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As with so many other car makers, Vauxhall is rapidly expanding its range of small turbo petrol engines and this is no bad thing. The 1.4-litre turbocharged petrol engine comes in 118- or 138bhp forms and the less powerful does a workmanlike job of propelling the Meriva. Nought to 62mph in 11.5 seconds means it’s no ball of fire, but then this is a family car and if you want more oomph, the 138bhp provides it with a brisker 0-62mph time of 10.3 seconds. More importantly, the 138bhp 1.4 turbo feels much more eager at all speeds and through the gears, which really tells when the Meriva is loaded up with people and luggage. Forget the non-turbo 1.4 petrol as it’s just too sluggish. On the turbodiesel front, 1.3- and 1.7-litre engines fulfil their briefs of economy and decent performance, offering 98- and 105bhp respectively. The 1.3 turbodiesel is much too slow, however, needing 16.9 seconds to get from 0-62mph, while the 1.7 barely makes the grade with 0-62mph in 13.9 seconds. Fortunately, much improved and swifter diesels will join the Meriva range soon after launch.

Vauxhall has asserted its identity and authority from its Opel partner in Europe by tuning the Meriva’s suspension solely for UK roads. This is great news for us and a shame for the rest of Europe as they’re missing out on a great driving car. Forget the fact this is an MPV, the Meriva mixes ride and handling to give the best small hatches a hard time and follows in the new Astra’s tyre tracks to also offer good refinement. There’s some road noise at higher speeds, but the Meriva keeps wind and engine noise at a safe distance. On every type of surface, the Meriva is composed and calm, mopping up split road coverings and isolating them from the car’s occupants. This comfort is not at the cost of handling ability and the Meriva displays adroitness missing in most of the competition. Stable and with minimal lean, the Vauxhall makes twisty roads fun without turning city or motorway driving into a chore, and it enjoys balanced, precise steering. This latter point helps the Meriva to be fun and simple to zip into car park spaces.

Vauxhall really has got its act together when it comes to quality with its recent model launches. Starting with the Insignia, the firm’s new-found confidence and build strength now filters through to the Meriva and shows up in the fit and finish of the cabin, and the materials used throughout. It also shows in the neat shut lines of the Meriva and the way the rear-hinged back doors shut with a precise thunk. These rear doors show some clever engineering at work in the way they automatically lock shut when the car drives off, and this again highlights Vauxhall engineering integrity. As for the engines, they have been used already in the latest Astra and are proving to be reliable and fault-free.

The Meriva drops one star here because we simply cannot condone the entry-level Expression and S models going without curtain airbags when the rest of the range has them as standard. In an MPV and family car, this is a strange omission. However, all Merivas come with anti-lock brakes, ESP traction and stability control, and twin front and side airbags. There’s also an electric parking brake for all models and the rear-hinged back doors automatically lock shut as the car drives off, shown by a light inside of the release handle that goes from green to red to show the door is locked. If the rear doors are not properly closed, an audible alarm sounds and warning light on the dash alert the driver. Isofix child seat mounts are also fitted to all Meriva models, as are an alarm, immobiliser and deadlocks.

The Meriva is strictly a five-seat MPV and Vauxhall will not offer a seven-seat version – this is where the Zafira comes into play. No matter, the Meriva offers plenty of space for a family of five thanks to decent rear head, leg and shoulder space, and those in the front are well looked after too. All-round vision is good for the driver and the driving position is easily tailored to suit all shapes. Only the centre console and its profusion of buttons let the side down a tad. However, the new FlexDoor rear-hinged back doors are a brilliant touch and work very well. This is no gimmick and they swing open to nearly 90-degrees from the body to leave a large, unhindered space for entry to and egress from the Meriva. This arrangement also makes it a doddle to fix a child seat in place or put the relevant offspring into said child seat. Another handy touch is the FlexSpace rear seats, where the centre seat tips forward to allow the outer two rear seats to move back and inwards towards the middle of the Meriva. This offers limo-like space for two rear seat passengers, though it does pinch a little boot space. The Meriva’s boot is reasonable and can be expanded by folding the rear seats forward, though the resulting cargo floor is not completely flat.

The sluggish 1.3-litre turbodiesel offers the best fuel economy of the engines on offer from launch, providing 57.6mpg combined consumption and emissions of 129g/km. However, the 1.7 turbodiesel is a better proposition for driving, but gives a mediocre 44.1mpg and less than impressive 168g/km CO2 emissions. The 1.4-litre non-turbo petrol manages 144g/km and 46.3mpg, but we’d rather have the turbo petrol engines. Go for the 118bhp 1.4 turbo and you also get 46.3mpg and slightly lower emissions of 143g/km, while the 138bhp version offers 42.2mpg and 156g/km. Company drivers will be keen for the Ecoflex low emissions version of the Meriva to arrive soon after launch. The Expression and S models miss standard air conditioning, so we’d look towards the Exclusiv and SE versions of the Meriva to receive chilled air as standard, along with alloy wheels, electric windows and cruise control, while the SE also comes with a panoramic glass roof.

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