14 Feb 06
This can't be right - a turbocharged compact MPV/hot-hatch that's actually a hoot to drive? I must be under the influence of something.
The mere idea of a Vauxhall Meriva fitted with a 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol engine putting 177bhp through the front wheels is laughable. This thing should, by all rights, by an absolute pig to drive. Amazingly it's not.
Distinguished from the regular family-man Meriva by some big bumpers with chav-spec front fogs, chunky 17" alloys and a trapezoid exhaust pipe, the Meriva VXR looks a bit like a grown-up Citroen C2 VTS - which is actually the sort of thing that Vauxhall hope its buyers will trade in for their latest halo model. Yes, this is a family wagon for the boy racer who'll use the boot for buggies and such-like, rather than filling it with subwoofers and amps galore.
