Vauxhall Corsa VXR car review: The spine-juddering joy of a hot hatch

Around town you'll feel every bump and imperfection, while on the motorway the tyres roar away like a 747 on approach to Heathrow

Boy racer bumps: the new Vauxhall Corsa VXR

PRICE: £17,995
ENGINE CAPACITY: 1.6-litre petrol
POWER OUTPUT (BHP @ RPM): 202 @ 5,800
TOP SPEED (MPH): 143
FUEL ECONOMY (MPG): 37.7
CO2 EMISSIONS (G/KM): 174

Bang. Crash. Wallop. Shudder. Thud. That's what it sounds like to drive the new Vauxhall Corsa VXR over any stretch of road that isn't carpeted in the smoothest of smooth asphalt, while the accompanying feeling in your spine is somewhat more painful. Drive this hot hatch quickly along a smooth B-road and it's delightful, with sharp steering, responsive brakes and more power than you can use on public roads. But as most of us know, there are few stretches of smooth asphalt to be found in Britain after decades of under-investment.

This makes the Corsa VXR, with its tight springs and harsh suspension set-up, an unusual choice for the UK, even though more than 60 per cent of the Corsa VXRs sold in Europe under the Opel and Vauxhall badges end up on Britain's terrible roads. The popularity of the VXR badge is fuelled by a petrol-thirsty subculture of young lads and retiree gentlemen with cash to burn and unfulfilled dreams of being boy racers. Between them, these very different markets have snapped up more than 9,000 Corsa VXRs since it launched here in 2007.

What unites them, it seems, is their desire for more power. And Vauxhall responded with this 202bhp monster. It's so powerful that, at times, it seems to scramble away from you in the bends if you dare put the power down too early.

Those age-separated consumers also, it seems, wanted a cheaper basic package, so the new VXR is several hundred pounds cheaper than its Ford rival, as long as you are prepared to spend some time haggling at the dealership. Perhaps more importantly for that odd mix of young lads and fun-loving retirees, it's also more powerful than the Fiesta ST.

It's almost as if the design team behind the VXR decided that the only way to create a blisteringly fun hot hatch is to give it a ride similar to an ultra-hard riding F1 car. Which means that around town you'll feel every bump and imperfection, while on the motorway the tyres roar away like a 747 on approach to Heathrow.

To be fair, most potential buyers will ignore this. They buy cars like this for their performance and the fact that they offer high-speed thrills for the price of a dull family saloon. And to be even more fair, it's far more exciting to drive than a standard Vauxhall Corsa.

It's just that I'm not sure that it's worth a Sunday afternoon downing codeine pills on the sofa after your speedy run to the shops leaves you with a slipped disc.