2003 OPEL Corsa 3 doors 1.8L 16V 5MT FWD (125 HP)

Vehicle Overview

After just three years on the market, Opel introduced a mid-life cycle refresh for its small-segment Corsa in its attempt to catch up with its main European contenders.

On the outside, the small-segment Corsa received body-colored handles and door mirrors for the upper trim levels instead of black as on its non-facelifted version. Also, the black rubber stripes from the bumpers and on the sides were replaced following the car’s color. Moreover, the little vehicle received a sportier bumper with two side-scoops that flanked the center grille on the lower apron, where Opel installed fog lights as an option. On the non-facelifted version, the bumper sported only a wide and narrow grille at the bottom. At the back, the high-mounted taillights were clear instead of red.

Inside, the carmaker kept the same look but with better materials. The carmaker installed white dials inside the instrument cluster for the upper trim levels depending on the options. Its base models retained the black ones. Its triangular rear side windows were fixed. Opel considered that a pop-out opening system was useless as long as it installed an AC unit. There were several options for the climate controls, either manual or automatic systems.

Under the hood, Opel installed new or improved engines. The base, inline-three, one-liter unit gained two more ponies. For the diesel version, the German carmaker introduced a new, 1.3-liter unit carried over from Fiat, while the older 1.7-liter four-pot made by Isuzu was increased to 100 hp.