Vauxhall Meriva reviews

Bought in November 2023 with various minor problems. Wheel bearing changed plus spark plugs and coil pack replaced without drama (apparently a known problem). MPG at around 45 to 50 on a long drive - 800mile round trip. Comfortable interior although lacking stowage for loose change. Very pleased after 1500 miles of use.

I had the worst unimaginable experiences with this car. It was a second hand from Vauxhall dealership fairly new, fully serviced with mileage of 12000. Less than 1 year later, car stopped in the middle of M25 due to engine failure and in the end the entire engine needed to be replaced. The 1 year guarantee covered the cost but 3 years later, the same thing happened! and Vauxhall engineer informed me that yet again the car needs a new engine. I do not want to waist my time and money anymore  this car is the most unreliable car specially driving with children it is scary.

Had the car from new in 2014 and it's been all but faultless, had to have the horn replaced under warrenty. It only does very low milages and up to now has cost £18 per month to service. I can rely on 35 mpg on shopping and run around duties and always get above 50mpg on distance work. When going on holiday as a family my brother in laws parents insist on traveling with me because of the ease of access to the back of rhe car. Comfort wise it's fantastic, great seats and all the controls fall readily to hand, heated steering wheel is a nice touch. The acres of glass and ample headroom make the cabin feel much bigger than it is giving a light and airy feel, definately a nice place to be. Mine is the 1.4 naturaly aspirated engine so it's not going to win many traffic light burnouts. The lack of power shows most with 4 people and luggage on board but if you get the revs up a bit it's OK. On the whole I'm really pleased with it, got it at a heavily discounted price and with the 100,000 mile warrenty(as long as I own the car) I really can say that it's been a fantastic buy.

The vauxhall meriva need more work as not getting mpg as said and seems sluggish when stopped at traffic lights

Had the car a while now.. changed from a 2 door to this as we have a growing family.. i must admit its been great so far.. only fault i can find is the interior trim around window buttons flakes very easily and even looking in scrap yards for replacements you see the same issue.. I see a lot of people complaining about the handbrake but it seams that alot just are so used to a manual one.. honestly there are 2 hand brake settings 1 is for quick handbrake like at lights .. or junctions.. pull and hold for a few seconds and you get a stronger handbrake for hills etc everything works great panoramic roof is a great idea if you have kids mine love it.. suicide doors are great i find it perfect if im taking my disabled parent shopping or anything like that.. kids love them they say it makes the car cool so bonus for keeping my kids happy.. i do wish the rear centre pull down/arm rest had cup holders in though for my kids to put there drinks also the tray for them on the back of the rear seats could do with a mechanism that supports the cups from underneath for smaller cups or bottles... i have the 1.4 turbo and coming from a1 litre to a 2 litre and then to this i find there is plenty of power couple that with a 6 speed box and its got all any family would need.. could really do with the option to add the Bluetooth module to the onboard system though was a let down that i would have to buy a after market parrot Bluetooth.. all in all im happy paid £4000 for my 2012 se and i dont regret it so far im happy, kids are happy..

Car does everything to and ok standard little floaty on the Cornering, performance is ok and fuel economy decent especially on long motorway trips. Other than a central locking issue and slightly heavy on tyre wear it’s been a great purchase.

I brought this car for its space. Has a nice big boot and can seat 5 adults. Electronic handbrake is fantastic to use, car handles and drives well. Comes well equipt. The only down side of the 1.4 none turbo petrol is very slow. It takes a very long time to pull off and get up to speed. This can be an issue as roundabouts. Having said this, I did not buy the car for speed and sort of expect it to be very slow. This car is build to be practical and that is exactly what it is.

I bought my Meriva in 2012 with 12000 miles on the clock, we are now(2019) on 71000 miles and have had one water pump, one alternator belt, new rear springs, new battery, set of tyres and odd bulbs. There was one problem when after turning off the engine at a level crossing, I couldn't get it to start again for about five minuets. Hills I take in the correct gear and think maybe it is a bit sluggish but if you use the gears well the acceleration is quite good. The w/s pillars can be a nuisance and the fuel consumption is ok on a long run. The electric handbrake has been no problem to me up or downhill. The doors work well for me, we liked that setup for ease of use for my wife's mother but she always wanted to sit in the front . The car has been serviced every year and I am very satisfied with my Meriva.

We bought our Meriva SE in 2017, it had just 14000 miles on the clock. At first it was sluggish at best, did not like hills and felt as though there was no power in it. However we had to get the AA out who told us it needed a new ignition coil and spark plugs. Since then it has been purring. It pulls well. It gets up hills with no problem at all. The only other things we have replaced were the back coil springs that had snapped. We like the look of the car and the doors which open differently, we have a panoramic roof which we like too. It's economical on fuel and it has a prompt to tell us to change gears. We have not had any issues at all with the parking break thankfully.

Where do I start? The parking brake? The cornering? Acceleration? Doors? Ok so first off, why anyone would put an electric handbrake in a car without hill hold assist as standard is beyond me. Hill starts are noisy and nail biting and my clutch is taking a hammering in a desperate attempt to stop the thing rolling backwards. The cornering - think Bambi on ice.... the back end of the car has almost deserted me several times. Acceleration? If you'd like to overtake anything, please avoid the woefully underpowered 1.4 Petrol. It cant pull off from junctions at any speed, joining a motorway or duel carriageway is often dicey and the lack of power really doesnt help the hill start issue. Whoever designed the doors needs to go back to school. However, as a small family runabout, it's decent. The driving position (once you learn to peer round the front pillars) is good, it's actually very easy to park and accommodates a family and all their day to day stuff very well including things like car seats. Always enough space for the weekly shop, isnt too bad on fuel around the doors and oddly, the more you find youself encouraging it up a hill (living wildly if you can get any faster than 25mph on an incline) you kind of start to bond with the thing.

I got my Meriva 3 weeks ago. I was initially a little anxious about the electronic handbrake but it’s actually rather nifty and I got used to it in no time at all.  As far as fuel consumption goes I don’t think it’s worse or better than what I drove before but I have no complaints.  The interior is spacious, plenty of legroom in the back, which is something I particularly wanted as my son is growing fast and needs space to move.  I love the high driving position. My son loves the suicide doors, he thinks they are cool.  The 1.4 can be a bit sluggish on a steep incline but that’s probably just because it’s a big change from my previous car which was s 2litre engine.  All in all I’m really pleased with it.

I have so much hatred for this car, it's one of the worst designed cars ever. It is ugly, incredibly annoying, and does not functional well. As you will have already seen in other reviews, the hand brake doesn't work and the car will roll in random directions. The car doors will lock automatically when the car is moving but when you stop at traffic lights it will assume you have parked and unlock at quite possible the worst time as this is when they are needed most if you are in rough area!. Oh, and if the lights turns green you won't be able to pull off quick because the hand break will still be on. Then there is the comfort. When you're in it, it's fine. If you can get in the car that is. The backwards car doors are so incredibly frustrating. Try to open the door from the outside, the sharp metal corner bottom will whack in to your shins. It's happened multiple times. Try to get out, and you'll shoulder barge it will no success because you forgot that some moron thought it was would a good idea to screw the doors on backwards for no additional benefit, and then when you do close the door it will cut the back of your calf. This car is absolutely awful, there's a reason that it's cheap, the designer should be shot!

A comfortable car , sure footed, reliable and economical - not the fastest getaway but quite acceptable for a pensioner. A pleasure to drive and none of the blind spots experienced in the older Meriva

Does what I need it to do, reliably and fairly comfortably.

this is a decent small family car, although hardly an mpv as the makers describe it. comfortable drive but a couple of blind spots around the front pillars.

noisy diesel engine -she roars on acceleration inside the car. Comfortable especially in back seats Rear doors hinged to open backwards so my queen enjoys entering and leaving like the Queen., sedately. Good boot capacity and access. Good value for money at purchase

The Meriva is a very comfortable car. Easy to get in and out of with a bad back. Because it is slightly higher from the road than the Astra we had before, I don't suffer with glare from sun or headlights. Visors never helped in the Astra as not being tall 5'4" they never protected my eyes. They certainly work in the Meriva. I love my car.

The meriva is perfect for us because we can easily put a wheelchair in the boot and there is still room for luggage

Surprisingly roomy inside and has been reliable. Only flaws are mpg, averages 38mpg, and light bulbs need changing every 6 months.

I have driven vauxhall cars for about 30years this one has proved expensive to maintain, had some big service bills