Throughout the 90s, and even with General Motors at the helm, Opel was kicking out some pretty fantastic cars: The RWD Omega, which almost had a V8 engine, the Senator luxury sedan, and the sporty Calibra, to name a few. Quality went down a bit during the 2000s, as Opel was focused on mass-market cars and being a lot cheaper than the competition. This was evident in many of the models it produced, the Meriva included.
The first generation Meriva arrived when Europeans were absolutely losing it over compact minivans, or mini MPVs as they were known in the U.K. Most of the benefits of a minivan, minus the third row, crammed into a hatchback form factor. Think Fiat Multipla, and you’re in the right ballpark. While the Meriva offered a good amount of space, it didn’t have much else going for it.
The handling wasn’t the best, the interior was hopelessly outdated, and some of the lower-spec powertrains weren’t up to the task of moving the Meriva along, especially when fully loaded with people and stuff. These cars could also suffer from catastrophic steering rack failure, which is not something most people want to think about while behind the wheel. Mercifully, the second-generation Meriva and its innovative rear-hinged doors improved things a lot.
