| First Drive | Luton, England | Vauxhall Meriva |

If it's good enough for Rolls-Royce owners then it's good enough for the hoi polloi in Vauxhalls. At least that what the Luton firm thinks, with the new Meriva featuring rear-hinged doors at the back. They're more than a gimmick too, the unusual doors giving brilliant access to the rear seats. Bigger, better built and smarter looking than its predecessor, the Meriva has moved on from being a merely useful mini-MPV to a desirable compact people carrier.

In the Metal

The kinked glass profile, smart nose and sculpted flanks of the Meriva concept have made it through to production along with those trick doors. Vauxhall doesn't deny that it is aiming its cars more upmarket; park the new Meriva alongside the old one and that's clear. Inside it's the same story; the plastics are of better quality, and the wrap-around dashboard and metal highlight trim pieces add class to this practical machine's cabin.

Those rear doors make getting in the back an absolute cinch, while getting out is even easier. Parents will appreciate the wide opening and ability to stand facing the rear seats to fit child seats too. Aside from great access the rear seats offer plentiful adjustability. They slide fore, aft and inwards. The latter allows the two outer seats to be moved away from the doors if the middle seat is pushed down to an armrest position. A twin-floor boot, fold flat rear seats, a novel rail system with cup holder and armrest options (which Vauxhall calls 'FlexRail') and plentiful cubbies around the interior make the Meriva a clever people carrier - only the lack of a fold-flat feature on the front passenger seat limiting its usefulness for longer loads.

What you get for your Money

Vauxhall claims that the Meriva is competitively priced, though look at it in comparison to its predecessor and you might not think so. The new car is a good bit bigger though, closer to its seven-seat Zafira relative. Vauxhall is now targeting the Meriva at cars such as the Citroen C4 Picasso, Ford C-Max and even Mercedes' A-Class. It's worthy of such comparison.

All Merivas come with a USB socket and an aux-in socket, along with an electric handbrake. Safety kit includes ESP, front and seat airbags. Vauxhall expects its Exclusiv trim to be the biggest seller, it adding full curtain airbags and air conditioning to the list - both of which should perhaps be included in the entry-level Expression and S lines.

Driving it

The high driving position, large windscreen and deep side glass makes for an airy driving environment. The dash-mounted gear lever shifts cleanly enough, and the steering - tuned specifically for UK tastes - is nicely weighted and pleasingly responsive. Featuring Zafira-derived suspension the Meriva rides well, the control it offers being impressive.

A 118bhp 1.4-litre turbocharged petrol engine delivers useful low rev urgency but isn't the smoothest unit we've experienced in its mid-range. The petrol engine range is made up entirely of 1.4-litre engines - with or without turbocharging. Two diesels of 1.3- and 1.7-litre capacities are also available, the larger unit coming exclusively with an automatic transmission.

Wind and road noise is hushed at motorway speeds, the Meriva proving a competent if not exceptional drive. In this market that's exactly what buyers are after - solid dependable transport. And the Meriva won't disappoint.

Worth Noting

The fitment of the FlexRail between the front seats necessitates the use of an electric parking brake. That would be okay if all came with hill-start assist, but it's an option on even the range-topping SE we drove. Exclusiv trim needs to be the starting point if you're considering the Meriva for your family, as only at this level in the range do you get full-sized curtain airbags, active-safety front seat head restraints and, crucially if you've got children on board - a warning light to let you know that a seatbelt has been unfastened in the rear seats.

The 1.4-litre turbocharged version we drove, with 118bhp, didn't feel particularly lively, its official 0-62mph time of 11.5 seconds underlining it's no speed machine. What is likely to please most owners though is its 46.3mpg combined fuel consumption figure.

Summary

The barn-door style access to the new Vauxhall Meriva is undoubtedly its key feature; it's so good you've got to wonder why it's taken so long to be adopted on the tall, versatile vehicles that we're buying today as family cars. The rest of the car is equally as impressive though, the interior both classy and hugely flexible, and the driving dynamics admirably competent. Some of the equipment steps seem a bit odd: if air conditioning can be standard across the entire Astra range it should be in the Meriva too in our opinions. That aside the Meriva is a great family car, which is down to more than just its clever rear doors.