The new Corsa was really very high on our new Supermini car list for a future purchase next year but unfortunately, after having sat in a few, we have discovered those awful reflections you get from the bling on the upper fascia in the overly raked windscreen.
What on earth are these so-called designers thinking of when they do this: does not anyone stop them at any stage and say 'no' that won't do?
Admittedly if one were to buy one of the models in the range (one of the sportier ones?)this effect is ameliorated somewhat as a black finish is used but I bet that under normal driving conditions one would be thoroughly irritated by those damned distracting reflections all the time, in the middle of the windscreen - a sort of large inverted U-shape. Such a shame for what is, ostensibly, a car with good dynamics.
My partner is now looking to find the old Corsa which at least, from the fascia aspect, does not suffer those absurdities of design.
Edited by Dynamic Dave on 08/12/2007 at 12:13
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It's not so much the fault of the steeply raked screen as the shiny dash centre in some trim levels. See test at www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=254
HJ
Edited by Honestjohn on 08/12/2007 at 13:09
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Vauxhall, or more correctly Opel since all GM development is outside the UK, should have learnt as they had a similar problem with windscreen reflection when the Vectra-C was launched.
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Oldgit is right to mention the steep rake. Even near normal incidence, you get about 4% reflection from glass, and this rises as you move towards a more glancing angle. This effect can be reduced by coating the glass, but the coating is typically wavelength specific, so you can effectively reduce reflections but only for a narrow range of colours.
It's unfortunate that the modern trend is for black dashboards with silvery inserts, because you can't really deal with both.
Perhaps it's time for an imac like approach to dashborads, where they are transparent, and we could see the innards?
Number_Cruncher
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"all GM development is outside the UK"
I think you will find a significant amount of development for GM is still carried out at the Vauxhall Engineering Centre at Millbrook. To quote from a recent article on the latest model Corsa "Extensive development on the car was carried out on British roads and at the Vauxhall Engineering Centre in Millbrook, Beds."
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It's not so much the fault of the steeply raked screen as the shiny dash centre in some trim levels. See test at www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=254 HJ
It is a result of both and that is what I alluded to in my OP. The fact that the windscreen comes right over the shiny extensions of the dash trim does not help either.
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SWMBO's has the black trim, the reflections don't bother me, or the other drivers.
I'd rather drive the new one with the reflcetion rather than the old one without!
However when I last drove a Ford with the Quickclear windscreen it really annoyed me, so I can understand the issues.
Edited by hxj on 08/12/2007 at 16:03
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I may have naive and simplistic views but could not Vauxhall now address this problem by at least providing all their Corsa versions with a more 'classy' dark finish to this part of the fascia. Surely it is not rocket science to alter the finish applied to the central dash components?
The cars we sat in were all fairly basic 2-door (ugh!) models with 1.2litre engines and the central fascia was a horrible sort of creamy/gold-ish colour with plasticky, translucent control knobs. Not my idea of a Car of the Year, as designated by What Car mag. Give me a VW Polo's interior any day.
I see, now, that the new Focus is going the same way with a cheap looking blingy central fascia although I have not seen it in the flesh, so to speak.
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I had a silver 5 door Corsa D SXI 1.4 petrol as a hire car whilst my 2004 1.3CDTI SXI Corsa C went in for accident repair earlier this year - I had the car for about a fortnight. The hire car was 5000 miles old, on a 56 plate.
The reflection was a nuscience as the trim on the dash was silver. I guess as others have mentioned, it's now a trend for more of a rake on the windscreen to give the impression of a roomier environment ("cab-forward design"? Or is that just an Americanism?). It does seem a VERY silly design feature.
At the risk of going off on a tangent, I appreciate the new Corsa has won awards and will agree it's better build quality than my Corsa C. However, I wouldn't recommend the car to anyone for two reasons:
Firstly, the steering was the worst of any car I've driven. I was driving from S.Wales to Wrexham on weekends and back down on Fridays. It was A-road driving (Abergavenny, Hereford, Leominster, Shrewsbury and on up the A5). I'll admit at this point I tend to drive with my right hand a lot, but by the time I'd got there the right side of my upper chest was actually very sore from seemingly constantly having to correct the steering. The steerig felt twitchy and artificial, unlike any car I've driven. A friend test drove one and commented on this before i'd mentioned it to him and the dealer tried fobbing him off by saying it wasn't run in yet (!). He bought a new Mazda 2.
Also, the suspention was awful. It was an SXI so supposedly a sporty suspension set up (OK, mine's an SXI too). It felt like a cork bobbing on water. The 1.4 also seemed to lack the punch of my 1.3 diesel (ok, granted the diesel is a turbo) and so I can't understand them offering the 1.2 engine option.
If anyone wants the Corsa, I'd recommend the Corsa C. Seemingly never rated as a drivers car but the build quality is fine for a car of its generation and the 1.3CDTi is a pleasure to drive, also returning 50mpg if driven hard. The steering is far more natural, too and was fun on those roads to Wrexham and back!
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Interesting point. We went for a Design to avoid the reflection of the silver trim in the windscreen, does distract in sunshine.
I have not driven the car in the dark yet but SWMBO says that you see street light reflections in the shiny piano black trim at night.
Her shoulder is much better now so the steering cannot be that heavy, It also drives much better than the Corsa Cs I have driven although it is not as quick as my daughters 1.4 but that is the price you pay for a bigger and safer car. Avoided the SXi because it has the harder suspension.
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Clearly a GM thing. The SAAB 9.3 I test-drove a few months ago had a chromed surround to the dashboard which reflected in the screen as an oblique, slanting line right in my line of vision. Incredibly thoughtless, although that wasn't the only thing that put me off the 9.3.
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And to think that Carplan actually sell a product called Flash Dash!
--
L\'escargot.
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