A modern makeover

Opel are confident improvements made to the Meriva will result in high sales for the new model

Martin Brennan

New age twist: the Opel Meriva is relying on clever additions, like its rear hinged FlexDoors, to convince customers that this is the car that can dominate the mini MPV section of the market

Opel Meriva

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The Opel Meriva, a big seller in Europe but not heavily marketed here in the past, made its mark in the compact MPV segment because of the practicality of the interior design more than its exterior good looks.

A new model now has stunning good looks with a dipped rear door beltline and a huge windscreen to give an airy feel with the rising roofline. The swept back headlights surround a sloping grille and at the rear there is a big tailgate with the rear light clusters seeping into the design. A large curved glass window gives extra light and improved rear view. There is also the option of a panoramic roof.

The interior has been designed to give even more storage space in the new model and Opel claim there is more flexibility than in rival models.

» There are FlexDoors at the rear. They are next best thing to sliding doors and will be most appreciated by those loading the rear – particularly parents with child seats. A safety feature is that the FlexDoors can only be opened when the car is stationary, an automatic lock is activated when the car starts off.

» There is also a FlexRail up front where occupants can fix a variety of storage compartments.

» The FlexSpace interior has been improved over the outgoing model. The rear seats are now easier to collapse and they are on runners so they can be rolled forwards or backwards to create more boot space or more rear legroom depending on travelling needs. And Opel states that the supportive front seats are the most adjustable in the mini MPV class.

» A high economy ecoFLEX model is in the pipeline and will arrive later which will have low rolling resistance tyres and higher gear ratios. The driving dynamics have also been improved as there is now a longer wheelbase with wider tracks on the front and rear which will give more stability on corners.

The Meriva will have an average emission level, which will be 15 per cent lower than the outgoing model. There will be six turbo-charged powerplants on offer with power outputs ranging from 75 bhp to 138 bhp.