You will have done this too, I am sure. The adverts on my local radio station were particularly irritating. So I searched for the next saved station, but because of the time of day, Radio 2 was playing something from a vinyl record that my Gran would like. I searched again and it was Classical. So I went again and just as the gravelly voice of a Radio 4 announcer was about to speak there was a loud ‘Honk, Honk!’
The traffic lights had changed and I needed to go before the honking motorist behind got really annoyed. Engaging gear, and squeezing the throttle, I offered the hand gesture of ‘sorry/thank you’ fully expecting the car to leap off the line.
But the current trend among manufacturers, to cut emissions through small petrol engines that have turbo chargers, meant the car nearly stalled.
The same thing happens in those sorts of circumstances with all the competitor engines too, except possibly Renault’s 1.2 turbo. But that’s not so refined at higher speeds.
Which means that Vauxhall have made the right compromise because to ruin the high level of refinement in such a brilliantly thought-through car as this Meriva, would have been a costly mistake. We will just have to stop fiddling with the radio so much.
It’s well worth that tiny sacrifice to own one of these cars, because that eccentricity aside, well that and the electric handbrake, the Meriva is a car that is exciting to step into each day. And you can’t say that about very many family motors.
The panoramic glass roof with electric blind creates a light, airy cabin, despite its small proportions. The seats and dashboard are straight from the Insignia and Astra, which means they are dramatic to look at and very effective. The combination of good seats and engine refinement, in such a welcoming and impressive environment means I wouldn’t think twice before embarking on a long motorway run in this little family car.
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Seat flexibility (left) and panoramic glass roof.
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The build quality is as good as a German manufacturer would offer you. The equipment level, spec-by-spec is fair for the prices. Cd players and electric windows are included on all cars. If you look at nearly new models where you can buy an ‘Exclusiv’ model for the price of the base ‘Expression’ model you also get more air bags and more gadgets like electric mirrors.
But the reason this car is really impressive is the rear ‘suicide doors’ and the extra long hinges (on front and rear doors). Having big hinges on the other side of the door to normal makes a disproportionate difference to the ease with which the elderly can get in the back, or a parent can gain access to fit the baby seat (yes, the seats have Isofix.) The opening is the complete door width as it is unimpaired by the door which only opens to a 75 degree angle in any other car.
This sophisticated car is also frugal. Reasonable new prices and the large Vauxhall dealer network will lead to excellent bargains on the nearly new and used market. Servicing will be in line with the rest of the Vauxhall range, which is almost as cheap as Ford and better than most others including value brands like Renault. Over a normal mix of driving with the 1.4 petrol you will achieve 47 mpg, with a 1.7 diesel, 57 mpg. So there are just no downsides with this car.
What’s the market like?
You can find Exclusiv’s on the market with 1,000 miles for just £12,500 – saving you £5,000. Buying a nearly new car like this makes sense because you can sell it within one or two years and your depreciation will be very small.
The old Meriva was a much less impressive car, with a correspondingly lacklustre used market. We expect there to be many more of the new Merivas in the market. That means there will doubtlessly be bargains, but when the product is this good, it’s hard to see depreciation being huge on anything other than the ex-demonstrator vehicles.
What else can this budget buy?
There is the Renault Scenic – obviously. And the slightly cheaper Citroen Xsara Picasso. Or more recently, the C3 Picasso. But while they each seemed highly innovative in their day, they are rather put in the shade by the new Meriva.
A Seat Altea, while lacking the clever ‘suicide doors,’ is even better to drive and offers a similar combination of compact-exterior and spacious interior.
Summary
The Vauxhall Meriva sets a new benchmark for small family cars. It is comfortable, refined and frugal. More than that, it is easy to load your young family in and out of. And even more than that, it is a stylish car to be proud of owning and enjoy driving.