Vauxhall Meriva reviews

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

Does what it was designed to do. Nothing special as most cars.

The vehicle all round has provided reliable economic and very good service.

love my meriva car plenty of room for us all plus dog. good on petrol , reliable, would definitely have another one. look better with the tinted windows.

nothing to add

The Mk 1 meriva is a good blend of the qualities that would suit a small family, or anyone that needs flexibilitty with practicality. Personally, would avoid the Easytronic transmsision, as any faults can be difficult to get diagnosed, and relatively expensive to resolve?

I hate it's poor acceleration. I feel I've really got to floor it when coming out of a side road onto a main road and can't rely on it to overtake unless I'm already driving at speed. I love it's spaciousness, comfort and cornering ability.

My wife and I are satisfied with this car which we bought new and it is ideal for pensioners. However, we find the lack of a hand-break which is replaced by just a button most unhelpful. This together with automatic release when engaging a gear does make starting on a steep incline very awkward and sometimes most embarrassing.

I hate the fact that the doors lock automatically. It's been a great car very reliable and comfortable. It lacks some power especially when accelerating. I think the engine size is 1200 It's a standard Meriva