- Opel’s Corsa GSE turns the regular Corsa EV into a proper hot hatch with 277 hp and a 5.5-second sprint.
- A Torsen LSD, Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires, and upgraded brakes suggest Opel did more than just add power.
- Range remains unknown, but it has the same battery as the regular model, so it will be lower.
Hot hatchbacks used to be very common, especially in Europe, but most manufacturers that used to make them have pulled the plug. But now it looks like they are coming back, albeit with electric power, and the most recent one is the Opel Corsa GSE, the high-performance variant of the Corsa EV hatchback.
Power for its single front-mounted motor has been increased to a rather impressive 277 hp and torque is up to 254 lb-ft (345 Nm). That’s considerably more on both counts than the regular model, which has 154 hp and 192 lb-ft (260 Nm).
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Source: Opel
With this extra power, the GSE can accelerate from a standstill to 62 mph (100 km/h) in just 5.5 seconds, and it will keep going until 112 mph (180 km/h); the regular model tops out at 93 mph (150 km/h) and needs 8.1 seconds to reach 62 mph.
That’s an excellent acceleration time for a front-wheel drive car, which means it has no trouble putting all of its extra power to the ground. The special three-spoke 18-inch wheels with Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires certainly help, as does the lower, stiffer suspension that limits pitch, which usually takes weight and traction away from the front wheels under hard acceleration. This is why many powerful front-wheel-drive cars squander power off the line.
Further helping it put the power down, especially when accelerating out of corners, is a Torsen limited-slip differential. This should really make the GSE feel like a proper hot hatch, even if a much quieter one than what drivers were used to. It’s not especially heavy, either, with a claimed weight of 3,425 lbs (1,554 kg), so it should feel light on its feet.
Opel didn’t stop there. It also gave the Corsa GSE a high-performance braking system with four-piston front calipers from Alcon, a UK-based brake and clutch specialist. Inside, it features some very sporty-looking bucket seats, yellow seatbelts, a flat-bottom Alcantara-covered steering wheel, and aluminum pedals.
It also has special graphics on its two screens and performance-oriented data, such as a G meter, acceleration information, and battery management data, which should come in handy when driving it spiritedly around a track.
Like in all Stellantis subcompact vehicles built on this platform, the battery remains the same 51-kilowatt-hour pack as in the regular car, which is good for 252 miles (406 km) on WLTP. The more performance-minded GSE, with its extra power, bigger wheels, and grippier tires, will have less range, but Opel hasn’t yet provided a figure.
Electric hot hatches are still a relatively new development, and there aren’t many available. The Abarth 500e, Alpine A290, Cupra Born Vz, and the MG4 Xpower are the only ones you can buy in Europe today, but there are a lot more on the way, including the highly anticipated model from Volkswagen wearing a GTI badge.