We had a Zafira for many a year which we were happy with but we decided we could probably afford to downsize so we’ve got one of the new Merivas.
I have to admit, in terms of driving style, it very much carries on from the Zafira, a good drive and nothing out of the ordinary. I would say that with luggage and a full complement of passengers, it would be nice to have slightly more than a 1.4 but we rarely carry a huge amount. Overall, the engine makes the car a comfortable ride, little complaints here.
I guess one of the most controversial features are the funny doors, the Rolls-Royce doors. They are quite good in practice. Obvious, they are a hindrance in car parks because you can’t open them fully but apart from this they are a good concept and work quite well if a little strange to get used to.
I really like the interior, I think its very modern and seems high quality. The rear seats are incredible acrobats, you can have three (good amount of room) or get rid of the middle one and have two (amazing amount of room). The boot also provides a decent amount of space for a short holiday for a family of four (including passengers!).
Mpg and other costs seem to be quite reasonable so far, we usually manage between 30-40mpg.
I had a Zafira before this Meriva, which was a pretty good car, lots of space and comfy for long journeys. I suppose I didn't spend long enough really trying out the Meriva before buying, but I am really pretty disappointed.
It is fairly reliable, although it isn't that old. The main thing is that it's just, firstly, not at all enjoyable to drive, feels awkward and clunky, and secondly, it really looks pretty old fashioned. I think I took to it originally because it reminded me of the Zafira, but after a while you realise it basically is the old Zafira in terms of styling, and the inside of the car is just full of these kind of dowdy dull plastic surfaces that look old and naff very quickly.
A bigger problem though is the way the Meriva drives. It does feel pretty awkward from the start. The clutch is at a really weird angle, difficult to move down. The steering is pretty lifeless really, by which I mean it's hard to know exactly what angle you've reached by turning however far. I think power steering might have been over developed in this car. Also, even though it's quite a tall car, the visibility is still quite bad. The pillars each side of the windscreen are in quite silly places (this was actually a problem with the Zafira too), and the blind spot (at least in my driving position) is quite big. It's easy-ish to park, but does take quite a bit of getting used to.
The dash controls in the Meriva are a bit weird too. The radio channel buttons 1-6 aren't arranged in a line like you might expect, they're arranged a bit like a phone dial pad which is just strange to start with. All in all the stereo controls are just oddly spaced out and in unintuitive places, which can be dangerously distracting when you're first getting used to the layout. The stereo is ok though, nothing special, and at least it plays MP3s off a CD.
The cabin space is ok, there's some handy drinks holes round the front, and the glove box is al alright size. The top of the dash is a bit annoying though, because stuff falls into the space where the central display is located, which makes it hard to see. It's only the clock and radio etc. but still, bit silly. Meanwhile the rest of the top of the dash just sends stuff flying into your lap.
There are some cute little touches in the Vauxhall Meriva though. Like in the back you can have an aeroplane style table flip down from the back of the front seat. And the middle seat flips down to make a little storage space for the rear passengers (if there's only two of them).
Space wise it's a good little box. The back seats fold down fairly flat and the boot then is big enough for a couple of bikes and some camping gear, or say a small two seater sofa.
So, it's ok, but kinda annoying really, and I would get a different car given the choice again.