Vauxhall Meriva (2010 - 2017) 1.4i 16V Expression 5d Owner Review

Pros: very roomy, handles OK, excellant luggage space especially when seats folded down, seems to cruise OK on motorway, lots of extras on ours like cruise control, air con, rear parking sensors,etc. Cons: most difficult to drive car I've ever had in over 30 years of driving, engine is gutless and only pulls above 2500-3000 revs (not how I like to drive), really struggles with steep hills, electronic handbrake takes a lot of getting used to - it's only on or off so gives a feeling of lack of driver control and you really need to look at the dashboard light to ensure the handbrake is on before you get out, brakes are so abrupt and sensitive as to be almost dangerous and I'm still struggling with clutch control after nearly a year of driving it! Overall: this is such a disappointment after our much-loved Zafira and we'll probably look at a Ford next. Don't know about MPG as I've not measured it, but having to over-rev the little 1.4 to haul the heavy car away from junctions can't be doing much good for the MPG.