Review of the new Vauxhall Meriva 1.6 Twinport

What has happened to Vauxhall? For those of with long memories, Vauxhall used to be a byword for corporate sluggishness, with lazy and incompetent senior management myopically cutting costs knowing that the fleet market would keep sales looking respectable. That company and culture has gone, replaced by a manufacturer that seems to predict market niches and act upon them with the speed of a low volume specialist. Take the Meriva as an example.

Yes, the Japanese had attempted to popularise the supermini-MPV in the UK but had fallen flat on their faces with weird offerings like the Daihatsu Move and the Suzuki Wagon-R+. Vauxhall had even dipped a toe in the water with the Agila, a car based on the Wagon-R+ that was tremendous fun to drive but which didn't appeal to British buyers. While Ford, Citroen, Peugeot and Renault all sat on their hands hemming and hawing, Vauxhall waded into this market with their second stab at the supermini-MPV, the Meriva. Just as the opposition needed four years to catch up with the Meriva's big brother, the Zafira, it'll be some time before they can hope to replicate what Vauxhall has achieved here. The Meriva models fitted with the latest 1.6-litre Twinport engine are amongst the best sellers in the entire line up and it isn't difficult to see why.

The Twinport unit offers the Meriva driver 5PS more than the 1.6-litre petrol unit that was previously on offer in this car. This 105PS powerplant is livelier yet more economical, having a top speed of 112mph and a combined economy figure of 42.2mpg - a six percent improvement over the outgoing car. Prices are broadly the same as before, starting from around £12,000. The 1.6-litre 16-valve unit used in the variant we look at here is very capable at the pumps where it will return something in the region of 42 miles out of every gallon of 95RON unleaded.

Performance is as good as most buyers would want from a small family car which goes part way to accounting for the 1.6-litre engine's popularity. The all-important 0-60mph sprint takes about 12.5s and there's ample pulling power from low down to over and beyond the 3,000rpm barrier, which helps make the best of stop start urban journeys by reducing the need for gear changes.

Like all other Merivas, this model benefits from a recent facelift. There's now a prominent V-shaped front grille and a reprofiled bumper. Move to the rear end and the Meriva gets dark rear lamp lenses and a chromed strip across the tailgate. Vauxhall have widened the colour palette for exterior paint finishes and have also unveiled some interesting alloy wheel designs for the latest car. The interior has had a mild makeover too with additional chrome detailing lifting the rather sombre cabin. Revised fabrics are both more attractive and harder wearing.

"Performance is as good as most buyers would want from a small family car which goes part way to accounting for the 1.6-litre engine's popularity."

The Meriva itself is based on a Corsa platform, making it a good deal smaller than a Zafira, which rides on Astra mechanicals. At 4042mm 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. Just as Vauxhall aced the opposition with the Zafira's Flex7 seating system, the Meriva aims to do likewise with its less snappily titled FlexSpace arrangement. With five seats to play with, the Meriva doesn't have as many tricks up its sleeve as the Zafira, but you'll still be able to wow your passengers with a few deft flicks of the wrist.

Most of the time, the Meriva functions as a conventional five seat supermini-MPV, but many of us have tried travelling five up in cars like these and it can feel a bit of a pinch. The Meriva goes some way to alleviating the problem by offering one of the widest rear passenger shoulder width measurements in its class, but the real benefit comes when travelling with four rather than five aboard. The centre seat can fold flat into the footwell, leaving the two remaining seats at liberty to slide independently, not only backwards and forwards, but also on runners from side to side. This makes the Meriva feel extremely spacious indeed. But why stop at four? Vauxhall have equipped the Meriva with the capacity for all of the passenger seats to fold flat, freeing up an enormous 1,300 litres of available space. Even with the rear seats in position, there's a creditable 560 litres available. With a wheelbase barely two and a half inches shorter than a Vauxhall Zafira, the Meriva demands few compromises on its occupants.

Vauxhall's marketing push has been just as canny as their product design. This desirable 1.6-litre Twinport car's modest premium over the 1.4-litre Twinport models encourages the wavering buyer to opt for the more powerful and more expensive car. Most of the time this is somewhat cynically called 'upselling' but in this case it's a win-win scenario. There's a lot to be said for the Meriva 1.6 range and respect is most certainly due to Vauxhall. The opposition have a lot of catching up to do.

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
VIEW MORE DISCOUNT MERIVA DEALS