Vauxhall Meriva reviews

Coming up to our first MOT. Have covered 30000 miles in all conditions, with not one fault. A spacious, roomy and practical car, with more than the expected performance available, thanks to the turbo-charged engine; average a shade under 50mpg so far. Seats reasonably comfortable with rear seating easily re-configured. Have been very pleasantly so far with this underrated car.

I love the feeling of space in my car and the boot is not a bad size. When the back seats are down you can get a lot of things in the boot. It is nice being higher up off the road as well. Very easy to park.

I like my car and am reluctant to change it. The main reasons are its practicality. For such a compact car there is loads of space for carrying all kinds of cargo and I particularly like the way the rear seats fold giving a flat floor. It has proved very comfortable, reliable and economical on both short and longer journeys. I would perhaps consider a Meriva B but have reservations. Yes, the seats fold in the same way so there isabout the same amount of space, but the car is 9 inches longer and no more economical, so what is the advantage. Also there is no spare wheel!!!

Nice to drive,plenty of power and very reliable. Economical to run.Well equipped car.

The 1400 engine is far too underpowered. Absolutely useless on steep hills and on the motorway if you have to lose speed it takes too long to build up the revs again. If you don't think well ahead it can be quite dangerous. Not a car i would recommend with this engine!! A shame because it is an ideal car spacewise and the opening of the doors is great for young children.

The Meriva is a good all round car but mine is a 1400cc and very underpowered, especially when trying to overtake other cars. If you come to a steep hill you have to change down gears, sometimes even to second gear, which is hopeless.

There is a bad blind spot created by the sloping pillar by the drivers door.

I would be happy to recommend my car as a reliable vehicle to others Its a great family car, and I feel very safe when driving it, the body is strong, and the car has plenty of space. There is very good vision all round as it is quite high up, I find there is however one area that could be improved when you are turning right you have to take into account the frame of the window can partially block your vision. This is why only gave it 4 stars in performance. The car is very heavy so is not built for racing but travels well and is quite good on fuel. I have had my car for eight years from new and have not had any major repairs up to now. The body work is as good as new and shows no sign of rust. Because the car is quite high up if its a windy day it is more likely to be affected by winds on the motorway but obviously as a driver you take this into account and drive accordingly.

The car is underpowered and does not deliver anything like the mpg promised in the brochure.I do not find the electric hand-brake very practical, and am constantly worried about getting a puncture since there is no spare wheel. On the positive side, the driving position and seat are very comfortable, and the road holding is excellent (wide low-profile tyres)

Wish I had never even seen this car. Absolute nightmare.

good car for retired couple, like us. Probably not quite big enough for a family car. Indicator audible warning is too quiet and the front pillars cause blind spots, otherwise a nice car to drive.

I am a keen golfer but require to use a ride-on buggy so needed a vehicle that had the space to carry it along with clubs etc and the Meriva took the biscuit. the car is very roomy and most comfortable for driving, especially when on a long trip, my wife has recently been diagnosed with Parkinsons and finds getting in & out much easier than other cars the size of engine gives the Meriva plenty of accelleration anda reasonable consumption figures especially on long trips

Bought this for its cheap insurance rating and economy as rated by the AA car buying website. It's flexibility and comfortable seats are great. I carry large heavy loads without even folding the back seats. We can sit under the tailgate to put on walking boots. Only drawback is the non folding front passenger seat so flatpack bookcases and ladders don't fit. (I'm too short for roof racks and they are a fuel guzzling nuisance).

Mine is a basic model so it is ok. My only big issues with this car is that the light on the ceiling can't be manually operated but the biggest issue of all is that there are blind spots on the right hand and left hand side on the front of the car. A few times i could not see a pedestrian, motorbyke or byke coming from either left or right. WOuld not buy this model again because of the blind spots.

Good spacious multi-purpose vehicle however rear seat passengers have insufficient room to get legs in around the central pillar easily however when in there is sufficient leg room . High driving seat shape and position comfortable for drivers with sciatica and bad backs. Biggest drawback is the blind spot from the front pillars to side of windscreen area which blocks seeing anything to the right of you when going round a right hand corner or roundabout.

Its a good Practical car for getting you around and doing some jobs that other cars would struggle to manage plenty of space for those bigger jobs.

More than satisfied

We love our Vauxhall Meriva! We are on our second now and we are really pleased. Our current car has now come to 60000 miles and only because of this we may well look at replacing it. There have been no problems, other than replacing tyres, and one battery and I do believe that it could continue to provide reliable transport well into the future. This car is our daily transport and has been used to transport any number of different loads, and to different places (the school run, family holidays - including to Guernsey, Scotland, Northumberland and many times to Cornwall -, shopping, regular visits to the Tip and used for work). The performance and mpg that we get from the 1.3 diesel has been impressive and when travelling at speed I have to remind myself that it is only a small engine. We will be sad to move on from our car.

Great family car, returning 50 mpg and over 45 when towing the trailer tent. Does what it says on the tin, always gets us from a- b. Have owned from 4 month old, like the car alot. Had a new eps fitted a couple of years ago under warranty, will be passing to the wife next year as she does less miles. Would seriously consider another new version. The car has all I need ,inc, sunroofs, air conn, cruise, etc.

Its a bit sluggish with a load and on steep hills. Has some quirky steering and pedals but you get used to them. Even on monitored and tested driving the fuel is just guzzled averaging 5.1 miles per litre (main bugbear) seems its not the only meriva to have a fuel issue and is common but comfort space and reliability are extremely good even with family and luggage (4 people) still spacious. Dodgy brake fluid warning design so if warning light shows stop immediately or as soon as safe there is little margin there.