A big part of being a key player in the new car market is being able to offer a competitor for each segment, regardless of how niche that segment may be. One of those segments is the warm hatch.

Not quite battle-ready hot hatches and yet not as placid as an A-to-B supermini or hatchback, a warm hatch is essentially aimed at those who want the best of both those worlds. That’s where the Corsa Red Edition comes in.

Sitting under the much more rebellious Corsa VXR, the Corsa Red Edition features the same turbocharged 1.4-litre petrol as the ADAM S and competes against similar derivatives in the Ford Fiesta and SEAT Ibiza.

From an aesthetic point of view, the three-door Corsa Red Edition has, well, a red paint job. It also has some black highlights splashed on the wing mirrors and roof, a meatier body kit and magnificent 17-inch diamond cut alloys.

So, does it manage to offer a halfway house between automotive sanity and insanity?

Performance

On the whole, the 148bhp 1.4-litre turbocharged petrol is a beast. It may be some 50bhp less than its brawnier VXR brother, but it still offers 220Nm of torque and can get from 0-62mph in just 8.9 seconds. The 1.4-litre unit comes accompanied with a characterful growl as well and, overall, feels like it has some hot hatch DNA spliced into it.

The grunt of its power comes in at around 2,500rpm and once the rev counter has passed that mark, power delivery is sharp and on the money. However, under the 2,500rpm mark, power can feel a little uneven, with the throttle seemingly poking a response out of the engine, causing you to jerk your way out of junctions and off at the traffic lights.

The six-speed manual gearbox is smooth enough, although we would have liked some snappier changes. When it comes to hitting the sweet spot between ease of use and quick-shifting, the six-speed manual feels a little too conservative.

Ride and Handling

Pick up the pace and blast around a country road and the Corsa begins to show its warm hatch status – which is to say it doesn’t quite have the finesse of a hot hatch.

The addition of a Sports Suspension in the Corsa Red Edition is noticeable immediately – but not in a bad way. Cruise around city or urban streets and you certainly get a sportier aura from the car due to the firmer set-up. Thankfully, the suspension toes the line nicely as it manages to iron out lumps and bumps without fuss. In normal driving conditions the steering feels quite ingenious, becoming heavier when cornering and lighter when executing difficult parking manoeuvres. There’s even an ultra-light city mode to help with really tough ones. Pick up the pace and blast around a country road and the Corsa begins to show its warm hatch status – which is to say it doesn’t quite have the finesse of a hot hatch. Although the steering feels sportier than the standard Corsa, the weighting and feedback varies, to the point where it can become difficult to go into corners with gusto and feel confident. As a result, you may find yourself lifting off the accelerator at times and tweaking your steering, just to be safe. There’s a fair bit of body roll to match too, which doesn’t help. Ultimately, it feels like the 1.4 Turbo has a bit too much adrenaline for the Corsa Red Edition to handle, but there’s still plenty of fun to be had nonetheless.

Interior and Equipment

There is also a Corsa Black Edition which has, yes you guessed it, a black paint job.

The first thing you will notice is that the interior gets some Red Edition make-up as well, with a whopping red strip running the length of the dashboard. There’s some sports pedals and slightly sportier seats to enhance appeal too – although we would’ve liked a tad more bolstering in the seats. Equipment is plentiful, with an Intellilink infotainment system, Bluetooth, air-con, cruise control, LED daytime running lights, DAB radio and OnStar. The infotainment screen in the Corsa remains slightly lower than other cars on the dashboard and is still a little ropy in its responsiveness. It is very easy to use though. One of the best things about the cabin is the airiness. Just like the standard Corsa cabin, it feels like you are sat in a car from a bigger segment, such as a hatch or an MPV. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for the rear seats. First, accessing them can be tricky as you have to climb in. When you are sat in the back, leg and room is extremely limited – especially if you sit in the middle seat. The Corsa’s boot is slightly below par but still good enough for a supermini at 280 litres. The main qualm we had with the boot is the fact that the rear seats are not split, so you end up having to pull two release levers to fold the seats down.

Cost

The big deal is the price tag. At £17,125, the Corsa Red Edition is only £620 less than the Ford Fiesta ST and £975 less than the SEAT Ibiza Cupra.

Although the 1.4 Turbo claims to return an average of just under 50mpg, you will most likely get between 35 and 40mpg. CO2 stands at 132g/km. But those after something with a bit of oomph won’t bother too much with these figures. The big deal is the price tag. At £17,125, the Corsa Red Edition is only £620 less than the Ford Fiesta ST and £975 less than the SEAT Ibiza Cupra, leaving many drivers wondering whether the extra bunce is worth it.

Our Verdict

So, is it worth forking up £620 for the Fiesta ST? Well, if you are purely after performance, then yes. But the Fiesta ST may be too intense for some, which brings us back to the niche segment that is the warm hatch. In terms of offering a balance of adrenaline-fuelled fun and driving Miss Daisy, the Corsa Red Edition is excellent. The Corsa Red Edition feels like it belongs to part of a hot hatch family tree – albeit clearly down the lineage. If you intend to frequently push the Corsa’s limits more than you intend to drive it sensibly, then you might be left a little disappointed.