The banking crisis has had longer implications for the economy than many forecasters predicted and with no end in sight for the difficulties everyone is looking for value for money writes Sharon Walters.

When it comes to cars there is another group of individuals who rank a close second in terms of hatred to the bankers – insurance brokers!

I really enjoy the way that they bleat constantly about the costs of claims going up, and my all-time favourite complaint is when they moan about the claims farmers who try to get in to manage the claim before they do, making some money in the process.

Which is interesting, because that is what they used to do until some bright spark thought they could make money from it as well.

The upshot of all this posturing from the insurance companies is that the idea of a car rated purely on the individual and the car has long gone, now replaced by a computer that looks as the car, the postcode and other factors with the personal touch almost totally absent.

The result is the massive growth of online insurance websites trying to get you the cheapest price.

So what has his got to do with the Corsa I had on test? Well, if you happen to be between the ages of 17 and 24 wanting to insure a car in your own name then finding a price which doesn’t result in selling a part of your anatomy is pretty difficult.

If you then further complicate it by personalising the car in any way, you have had it. “The computer says no!” will be a common response.

However, the team at Vauxhall has taken a different approach and produced a range of vehicles that wouldn’t be driven by your parents and stand out from the crowd – without the performance engines that make insurance hideously expensive.

Styling

At first glance little seems to have changed from the previous model but the front has been altered which gives it a more purposeful look. I especially like the headlights and the lower side grilles which add to the overall sporty feel. The car came fitted with 17-inch black alloys, adding further to the overall image as a sporty hatchback.

Finally at the rear the hatch-mounted spoiler finishes off the car perfectly and judging by the amount of looks the car garnered it is definitely “job done” in the styling stakes.

The Corsa comes with four doors which did not make the car feel overly long but did mean that it was a true four-seater. The rear seats are usable for three adults and while passengers over six feet may find it a little cramped most will have no complaint.

The front seats are bucket-type seats and do their job very well, supporting in all the right places without being too restrictive that long distances become a pain, well, in the backside!

The pedals are fitted with sports covers and look very smart and purposeful and the dashboard is easy to read and adds once again to the sporting feel.

The only thing I didn’t like were the red rings surrounding the air vents. Please change these for some carbon fibre covers, so they do not look like an afterthought.

The stereo system is built in and provides for a standard system good quality reproduction and is easy to manoeuvre as is the satnav through the touch screen menus.

Power

On the move the 1.3-litre engine pulls smoothly but lacks the power to match the looks. That said, it is the ecoflex engine, which means that you can fill it up and forget about it for days before you notice that the engine has used any fuel.

The gearbox is easy to use and matches the engine power perfectly so I did not need to keep changing gear to keep moving at a constant speed.

However, the money you have spent may not buy you a fire-breathing engine, (remember the insurance) but, it does get you a fantastic handling car which will have you smiling all day.

Throwing it into bends it behaved impeccably, and surprised a few cars that were following me, with a completely solid feel that didn’t rattle the teeth over some of our more uneven road surfaces. What I found myself doing was using the engine to get to a certain speed and then using the great handling to maintain it round corners.

All in all, very satisfying. The brakes round off the package and were progressive and pulled the car up with confidence.

The cost for all this is a heady £17,650 and while not necessarily a first car this has got to be on the list.

With the insurance group 5E, Vehicle Excise Duty of £30 per year (after the first year free), and a combined mpg of 67, it won’t take long to recoup the extra cost of buying the car.

So if you want to look stylish and stand out in a crowd while not having to sell parts of your body for the insurance premium, give the Corsa a good look.

The insurance companies are definitely not going to be pleased: good!