It's pretty, it's practical, it's fast 'n flexy... It's the new Meriva

There are those doors... very flexy... sexy.

It's all about the Meriva's doors, you see. When you open the front and back doors at the same time and view it from the side the small and cute Meriva looks exactly like an open wardrobe because the back doors are hinged at the back not in the front to function as what is often described as "suicide doors."

Yes, it does provide a handy side of the road emergency toilet space but it is also damn handy for getting the little ones in and out of car seats and for loading bulkier items in and out. It also makes it easy for mother in law with the bad back to slide in and out of the back seats with this clever FlexDoors system.

That fabulous Flex

Talking of seats, one of the Meriva's biggest brag points is the word Flex and thanks to FlexSpace the rear seats can move forward, backward or side-ways and by just pulling a few small levers the seats fold completely flat. There's even a non-slip rubber mat which unfolds to cover the entire space between the front seats and the luggage door.

Then there is also a FlexRail system which creates a zillion (32, actually) storage compartments and hidey holes all over the place.

The living area is amazingly spacious considering the Opel's size and can happily accommodate four Stormer's forwards travelling all the way from Newlands to Tswanetoria.

The Meriva Enjoy is neat and extremely practical.

The new Meriva has also advanced tremendously in terms of ride quality and now strides along much smoother and quieter. At the recent Media introduction I piloted Opel's new baby on lovely stretches of quiet winding roads, motorways and the odd patches of not so smooth tarmac north of Bloemfontein and could not help but be impressed by the classy ride.

Just recently I scooted around Cape Town in a Meriva for a week and Her Majesty declared immediate approval and affection for it, to such an extent that I had to remind her on occasion that it was actually MY car to evaluate not her preferred mode of transport between home and gym.

It does get on a bit

The suspension, too, is noticeably better and even though it leans more towards comfort than dynamic handling it copes quite confidently with corners when progress becomes a little enthusiastic. The cabin is also particularly well insulated so outside noises are kept right down.

The six-speed gearbox is as smooth as Guinness and as pleasant on the hand as a full glass of the legendary Irish pint. The steering is light without being airy-fairy and the power factory up front is keen to produce the goods - and so it should be because it is the same 103kW/200Nm 1.4-litre turbo petrol job that also propels the new Opel GTC.

The Cosmo living quarters... very nice.

click to enlarge

Although it never pretends to be anything other than a comfortable small family car its performance is not too sleepy at all. In fact, Opel says it will get from 0-100km/h in 10.3 seconds and gallop to a top speed of 196km/h. In the combined cycle fuel consumption under test conditions should be in the region of 6.7 litres/100km (probably a bit more when fully-loaded and being force-fed in the reef's energy-sapping thin air).

The Meriva is available in two variations with the same engine and gearbox but with different bells and whistles.

A good list of... goodies... apart from the Marie biscuit

Standard features on both options include ABS with Brake Assist and EBD, fully adjustable steering column, audio controls on steering heel, stability control, fog lamps, aircon, power windows and mirrors, cruise control, front and back park assist, an army of airbags, ISOFIX kiddies' seat anchorage, remote central locking, a fancy seven-speaker audio and CD system and connectivity set-up that includes MP3/ Aux input, USB port, Bluetooth and onboard computer.

Bags of space for just about anything; in fact, the kitchen sink would fit.

The higher-specced model sports additionals such as auto headlights, 17-inch alloys, panoramic glass roof, leather steering wheel, and rain-sensing wipers.

A full-sized spare wheel has been sacrificed on the altar of space so the spare is a space-saver and that would be my only (and very personal) mutter about this comfortable, practical, and very handsome family wagon.

The Meriva comes with a peace of mind five-year/120 000km warranty and a five-year/90 000km service plan.

The models and prices are:

Meriva Enjoy R234 000
Meriva Cosmo R254 000

Specifications - Enjoy
Specifications - Cosmo

Vauxhall Meriva Review - Auto Express

Honest John's Vauxhall Meriva road test

Vauxhall Meriva Review | motortorque.com