While it's true that the Vauxhall Corsa remains one of the most popular cars in the UK, I don't think it would be controversial to suggest that there are better superminis on the market. The next-generation model, which you'll be hearing a lot about well before the end of the year, won't go on sale a moment too soon, and it really has to be a great deal better than the current version.Today's Corsa may therefore seem a poor basis for a hot hatch, and it would be easy to dismiss the VXR Clubsport for no other reason than that. But this would be a mistake.The Clubsport is very nearly the same thing as the VXR Nurburgring, which it replaces. The old and the new share the 1.6-litre turbo petrol engine, a six-speed manual gearbox, a limited slip differential (a real one, not some electronic equivalent) supplied by German company Drexler, Brembo brakes and Bilstein suspension. The most visible difference is a new twin-tailpipe Remus exhaust.As before, the engine produces an official maximum of 202bhp, and a less official one of 207bhp if you use Super Unleaded fuel. It's not quite in Nurburgring spec because the ECU map has been tweaked, but this has not affected either the 143mph top speed or the 6.5-second 0-60mph time, and unless you drive the two cars within a much shorter period than my 21 months you're not going to be able to tell the difference between them.In a straight line, the Clubsport is as fast as, or faster than, any of its mainstream rivals, namely the Ford Fiesta ST, the Peugeot 208 GTi and the Clio Renaultsport, but this is not as important as many people may try to tell you it is. The Clubsport's real strength is its handling, which is just superb.It turns into corners precisely, even at high speed, the back end follows the front helpfully but unobtrusively, there's a fantastic amount of grip and the traction when you apply a lot of throttle mid-bend is almost beyond belief. I've driven cars modified for motorsport purposes that are less capable on the exit of a corner than this completely standard one.Yet it doesn't feel like a track car at all. The suspension, to use a crucial phrase, is soft but well-damped, and there is quite a lot of body movement which might at first make you suspect that the car is less secure than it really is. It has nothing approaching the super-firm ride of the Fiesta, and feels closer to the 208 and Clio, both of them much softer than their predecessors, though in a track test I'm pretty sure the Corsa would prove to be much quicker than either of the French cars.None of this guarantees any kind of success. At the moment, boy racers (if you'll excuse the use of a term that I mean to include people of various ages and either sex) want the Fiesta in the same way that they wanted the Clio a couple of years ago. Racing drivers will prefer the Corsa, but there are far fewer racing drivers than boy racers. And those who are more impressed by high-tech than by cornering ability will be drawn to the Peugeot and the Renault.There's another problem. All the other cars mentioned so far can be had for well under £20,000. The Clubsport costs £22,390, and while I can see how it would be worth that, the money is going into things that only a really serious driver would be interested in.It's also only £70 short of the list price of a MINI John Cooper Works, and regardless of the two cars' relative merits I'd guess that not many people who can afford to buy the MINI would be prepared to be seen in a Corsa.On the EU test, the Clubsport is the least economical of the bunch. That may not be important because all of these cars will be driven hard and it's unlikely that anyone will get close to the official figures.But there's another running cost to be considered. The ClubSport's CO2 figure is 178g/km, and that puts it in VED Band I, so your tax disc will cost you £225 each year, compared with £180 for the MINI, £145 for the Clio and £130 for the 208 and Fiesta. And yes, you'll pay much more than any of these figures in petrol no matter which you choose, but it's another strike against the Vauxhall all the same.This is a pity, because the Clubsport is a fabulous little car which deserves to do much better than any of the above suggests. It's the best supermini-based hot hatch you can buy in 2014, even though you probably won't. Engine 1598cc, 4 cylinders Power 202bhp Transmission 6-speed manual Fuel/CO2 37.2mpg / 178g/km Acceleration 0-60mph: 6.5 seconds Top speed 143mph Price £22,390 Details correct at publication date
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