Vauxhall Meriva
Author: Ian Strachan
The Vauxhall Meriva brings quite a few new dimensions to family motoring.
Rear hinged back doors and flexible internal seating and space have turned the Meriva into an extremely versatile car.
The rear hinged doors improve access considerably, and sensibly
they can't be opened while the car is moving. Inside, seats can be
adjusted to improve legroom, and provide a five, four, three or two
seat layout as required. The central storage unit moves along rails
to adjust position. All nicely thought out stuff.
Externally, the Meriva has a nicely sculpted front end with
large headlights. The high roof allows for easy access, and for SE
models and upwards you get a panoramic glass roof. Moulded side
panels help to give the Meriva a pleasing profile.
The inside, too, is attractive, with a pleasing finish and high
quality materials. There's a nice, airy feel to the interior,
thanks to the glass roof and large windows. It's a bit like driving
a small greenhouse. Plus, you get excellent all round visibility.
Luggage space in the rear is more than adequate, with more stowage
space under the floor.
Instruments are well laid out, with controls coming easily to
hand and dials clear. A prompt on the dashboard tells you when to
change gear for frugal driving.
Equipment levels are good and include daytime running lights,
a radio/CD player with steering wheel mounted controls and
MP3 socket, electronic park brake, powered and heated door mirrors,
front fog lights, air conditioning and cruise control.
Options fitted to my test car included a very clear satnav
system (£855), a DAB radio (£160), dual-zone climate
control (£305) and a bike carrier (£515)
Despite being quite a high car, the Meriva handles nicely, with
no wallowing through corners.
I test drove the 1.4 litre 16 valve petrol powered version with
a turbo-charged engine. There are several variants of this engine,
and 1.3 and 1.7 litre diesel versions are also available.
The 1.4 140 bhp unit is a peppy, lightweight engine, with good
performance and economy. Linked to a six-speed manual gearbox,
power delivery is smooth throughout the range, while still giving
an impressive 42.2 miles to the gallon in mixed driving.
This latest Meriva 1.4T SE - at £19,740 on the road - has
moved this segment of the market on considerably. Family motoring
will never be the same again.
Road test by Ian Strachan Communications
Ltd
Ian Strachan is a motoring and business writer and PR
consultant. He can be contacted on 01543 490932 or 07949
202596 or via email: ian@strachan13.freeserv