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Inside the Vauxhall Meriva

We get world first access to groundbreaking new supermini-MPV

Vauxhall Meriva

By Jack Rix

January 2010

Vauxhall is opening up about its all-new Meriva – and Auto Express was first to jump into the driver’s seat!

Practicality is key in the supermini-MPV class, and the Meriva is stuffed with fresh ideas. Bosses say the car is groundbreaking – so to put these claims to the test, we got exclusive access to an early Opel-badged model.

The new Meriva has been designed from the ground up to be the most versatile and stylish car in the class. And with its innovative doors, wide variety of seat layouts and novel storage solutions, its cabin promises to take family-friendly features to a whole new level.

The major talking point is clearly the rear-hinged FlexDoors. They are similar to those on Mazda’s RX-8 and the MINI Clubman, but uniquely, on the Meriva the back doors can be opened independently of the fronts.

Easier

As a result, access to the rear is narrower than on most cars – but we found this set-up easier and more logical. We got in and out of the back with the door fully open, and also in a tight space, while you fall back into the seat, rather than climbing round it. Even when the Meriva is in a supermarket car park, for example, occupants will be able to rotate their bodies around the B-pillar and slip through this space with ease.

A further advantage of the layout is that parents will be able to strap their children into the back without having to contort themselves around the door. However, a Vauxhall engineer assured us this layout does not compromise side impact protection or torsional rigidity – so the car will be just as strong in the event of a crash.

The clever features don’t stop there. The cabin can be configured in layouts from one to five seats, depending on whether you need to maximise luggage or passenger space.

Up front, the design is a variation on that seen in the larger Astra and Insignia, and uses the same high-quality materials and intuitive controls. The front seats are carried over from these cars, and have the widest range of adjustment in the class. The gearlever sits high on the centre console, with the standard electric handbrake below it, and that has created space for the Meriva’s party piece: an entirely new version of Vauxhall’s FlexRail system. This comprises two aluminium rails, running between the front seats, on to which designers have mounted a three-tier storage bin with trays and cup-holders.

The box can be moved along the rails or taken out, and with the middle section of the rear bench folded flat, it can even be placed between the back seats. Adding to the practical feel is an optional bike rack, built into the rear bumper, as on the Corsa.

On the outside, the Meriva hides its functionality with genuinely desirable looks. The similarities to the Astra and Insignia are evident in the grille and creases in the door panels, but elsewhere the newcomer has its own personality. A blacked-out section below the rear windscreen disguises the model’s height, while the big headlamps and wraparound tail-lights help it stand out.

Yet chief designer Niels Loeb is most proud of the pronounced kink in the window line. “Not only does it add character to the profile, it also offers extra visibility for rear passengers, which could prevent children from feeling car sick,” he said.

Power comes from a range of six turbocharged diesel and petrol engines, delivering from 74bhp to 138bhp. We drive the Meriva in April, after its debut at March’s Geneva Motor Show – and if Vauxhall carries over the Astra and Insigina’s dynamic polish, it will have a real winner.

For an alternative review of the latest Vauxhall Meriva visit our sister site carbuyer.co.uk

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5 Comments

Vauxhall Oddball...

It may be me, but I think the new Meriva looks a little odd. I'm a big fan of the Astra and Insignia, but Vauxhalls new design brief doesn't sit well on the Meriva. First impressions count in this market and I feel the styling looks a little disjointed. I will admit that the interior looks classy though.

By sgtgrash on 26 January, 2010, 11:41am

Vauxhall Oddball...fashion driven! so exactly just how good is it?

How can these doors be describe as innovative when they were commonly around in the 1930’s, 40’s and 50’s they are just a modern rework of this past idea albeit I believe with electronic interlocks to stop them being opened when the vehicle is moving (which is not particularly innovating just absolutely necessary in today’s world). However I for one don’t feel right about this set up, it just looks wrong and usually when it looks wrong it is wrong. I believe these doors are just a fashionable gimmick, a ‘must have’ now by the fashion police. Rather than going along the fashion route Vauxhall should be investing there efforts in designing lightweight sliding doors for they’re new people carriers instead, this would be so much more practicable.

And so what about the really important practical aspects? Just how much interior space is there and just how flexible is the seating. Does it all folds totally flat; does the front passenger seat fold flat, can you move around the rear seats as in certain other people carriers, does the ‘clever’ centre console unit prevent maximisation of the flat load area? etc. etc.

I own a late Vauxhall Corsa and although it is a very good car it comes nowhere near my 6-year-old Honda Jazz on interior space or seating flexibility even though it is the same size vehicle footprint wise. So a comparison test between the new Meriva and the latest Jazz is a must as soon as possible please?

By davidlivermore on 26 January, 2010, 12:15pm

I'm still cynical about those doors. They look different (and that's great) and I'm sure they do offer easier access to the rear.

But, what happens when 4 people try to get in at once? Aren't front and rear occupants going to get in each others' way? In a car park where there's limited room to open the doors this layout is suddenly going to become a nightmare.

Front doors have always had the problem of a sharp corner which really hurts if you bump yourself on it. Now you're falling over the back seat passengers in a confined space with sharp comers on both front and rear doors.

It's a nice idea but I'm yet to be convinced it works.

I'm concerned that neither Vauxhall nor any journalists have actually tried this arrangement in the world the car is made for - supermarket car parks where you want to get the kids in/out as fast as possible without banging into each other.

By inicholson on 26 January, 2010, 12:55pm

You're right - the doors aren't innovative

but I do think they make sense (although the space to get in the rear seems a little cramped). When parents get in/out of their seats in the front, it's less distance to travel to sort the kids out with whatever issue they may have.

Every little thing that can make parents life easier when getting the kids in and out of the car is a good thing as far as I'm concerned.

By ttdpaul on 26 January, 2010, 2:46pm

There's just no accounting for taste, or need as perceived by the car maker. I for one, based on the pics here, would want something more than rubber band tyres, OR bigger wheels, simply to fill the rather big wheel arches. But thats mere semantics, and families buying this car will be looking for all the new and novel features this car brings. Of all the garbage I read about the "killer suicide door" on the drivers side on the new Mini Clubman, I never saw a single comment about banged heads, or fights for access between front and rear passengers.
By comparison, I was out in Sydney yesterday with 2 mates, and spied a VW Caddy [??] looking like the domestic version of the commercial job, with sliding rear doors on both sides, [in stunning black] which must just about be the ultimate method of access to the rear of a vehicle. Curiously, my mates were not at all impressed. I'd be pretty sure that VW is right in the middle of the same class as the Meriva. I hope the Vauxhall does really well anyway.

By barina47 on 29 January, 2010, 5:27am

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FIRST OPINION

    It’s so far so good for Vauxhall’s new supermini-MPV. The rear-hinged back doors are more than just a gimmick, and make getting in and out a breeze – they should also be popular with parents, who’ll notice the benefits when strapping their children in the back. Folding and adjusting the seats is easy, while the Meriva really scores on storage. The designers have even added a splash of desirability with the sculpted bodywork.

 

AT A GLANCE

    Price: From £13,500 (est)
    Engines: Six turbocharged petrol and diesel units will be offered
    Power: 74bhp-138bhp
    Load capacity: 400-1,500 litres
    Equipment: Panoramic glass roof, FlexRail storage system, FlexFit bike rack, electronic parking brake, air-conditioning, USB/aux connection, alloy wheels
    On sale: June
     
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