Due to my Roomster being off the road due to someone driving into the side of it I have had a '59 reg Meriva Design 1.8 petrol for the past week and a half. Looking at many "multi car" tests its clear that the Journos don't know quite where to place the Roomie, but tend to compare it mainly with the small MPVs which is as near as they are going to get... so I though a summary of the two might be useful to someone! I did just under 400 miles in the Meriva, some motorway, some local work and the rest my usual commute...

To start with the Roomster is about 6" longer than the Meriva but 1" narrower... this is reflected inside where the Roomster makes good use of the extra space. Height wise they are about the same, but the rear seats in the Roomster are 1 1/2" higher than the front, with the Meriva seats all on the same level... Though the driving position is slightly higher in the Meriva it makes no difference on the road.

So, interior first... as I said the extra length makes all the difference, with rear legroom in the Roomster miles better than the Meriva, as is boot space. The seating is fairly similar in comfort, though the middle "seat" in the Meriva is pretty much useless other than an armrest (rather surprising as it's an inch wider over the body), the Roomster has a 3/4 seat so can be used occassionally. The Roomster seems to have more storage in the front, though the Meriva scores with fold down picnic tables in the back. The Meriva's boot space is a lot smaller, though it has a false floor with under floor storage which is good. The Roomster has no false floor and so has a large drop to the boot floor. Both have cubby holes in the boot, though only the Roomster has a 12v plug.

In the Meriva the rear seats fold and then slide forward leaving a flatish floor but they don't come out but they do slide forward and backward. In the Roomster all seats are individually adjustable, all three can be removed individually or folded forward as per most hatch/estate cars.

Driving experience... from the driving position in the Roomster you have a thick A pillar which restricts the view when looking right, the Meriva uses the "small window" type of front, but if anything this makes matters worse as the window is pretty useless making the blind spot even bigger in the Meriva. Other than that they drive fairly similarly, though the Meriva is subject to more buffeting than the Roomster which seems more "planted" on the road.

Engine wise its a petrol vs diesel comparison as my Roomster is the 1.9TDi version... The petrol is faster off the mark and seems very high geared for a petrol in 5th 3000rpm at 70... That has advantages and disadvantages, it makes ecconomy better but I found on steep hills it just wouldn't pull, even at 70 on the big hill on the M42 it struggled to hold speed... Whereas in the Roomster anything over 40 and you just leave it in 5th! The petrol is far quieter than the diesel though! Economy... I got just under 40mpg in the Meriva which I thought was pretty good (the average is 38) and I get 55 in the Roomster.

So, is the Meriva a "clever little family car" as Vauxhall say? Well it has its good points, but in direct comparison with the Roomster it isn't... If you have a 2+2 family and the kids are not toddlers then the Meriva is a useful car with enough space... but add buggies (or in our case a wheelchair) and its sadly lacking in space and its just not versatile enough...

If anything it's the Roomster thats the "clever little family car".... and if you can live with its looks, its the better of the two cars for a family by a long shot... It will be interesting to see if the new Meriva has addressed any of the older ones shortcomings, though