The MK2 model Vauxhall Corsa VXR, we were told back in 2015, was the most focused VXR performance model that Vauxhall had ever made. Quite a boast, given that the company's VXR performance portfolio had to that date included frantically fast Astras, an Insignia capable of 170mph and VXR8 models with up to 585bhp. As every serious driver knows though, satisfying performance is about more than just sheer speed. So can that really be served up by this, the second generation Corsa VXR?
Volker Strycek, former DTM Touring Car Champion and head of the Vauxhall VXR division, reckoned it could, he and his track-trained engineers having used the Corsa model line's move to fourth generation status as an excuse to make some pretty significant changes. True, the 1.6-litre turbo engine beneath the bonnet was basically no different from that of the previous Corsa VXR but in 2015, it still remained one of the most powerful units in the supermini hot hatch segment and in this form offered a wider torque spread, with an overboost facility for quicker bursts of power. Plus the ride height of this car was lower than its predecessor, the exhaust sounded sportier and the gear throw was shorter.
None of this though, really justified that 'most focused VXR ever' tag. Original buyers of this car wanting that could create it though, with an extra cost 'Performance Pack' that claimed to be able to properly transform this little Corsa into a real track tearaway - the kind of totally uncompromised little pocket rocket that simply wassn't available from other brands in this segment in this era. It's certainly the sort of thing that the heritage of this model suggested potential owners would like. This model's predecessor, launched back in 2007, really only came alive when a track-style 'Nurburging' version was launched in 2011, that followed by an even harder-core 'Clubsport' variant launched shortly before this MK2 model made its debut in the Summer of 2015, selling until early 2018.
Those limited run derivatives proved that Corsa VXR buyers tended to be owners minded to take their driving a bit more seriously. People more likely to try a trackday and tinker with the technicalities. So, will they like this car as a used buy? And does it have an appeal wide enough to also interest more mainstream customers browsing in the supermini hot hatch segment? Let's find out.