Review of the new Vauxhall Meriva 1.3 CDTi

Predicting how a car will turn out so often proves a fool's errand. High hopes often lead to crashing disappointments and just occasionally a gem will turn up when you were expecting very little. Vauxhall's Meriva has been with us a while now and the launch of a facelifted version also saw the introduction of a 1.3 CDTi diesel engine slotted into this supermini-MPV's snub nose. It's not a car that promises a whole lot but it delivers plenty.

The facelift is moderately successful. Attempting to graft the sleek front end of an Astra onto a model that more closely resembles the shape of a Maris Piper was always going to be a big ask and to be honest, the old model has a cleaner, more cohesive look. Elsewhere the update is more successful, especially at the rear end where the darkened high-mounted tail lights serve to give a widening effect to the rear window. A chrome strip across the rear also acts as a neat detail and has the added benefit of providing a rude retaliation to anybody following with main beam lights on.

The interior has been tweaked in a few key areas as well with a wider selection of trims, some rather unconvincing carbon-fibre effect inlays on the instrument panel and doors, and a welcome splash of chrome on the dials, door pulls, hand brake lever and gear shifter. New instrument graphics are also introduced. The fascia is still generically Vauxhall with excellent build quality but not a whole lot in the way of slick design. Everything works and works well but aesthetes will prefer to shop elsewhere.

That said, the Meriva is a car that typical buyers will put to work rather than keep as a show pony. That's why the interior fittings are chunky and hardwearing, Vauxhall realising that the rear seat target audience can reduce flimsy fitments to plastic shrapnel in minutes. The seating system is far easier to figure than that of the Meriva's big brother, the Zafira, and no less ingenious. Instead of being a dumbed down version of the Flex7 system featured in the larger car, the Meriva's FlexSpace arrangement offers a quick and easy switch between one, two, three, four and five seats. The five to four seat quick change routine is especially impressive. Fold the centre seat forward, pull a lever on the front of one of the outer berths and you'll be able to slide the seat back and inwards, offering at the same time more elbow and legroom for four occupants. I must admit to a snort of ridicule at Vauxhall's hyperbole that in four seat guise the Meriva has the rear legroom of a limousine and, having travelled in a limo that featured a wet bar and hot tub, that claim is some way wide of the mark but there's still plenty of knee room for me and I'm 6'4". Even with the tray tables folded down, it's in no way claustrophobic.

"If you rack up enough miles and like the diesel's urge, then this Meriva could make sense"

The big draw in this instance, however, is that ingenious 1.3-litre diesel engine. Even when testing this Meriva back to back with its 1.6-litre TWINPORT and 180bhp VXR siblings, this was the engine that stood out as The One To Choose. Why? It's just the most useable of the bunch. Whereas the 1.6-litre lump adds more power and increases its economy figure, it's still only good for an average of 42.5mpg which in this rarefied class, isn't actually that great. Opt instead for the diesel and you get superior torque plus far better fuel economy at 57mpg. The 98mph top speed isn't anything to write home about but the refinement certainly is. The 1.3-litre CDTi engine is derived from a General Motors/Fiat Multijet design. The Multijet system takes the idea of pilot injection - squirting a small amount of fuel into the cylinder to 'prime' the combustion chamber for the main ignition process - and refines it still further. In this instance, the main injection is divided into a series of smaller injections, allowing smoother, more gradual combustion that utilises fuel more efficiently. The electronic control units, therefore, have to be astonishingly precise. Whereas with a more conventional Unijet system the time lag between injections was a relatively yawning 1,500 microseconds, the response time has been slashed by a factor of 10.

A variable geometry turbocharger and a rise in the pressure of the direct injection system have raised the power available to 70bhp for the 1.3-litre we look at here. As you'd expect, this engine complies with stringent EURO4 emissions regulations: that means three per cent knocked off benefit-in-kind taxation for company users.

The Meriva itself is based on a Corsa platform, making it a good deal smaller than a Zafira, which rides on Astra mechanicals. At 4,042mm in total length, its still a tad shorter than an Astra but, with its wheel at each corner stance and it's high roofline, the General Motors designers responsible for the Meriva have been able to create an interior that's supremely spacious. As with any vehicle that touts itself as some sort of MPV, the Meriva stands or falls on more practical considerations such as interior space, the ingenuity of its seating system, passenger access and overall comfort. It's here that the Meriva comes up trumps.

Vauxhall have cleverly built a lot of big-car features into the Meriva but have done so in a way that doesn't radically bump up the asking price. Take the Adaptive Forward Lighting system as an example. Many executive cars now feature this kind of facility whereby the headlamps angle their beams according to speed and steering input, effectively lighting the way round a corner. The difference here is that the Meriva uses a conventional halogen light setup to keep costs manageable instead of the fiendishly expensive xenon units. Other convenient features include a power release tailgate and interior lighting that can be operated from the keyfob, showing the way to the car in a dark parking lot. An optional Bluetooth interface is also available so that you can hook your mobile up hands free.

Vauxhall are in something of a quandary at the moment insofar as their best cars are often the ones nobody pays much attention to and the Meriva 1.3 CDTi is a case in point. Although the VXR will get all the column inches, it's this model that makes the most sense and is the fittest for task. The facelift is only moderately successful but there's not a whole lot wrong with the engineering under that tiny bonnet. If you've got a small family and need something that's economical and hassle free, here's what to buy.

TOP 5 MERIVA DEALS

The results below show the top MERIVA deals on buyacar

Vauxhall Meriva 1.3 CDTi ecoFLEX Exclusiv 5dr Diesel Estate
Price £14,265 Read Meriva Reviews	Save £5,230
Vauxhall Meriva 1.3 CDTi Exclusiv 5dr Diesel Estate
Price £13,893 Read Meriva Reviews	Save £4,992
Vauxhall Meriva 1.3 CDTi ecoFLEX S [AC] 5dr Diesel Estate
Price £13,793 Read Meriva Reviews	Save £5,037
Vauxhall Meriva 1.7 CDTi 16V [130] SE 5dr Diesel Estate
Price £15,430 Read Meriva Reviews	Save £5,575
Vauxhall Meriva 1.7 CDTi 16V [110] Exclusiv 5dr Auto Diesel Estate
Price £17,689 Read Meriva Reviews	Save £3,601
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