The clever rear hinged doors are no gimmick. They’re actually a genuinely useful feature and are ideal if you have child seats to fit as getting to the rear seats is so straightforward. Both the front and rear doors open incredibly wide – almost to 90 degrees – so they’re also useful for older passengers who may struggle with conventional doors. Unlike Ford and Mazda’s approaches, though, the B-pillar remains in place.

The rear seats slide forward and back to increase luggage room if needed, while the boot itself is impressive with 400 litres. You can also fold the rear seats flat in one go (and the headrests don’t need to be removed) to boost boot space further, plus there’s a large underfloor storage area.

If you regularly just have two in the back, you can fold the centre seat down as an armrest, which allows the two outer seats to slide inwards, creating more space. One system that debuted in the Meriva is the FlexRail – a three-tier storage system that sits between the front seats.

It’s essentially two rails with tracks that allow you to fit differing storage units or an armrest that slides along to any desired position.

Vauxhall Meriva Mk2 safety

This Meriva achieved the maximum score of five stars in the Euro NCAP ratings, performing particularly well in adult protection and safety assist. Standard safety equipment includes break-away foot pedals, a collapsible steering column, front airbags, front seatbelt pre-tensioners, five three-point seatbelts and Isofix child seat mountings in the back.

Side airbags are standard on S models with full-size curtain airbags fitted on Exclusiv and SE models. Electronic Stability Control comes fitted to all cars.

When buying a used car remember that EuroNCAP safety ratings only apply at the time of the test, and the standards have changed, and become tougher over time. The Meriva compares well with rivals of a similar age.