A quarter of a century is a long time when it comes to automotive innovation and one look at the 1990 Vauxhall Astra GTE and 2015 Vauxhall Corsa VXR is enough to realize how many things have changed.
If you’re not from the UK, you should know that the Vauxhall Astra GTE was known in the rest of Europe as the Opel Kadett GSi, which means the two cars in CAR Magazine’s video review are not only from different eras, but from different segments as well.
The Vauxhall Astra GTE was a compact hatchback, while the current Corsa VXR is a small hatch.
Not that one could tell that judging from their footprint: the Corsa VXR weighs 271 kg (597 lbs) more than the Astra GTE! Despite that, the old car is no match for the Corsa VXR in terms of performance. However, the Astra GTE does have one trick up its sleeve and the following video uncovers it.