Corsa bakkies get 1.8-litre power

General Motors South Africa has expanded its Corsa Utility range with a 1.8-litre petrol version. There's also a new Club specification to bridge the gap between the basic and Sport-spec levels.

These new models take the number of Corsa utes to nine, the widest choice in SA's half-ton bakkie segment, according to the automaker.

The new 1.8-litre base version and Sport models are already available in Opel showrooms while the Club models with a choice of 1.4 petrol, 1.7 turbodiesel and 1.8 petrol engines will arrive in May.

The base version has vinyl upholstery and steel wheel rims; the more luxurious Club comes with air-conditioning, cloth seats, a rear sliding window, matt chrome interior finishes and a CD/MP3/radio sound system.

The Sports model has power windows, remote-controlled central locking, two front crash bags, anti-lock brakes, 14" alloy rims, sport seats with cloth trim, front foglights, a high-mounted brake light, a roof spoiler and an eyewear case.

All versions have power-assisted steering.

The fuel-injected 1800cc, four-cylinder, eight-valve engine develops 79kW at 5400rpm and 160Nm at 2600rpm. GM claims it will accelerate from 0-100km/h in 10.3 sec at sea level and reach 185km/h. Service intervals are 15 000km.

Brakes comprise vented discs up front and drums at the rear.

A number of cosmetic changes have also been applied across the Corsa Utility range; all interior hard trim is now charcoal, while the soft trim is finished in a European style for a higher quality look and feel.

GMSA says the Corsa Utility has several advantages over its rivals, including the best ground clearance in its class at 214mm, the best length and width, the largest load box at 1190 litres and the best payload - 790kg for the 1.7 diesels, 680kg for the 1.4 petrol and 800kg for the 1.8 petrol.

"The sub-one ton bakkie market has shown steady growth in recent years," said GMSA sales and marketing director Malcolm Gauld, "and is now a significant element of the light commercial vehicle market."

Bakkies under one ton have grown from 23.2 percent of the light commercial market in 2001 to 26 percent in 2003 and continued to build on that base in 2004.

"A closer look at the sub-one ton segment indicates that 89 percent of sales are bakkies rather than vans and 70 percent of all sales are used in work applications - the rest for day-to-day driving and for leisure.

"Although there is a growing awareness of diesel engines in the segment, 91 percent of sales are powered by petrol."