The Vauxhall Meriva was announced in 2002, formally launched in 2003, and soon became a hit, following in the footsteps of bigger brother Zafira. It is best described as a tall estate (or a small multi-purpose vehicle - MPV)The review carThe car we reviewed was a Vauxhall Meriva Design, with a 1.2 litre 8 valve engine, with standard spec.Driving experienceThe Meriva is built on the same platform as the Corsa, that is about all the cars have in common. Imagine, if you will, a taller Vauxhall Corsa with a harsher ride and a large bum, which will easily hold a small family and a few weeks' worth of groceries. Sounds good, doesn't it? It is, actually.The model we tested was the 1.6 litre 8-valve edition. Whilst it is starting to become rare to see 8-valve technology on modern engines, in the Meriva, it is a surprisingly satisfying engine - for a relatively large car, it nimbly pulls away from stoplights, and continues happily at most speeds. Even when fully loaded with spouses, kids, dogs and groceries, the engine has more than enough grunt to be zippy around town and to bring the car up to speed on the motorway.The suspension is soft enough to be comfortable, but it comes with a problem: The Vauxhall Meriva is quite a tall vehicle, and its centre of gravity is far away from the tar strip. Not normally much of a problem, but it means that it is not the greatest car to take on curves at speed: it leans sideways quite a bit, and has an uncomfortable tendency to lose traction when accelerating around corners."But wait a minute", we hear you think. "Curves at speed? Accelerating through corners", we hear you sputter. Well, yes, that isn't what the car is made for. Which is why we forgive it for those things: It may be based on a hatchback, but its handling is nothing like one. It is, however, one of the more comfortable large family hatches out there, both for quick runs to the shops and for longer expeditions: holidays, weekend breaks and so forth.The driving position is well-adjustable (the seat is height-adjustable, and the steering wheel can be adjusted as well), and the interior is well sound-insulated, which means that the car is stress-free, even on longer journeys.Safety on the Meriva is adequate - 4 stars in the Euro-NCAP is respectable (although the Renault Modus received the coveted 5-star rating), but side airbags and electronic spin control is optional. The brakes are excellent, and the car brakes down in a nice, stable fashion from all velocities, both around town and well above motorway speeds.For a vehicle that is relatively large on the inside, it is rather easy to drive, and simple to park in most situations. It does take a while to get used to it, however, and if you are a nervous parallel-parker, you may want to consider having aftermarket parking radar fitted.A relatively frugal petrol consumption, long service intervals and a surprisingly low insurance (from group 4 and upwards) come together to make the Meriva an appealing choice. All of the above, combined with Vauxhall's excellent reputation for good reliability and relatively cheap repairs, means that as far as running the car is concerned, the Meriva becomes a good choice.#ad#Design and usabilityOh, yes, plenty of both. Whereas the family-car-sector has seen a lot of function-over-form, with a series of downright disgustingly ugly vehicles, the Meriva breaks the trend quite effectively, by keeping both. The relatively high roof means that there is plenty of head- and legroom and a relatively high seating position. Great up front, where the higher seats and upright seats give a lot of overview in dense traffic, but also in the back the high seats and large windows really contribute to avoiding the little ones getting carsick.Speaking of 'the back' - most of the Meriva models are obviously catered to the kids: A set of headphone ports and a separate set of controls means that the passengers can listen to a CD while the occupants listen to the radio - or vice versa. Does that sound like a gimmick to you? Well, maybe, but if you ever have had to suffer through the sixth playing of the Bob the Builder soundtrack on a long car journey, you know what a blessing it can be, too.The rear seats can be moved forward and back independently, and they can even be folded completely flat for the big shopping runs - folding the seats flat increases the already respectable storage space of 350 litres to a distinctly grand 1,400 litres - which should be enough for most applications.Particularly quirky is the fact that there is another 70 litres of storage in a pocket underneath the boot floor. We're nearly positive that Customs and Excise know about it, so it will probably be useless when trying to smuggle those extra bottles of wine from the Continent, but it comes in very handy as a quick-storage hatch, particularly if you often drive around with a dog in the back: Keeping the puppy separated from your video camera is probably a good idea, as most warrantees don't cover dog-drool and bite marks.Who is it for?The Meriva has a very clearly cut out target audience: Families with children under 13 years of age. And, to be honest, that is the exact group that will be most interested.However, there are many others who could also be interested: The load-carrying capacity of the Meriva is substantial with the seats folded down, so it would make a good all-round solution for people with varied professions, who need the versatility to be able to transport around people, goods, or a combination of both.So, should you buy one?Difficult to say - The Renault Modus is a very strong contender that competes in the same class. The Toyota Yaris Verso and the Ford Fusion also have cards on the table, and it is difficult to determine who wins the round. Compared to its competitors - especially the Renault Modus - the Meriva seems to be under-equipped and over-priced, but Vauxhall are increasingly willing to do some pretty good deals on these cars, which shuffles the deck back in the Meriva's favour.It is certainly worth the time to giving the competition some consideration as well - the Modus offers a lot of toys at a similar price, the Ford Fusion has better handling, and the Yaris Verso totes a bolder design and quirkier handling.Having said that, the Meriva offers a seemingly well-balanced mix of everything. Some will argue this makes it bland, others may say it means it is a jack of all trades.If we were to buy cars in this segment, however the Meriva would be it.Which model would we choose?The mid-range engines (1.6 litre 16v or the excellent 1.7 litre common-rail Diesel engine) are a good balance between performance, fuel consumption and insurance costs. The Diesel is very capable indeed - and isn't that much more expensive, either.