Meriva grows up

By Chris Thorp

15th July 2006

Viva Meriva! Vauxhall's baby people carrier has grown up. The exclusive pictures in this week's mag reveal the future of the Luton firm's supermini-MPV, which is getting bigger, better and more desirable.

Taking its lead from the latest Zafira, the newcomer will aim to offer more than the existing Meriva, which will soon be shunned by many in favour of the practical next-generation five-door Corsa. Larger dimensions will give the new Meriva scope for extra versatility to carve out a more convincing niche.

Key to its appeal will be the redesigned cabin. General Motors product boss Bob Lutz has said that the all-new Corsa is only the beginning of Vauxhall's shift towards high-quality interiors. The Meriva will benefit from this design philosophy, and its versatile cabin will seat five, with chairs folding flat into the floor to free up plenty of luggage space. No seven-seat variant would ever be produced, for fear of stealing sales from the larger Zafira.

Based on the same platform as the next-generation Corsa, the Meriva also promises to be a more capable driver's car. The emphasis will be on comfort, but the current model's woolly controls will be replaced with a sportier chassis and more direct steering.

Engines will also be shared with the forthcoming supermini. The petrol options will include 1.0, 1.2 and 1.4-litre units benefiting from Vauxhall's latest technology. However, it's the frugal oil-burners that are likely to be the most popular options, and the 1.3-litre CDTI diesel unit jointly developed with Fiat will be joined by an all-new 123bhp 1.7-litre derv motor.

At the top of the range, the VXR flagship variant will remain, but the power output will reach an incredible 200bhp.

While much of the detailed specification of the new Meriva is still under wraps, Vauxhall has confirmed that the model will be built at General Motors' Zaragoza plant in Spain.

Even though the current version is based on the old-shape Corsa platform and has been on sale since 2003, it will still have to hang on for another three years, as it is scheduled to have a six-year product lifecycle. Expect to see the new Meriva for the first time in concept form in 2008.