Vauxhall facelifts Meriva

Vauxhall is giving its Meriva people carrier a facelift with a new look that echoes the latest Insignia and Astra. It gets a new grille, chrome surrounds on the front fog lights and redesigned headlights. For the first time LED daytime running lights and LED tail lights are available as an option. There is also a new optional 18-inch alloy wheel design.

The improved Meriva will also come with Vauxhall's new 1.6 CDTi engine that was recently launched in the Zafira Tourer. The new diesel produces 136PS with 320Nm of torque while economy is impressive at 64.2mpg with CO2 emissions of 116g/km making it cheap to tax.

It replaces the ageing 1.7 CDTi in the Meriva range and thanks to its extra power is a second quicker from 0-62mph yet is 10 per cent more economical. The petrol engine range remains unchanged with the 1.4 100PS unit along with two versions of the 1.4T - a 120PS model and a more powerful 140PS version.

The new Meriva goes on sale next month and although Vauxhall is yet to release final pricing, it's unlikely to change much from the current price list which means a starting price of around £12,500.