that her daughter had chosen a uni close to home, because she loves driving and would have enjoyed the regular drive to a uni far away! It just goes to show that you don't always need a fancy car to enjoy driving.
Chariots of fire. It'll be interesting to compare the two over the coming months.
Looking good. From memory these have the 5 speed F23 box as it has a lower internal resistance than the 6 speed M32.
Assuming I’m correct. Then that’s good news as the F23 is far more reliable!
1.3 dsl can have all the usual modern diesel problems. But it’s shared with Fiat and is fairly reliable. As is the platform itself which is shared with the grande punto. So feels quite different to a Corsa c.
Cheers
Assuming I’m correct. Then that’s good news as the F23 is far more reliable!
1.3 dsl can have all the usual modern diesel problems. But it’s shared with Fiat and is fairly reliable. As is the platform itself which is shared with the grande punto. So feels quite different to a Corsa c.
Cheers
I had this engine on in a Astra H not so long back, which did the inevitable and toasted it's gearbox - no more Vauxhall's for me! (Until the next one...)
It wasn't terribly quick in a larger car obviously, but I rather liked it, a game little unit - there's a perverse pleasure to be had in both driving a slow car fast, and wringing maximum economy from it.
It wasn't terribly quick in a larger car obviously, but I rather liked it, a game little unit - there's a perverse pleasure to be had in both driving a slow car fast, and wringing maximum economy from it.
cossy400 said:
hateful things but economy is key, or though im most surprised to see a thread from you on this vehicle
Haha are they that bad? I'll see how it goes.Mr Tidy said:
A bit different to your usual selection but it will be an interesting read.
It probably won't be 
martin mrt said:
I’m no Corsa fan, I’ve bought and sold a few and there’s not much I’ve liked about any of them however I can see the reasoning behind buying one as a white good car
In your custody this will be an interesting thread
It needs a V8, doesn't it.In your custody this will be an interesting thread
Pablo_Picasso said:
Looking good. From memory these have the 5 speed F23 box as it has a lower internal resistance than the 6 speed M32.
Assuming I’m correct. Then that’s good news as the F23 is far more reliable!
1.3 dsl can have all the usual modern diesel problems. But it’s shared with Fiat and is fairly reliable. As is the platform itself which is shared with the grande punto. So feels quite different to a Corsa c.
Cheers
Really interesting detail there. I did wonder why they hadn't gone with the 6 speed.I genuinely had no idea it was a JV with Fiat - I hope it proves more reliable than my other Italian car!Assuming I’m correct. Then that’s good news as the F23 is far more reliable!
1.3 dsl can have all the usual modern diesel problems. But it’s shared with Fiat and is fairly reliable. As is the platform itself which is shared with the grande punto. So feels quite different to a Corsa c.
Cheers
Fuzzarr said:
Looks like a decent buy. I had this engine in the lower state of tune in a 2007 Panda (the Panda's gearbox can't handle the extra torque the Vauxhall benefits from). It never did less than 60mpg and with some effort I got it into the upper 70s.
Good to know. I'm hoping for mid 70's.SirGriffin said:
I had this engine on in a Astra H not so long back, which did the inevitable and toasted it's gearbox - no more Vauxhall's for me! (Until the next one...)
It wasn't terribly quick in a larger car obviously, but I rather liked it, a game little unit - there's a perverse pleasure to be had in both driving a slow car fast, and wringing maximum economy from it.
Yes that's it. I haven't owned a really economical car before so I want to see what it'll do on that front.It wasn't terribly quick in a larger car obviously, but I rather liked it, a game little unit - there's a perverse pleasure to be had in both driving a slow car fast, and wringing maximum economy from it.
trevalvole said:
In which of your fleet did you turn up to buy the Corsa? Your F430, your CL or...? I imagine your choice could have had an influence on their willingness to negotiate!
Ha, it could. I discuss condition and negotiate over the phone before travelling. The visit is to make sure everything is as described, and pay for it.The parcel shelf was sagging. I found one at a breakers for £20 delivered. Not bad at all.
I treated it to some genuine VX mats.at £27 delivered. Bargain I thought. Also a drivers seat cover.
I've increased the tyre pressures to the full Eco spec: 39 front, 36 rear. I haven't run a car with pressures that high - I'll see how it rides.
I treated it to some genuine VX mats.at £27 delivered. Bargain I thought. Also a drivers seat cover.
I've increased the tyre pressures to the full Eco spec: 39 front, 36 rear. I haven't run a car with pressures that high - I'll see how it rides.
MPG check - calculated each time from a brimmed tank:
73.7 miles, all local/urban = 53.86 MPG
264.1 miles, all motorway = 68.1 MPG
That's OK, but not exactly amazing. My 180BHP remapped PD130 Mk4 Golf used to return 55 MPG average when driving with a lead foot.
I decided to take some data logs, starting with the basics:
Coolant temp: Between 78°C and 82°C. That's not high enough so I will change the thermostat - it could be sticking open.
Requested boost vs actual: Whilst these won't ever match perfectly, I believe that there's sufficient difference to warrant a check on the EGR valve to see if I'm loosing a bit of charge pressure through a partially open valve.
I'd like to think that 55 urban, 75 motorway is achievable. That's roughly ~20% off of the test figures which are widely regarded as a nonsense, at least during the era of this car.
73.7 miles, all local/urban = 53.86 MPG
264.1 miles, all motorway = 68.1 MPG
That's OK, but not exactly amazing. My 180BHP remapped PD130 Mk4 Golf used to return 55 MPG average when driving with a lead foot.
I decided to take some data logs, starting with the basics:
Coolant temp: Between 78°C and 82°C. That's not high enough so I will change the thermostat - it could be sticking open.
Requested boost vs actual: Whilst these won't ever match perfectly, I believe that there's sufficient difference to warrant a check on the EGR valve to see if I'm loosing a bit of charge pressure through a partially open valve.
I'd like to think that 55 urban, 75 motorway is achievable. That's roughly ~20% off of the test figures which are widely regarded as a nonsense, at least during the era of this car.
mwstewart said:
MPG check - calculated each time from a brimmed tank:
73.7 miles, all local/urban = 53.86 MPG
264.1 miles, all motorway = 68.1 MPG
That's OK, but not exactly amazing. My 180BHP remapped PD130 Mk4 Golf used to return 55 MPG average when driving with a lead foot.
I decided to take some data logs, starting with the basics:
Coolant temp: Between 78°C and 82°C. That's not high enough so I will change the thermostat - it could be sticking open.
Requested boost vs actual: Whilst these won't ever match perfectly, I believe that there's sufficient difference to warrant a check on the EGR valve to see if I'm loosing a bit of charge pressure through a partially open valve.
I'd like to think that 55 urban, 75 motorway is achievable. That's roughly ~20% off of the test figures which are widely regarded as a nonsense, at least during the era of this car.
Earlier on in the thread you said this will probably be quite boring. 73.7 miles, all local/urban = 53.86 MPG
264.1 miles, all motorway = 68.1 MPG
That's OK, but not exactly amazing. My 180BHP remapped PD130 Mk4 Golf used to return 55 MPG average when driving with a lead foot.
I decided to take some data logs, starting with the basics:
Coolant temp: Between 78°C and 82°C. That's not high enough so I will change the thermostat - it could be sticking open.
Requested boost vs actual: Whilst these won't ever match perfectly, I believe that there's sufficient difference to warrant a check on the EGR valve to see if I'm loosing a bit of charge pressure through a partially open valve.
I'd like to think that 55 urban, 75 motorway is achievable. That's roughly ~20% off of the test figures which are widely regarded as a nonsense, at least during the era of this car.
now im hooked as to see if what you ve suggested really does perk the little cars MPGs up.
We had loads of these at work .. proper little cockroach cars .. they just went on and on and took no end of abuse .. and high mileages
I never minded them, they rode ok, were reasonably roomy and with the flat seats quite comfortable, some had sporty seats which when wearing body armour and kit and being a solid 6 footer meant they were a bit tight
Be interesting to see how you get on with it
I never minded them, they rode ok, were reasonably roomy and with the flat seats quite comfortable, some had sporty seats which when wearing body armour and kit and being a solid 6 footer meant they were a bit tight
Be interesting to see how you get on with it
Earthdweller said:
We had loads of these at work .. proper little cockroach cars .. they just went on and on and took no end of abuse .. and high mileages
I never minded them, they rode ok, were reasonably roomy and with the flat seats quite comfortable, some had sporty seats which when wearing body armour and kit and being a solid 6 footer meant they were a bit tight
Be interesting to see how you get on with it
Guessing Police? Our local force (TVP) had loads of them too, and astras with the same engine.I never minded them, they rode ok, were reasonably roomy and with the flat seats quite comfortable, some had sporty seats which when wearing body armour and kit and being a solid 6 footer meant they were a bit tight
Be interesting to see how you get on with it
My Mrs has a mk6.5 fiesta with the 1.6 diesel and I find it pleasant enough too, and it has a ‘Mega spec’ for one too, pretty much every option bar climate control and nav.
It will do 55-60MPG rattling about. I borrowed it for a week once when I had a long commute and managed to average 70, albeit doing boring speeds all the time.
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