The Opel Meriva is a front-engined, front-wheel-drive five door, five passenger MPV manufactured and marketed by the German automaker Opel on its Corsa platform, from May 2003 until June 2017 across two generations — as a mini MPV in its first generation under the Meriva A nameplate and in its second generation as a compact MPV, the latter as the Meriva B. In the United Kingdom, it was marketed as the Vauxhall Meriva, while in South America, the first generation was marketed as the Chevrolet Meriva.
Meriva A (2003–2010)
The first generation, named the Meriva A, was based on the third generationOpel Corsa C. It went on sale in May 2003. The first official pictures of the Meriva were released in August 2002. Like its larger counterpart, the Zafira, the Meriva had a flexible interior, marketed as FlexSpace. Although it only had five seats divided into two rows, the second row could slide forward or backward, or be flattened into the floor, making a flat, level platform for increased boot space. The second row could accommodate two or three passengers. In the two passenger mode, the seats were separated from the doors and from each other much like the front seats. In three passenger mode, the back seat looked like a regular one piece seat. The front seat could be pushed fully backwards. The Meriva was sold in South America from 2003 through 2012 as the Chevrolet Meriva, where it was replaced in 2012 by the Chevrolet Spin. The initial version had been co-developed by Opel and General Motors do Brasil. It was built in São José dos Campos, Brazil.
Engines
Initial launch
From launch, there were three petrol engines and one diesel engine. In 2005, the 1.6 8v petrol engine was replaced with a more powerful and efficient 1.4 engine. The 2.5 Turbo was available with a six speed manual gearbox as standard, and the other engines had a five speed manual gearbox as standard. The 1.6 and 1.8 petrols were available with a five speed 'Easytronic' gearbox as an option. Petrol
When the Meriva was facelifted in February 2006, the front and rear ends were revised, and three new/revised engines came along as well as an extra trim level, the OPC/VXR.
Meriva B (2010–2017)
The second generation, named the Meriva B, is slightly larger in size than the previous generation, and is classified as a compact MPV. The market launch took place on 12 June 2010. The Meriva B appeared in November 2009. The new model is in length, up from the of the previous version, which was based on the Corsa. The new model uses revised suspension layout from the former version but with a floorpan associated with the seven seater Zafira Tourer. The interior is similar to that of the 2009 to 2015 Astra and Insignia. The new Meriva uses front seat technology from the Insignia and Astra. The seat adjustment range is in length and in height. The Meriva B debuted at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show in March, and went into production in July 2010. The Meriva has rear-hinged rear doors, marketed as "FlexDoors". A panoramic sunroof is also available as standard on the top spec versions. The Meriva B ended production in June 2017, and was replaced by an urban crossover named the Crossland X, and also a transition from MPV to SUV design, sister of the future replacement of the Citroën C3 Picasso.
Engines
From launch, the Meriva was available with five engines. The 1.7 diesel was only available with a six speed automatic gearbox, and the 1.4 turbo and 1.7 were only available with a six speed manual gearbox. Since September 2010, two more engines became available, both diesel, the 1.3 and the 1.7. All petrol engines are Ecotec. From 2011, Stop/Start was added to certain engines, a cleaner, more powerful 1.7 CDTI auto was added, and the petrol engines became slightly more efficient. A six speed automatic gearbox became available for the 1.4T petrol engine. In January 2014. Opel introduced newly developed engine with restyled Meriva: 1.6 CDTI engine with 95 PS, 110 PS, and 136 PS.
