Car Opel Meriva: photos, specifications, reviews

2024 Author: Erin Ralphs | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-19 11:42

The Opel Meriva is a small, family-friendly subcompact van that ranks among the company's most popular models of all time. The car has been produced since 2003 to the present day. It can often be found on the roads, it is inexpensive, especially in the secondary market, but most importantly - Meriva gives its owner a high level of safety, comfort and time-tested reliability.

Car History

For the first time, Opel Meriva was presented at one of the car shows that took place in France in 2002. Just a year later, the production of the first models began at a factory in Spain, and a little later, sales in European cities began. The car immediately attracted attention, primarily due to its affordable price. Meriva stood out among competitors with a surprisingly spacious and comfortable interior, good assembly and safety, as well as in technical terms.

In 2006, when the updated Opel Corsa car began to roll off the assembly line, a restyled version was built on its basisMeriva. The car received a slightly modified exterior design, and the engine lineup was replenished with several new copies.

Besides, the presentation of the most powerful, so to speak, "charged" version of the Opel Meriva OPC was held in parallel, in which a turbocharged engine with 180 horsepower was installed. This allowed the car to accelerate to hundreds in just 8.2 seconds, and the maximum speed reached 222 km / h. Also, the “charged” version had a slightly sporty look, leather interior from Recaro, a new manual transmission and more.

Actually, in 2010, the production of the first generation model ended, and at the Geneva Motor Show there was a presentation of the second generation Meriva, which received the “B” index. A couple of months later, all at the same factories in Spain launched the assembly of the updated version, and a month later the first sales began.

The new Meriva has changed significantly in appearance - it has become more sporty and modern. The most important difference from the previous generation was the doors, which now opened back, that is, against the movement. This technology was called FlexDoors, and its main task was to provide a more comfortable fit for passengers in the back rows. The innovation was immediately liked by many motorists, as they repeatedly reported in their reviews. You can see a photo of the second generation Opel Meriva in the article. The car is really interesting and attracts attention.

In 2013 there wasrestyling Opel Meriva. The appearance has slightly changed, another new motor has been added, but otherwise everything has remained unchanged. The car is currently in production, but there are rumors of an upcoming third-generation model.

Appearance

Looks Opel Meriva, at first glance, quite worthy. This is no ordinary boring family compact van like competitors from Peugeot or Citroen. Immediately striking are the huge headlights of the car, which, traditionally for Opel, have a certain “predatory look”. The headlights are separated by a large grille with a chrome insert and company logo, which gives the car a sporty look. A little lower is a bumper with an air intake and large niches for fog lights, which seem to repeat the overall silhouette of the optics.

Behind the car looks no less sporty. The bumper has an emphasizing shape, with well-designed edges. The taillights look no less predatory and aggressive than the headlights. The tailgate is large, with a small spoiler on top. The spoiler has a small LED brake light.

The Meriva also looks great on the side. Smooth lines are harmoniously combined with sharp and prominent edges that emphasize the shape of the car. The roof has a very slight bevel, which gives a feeling of compactness. Alloy 17-inch wheels complete the overall look.

Salon

Inside the Opel Meriva is quite spacious despite its size. Behind without any problems and efforts are placed 3 people. Alsothe middle seat can be folded down to form a wide armrest. Everything is standard in front - 2 people, an armrest, comfortable seats with lateral support.

Immediately, perhaps, it is worth mentioning the trunk. Its volume is 400 liters, but if you fold the back row, the volume can be increased to 1500 liters. By the way, in the first generation of the model, the rear seats did not fold completely, which is why the maximum volume was somewhat less.

Now you can return to the driver's side. Here, in general, everything is standard: a multimedia steering wheel, a neat and compact front panel, a modern “tidy”, a climate control unit, a multimedia system control unit, air conditioning, etc. Of the interesting things, it is worth noting the screen of the multimedia system, which is not in the usual place. Instead, it is hidden in the “torpedo” and automatically extends from there.

Now for the finishing materials. Plastic, according to the owners, is quite good - moderately soft, does not creak, it is pleasant to touch it. Also in the cabin there are chrome inserts that dilute the range and add a little style. The steering wheel and gear selector, depending on the configuration, can be covered with leather. As for the interior, it is a very high quality fabric with Top Tec technology that repels moisture and is also easy to clean.

Finally, I would like to note good viewing angles from the driver's side. Also worthy of special attention is the panoramic roof, which is not so often seen invehicles of this class. Other manufacturers are most often limited to a conventional sunroof.

Specifications

It's time to move on to the characteristics of the Opel Meriva. Only 3 points are of the greatest interest here - the line of engines, gearboxes and chassis. Let's consider each of the points separately.

Engines

A lot of engines were installed on the car, but only 3 options are available for Russia, each with a volume of 1.4 liters. In the secondary market, you can still sometimes find a pre-styling version of the second generation Opel Meriva with a 1.7-liter CDTi diesel engine. Its power is 100-110 hp. with., and the maximum speed is 180 km / h.

Now about petrol units. As already mentioned, there are three of the same volume - 1.4 liters. The "youngest" in the line has a capacity of 101 liters. s., which allows it to accelerate to hundreds in 14 seconds. Top speed is 177 km/h.

The second engine is equipped with a turbine and has a capacity of 120 liters. With. Acceleration to hundreds is 11.9 seconds, and the maximum speed is 185 km/h.

The third motor is the most powerful of the three. It is also equipped with a turbine, and its power is 140 hp. With. Acceleration time to hundreds is a little more than 10 seconds, and the “maximum speed” reaches the mark of 196 km/h.

As the reviews of the owners of the Opel Meriva show, there are practically no problems with the engine, except for one - the souring of the ignition module. Until the end, no one knows how it turns out, but the fact is the fact. The only way to deal with this is to check every 5-7 thousand km and, if green plaque is found, clean it. Otherwise, you will have to pay well for the replacement part.

Gearboxes

As for the gearboxes on the Opel Meriva, everything is simple here - automatic and mechanics. Strictly 5-speed and 6-speed manual gearboxes were installed on junior and senior engines in the line. But engines for 120 “horses” were equipped only with 6-speed automatics.

They do not cause any special problems in the operation of the checkpoint. The only thing you need to remember is to change the oil approximately every 45-50 thousand km.

Chassis

Well, to finish the technical characteristics of the Opel Meriva follows the description of the running gear. Actually, there is nothing particularly new here either. The suspension from the Opel Zafira was taken as the basis, which was only slightly reworked. Front is an independent spring suspension with McPherson struts. Behind - a semi-independent multi-link.

On the road, the car shows itself very well. Stability and control are at a high level, the suspension “smoothes out” all sorts of holes and bumps, so they are not particularly felt.

Reviews

Reviews about the Opel Meriva are mostly positive. Owners note a very high level of assembly, quality and reliability of the car. On the other hand, the model still has disadvantages, but they are not so critical. Perhaps the most important drawback is frequent problems with the ignition module, ohthan was said before. Also, the disadvantages, according to the owners, include not too good paintwork, a small volume of a barrel with washer fluid, not very convenient steering wheel adjustment for drivers under 175 cm tall and a little expensive repair on some parts.

Cost

Now for the cost of the car. The fact is that the new Opel Meriva is almost impossible to find on sale, since GM has stopped deliveries of the model to Russia. Nevertheless, in some car dealerships, cars are still sold at a price of 650-680 thousand rubles for a minimum configuration with a 100-horsepower engine. In the maximum configuration, the car costs over 900 thousand rubles, which is a bit expensive.

There are also many offers for sale on the secondary market. The average price varies from 470 to 600 thousand rubles for a car produced in 2013-2014. Options are mostly either minimal or medium.