Vauxhall model round-up
Vauxhall has gone after the big guns with its current model range, and in two very significant cases that approach has paid off. The Corsa and Astra are now arguably the top small family car and supermini respectively; quite a feat when you consider these are the most hotly-contested vehicle classes in the UK. Other Vauxhall efforts have been met with a more lukewarm reception, however, or have failed to capitalise on early successes. MPV models the Meriva and Zafira may be selling well at the moment, but they lack the all-round brilliance of the aforementioned class winners and could come unstuck in future if they can't keep up with the innovation of rival brands. What follows is a brief round-up of all these, plus Vauxhall's recently revived coupe model: the Tigra. Supermini: Vauxhall Corsa
The car that started life as the Vauxhall Nova back in 1983 has come a long way since then. The latest (2007) model has just won the 2007 What Car? Supermini of the Year and overall Car of the Year awards, beating stiff competition both inside and outside its class.
Like most other modern superminis, the new Corsa has put on a few pounds for the sake of added passenger safety and comfort, and smaller engine sizes might feel like they're struggling at times. But besides this problem (which is easily solved with a 1.4 or better), the car is close to faultless. Handling is firm and responsive, and all the engines are highly refined, making for a smooth, quiet drive. Build quality is high inside and out, and the Corsa feels much more like an executive model than a cheap run-around. But it is cheap, however - bargain hard and you'll get change from £10,000 - and running costs like car insurance are easily affordable, too. Mini MPV: Vauxhall Meriva
It's built on the chassis of a Corsa, yet the little Meriva can provide up to a whopping 1,300 litres of flat load space thanks to the same FlexSpace seating system that features on the Zafira. Four out of its five seats can be folded up or down independently of one another, allowing for masses of different space/seating combinations.
If playing passenger Tetris isn't your thing, however, the Meriva has few other stand-out qualities. The ride is confident but in no danger of feeling sporty; the styling fashionable without being eye-catching. Sadly for Vauxhall, it pales in comparison with all-round sparklers like the Honda Jazz and Renault Modus. Small family car: Vauxhall Astra
Unlike the Meriva, the latest Astra (there have been five in total, since its launch in 1979) measures-up very well against its rivals, outdoing even the legendary VW Golf in many respects. Vauxhall has made a concerted effort in the style and performance stakes, and it's paid dividends in this hotly contested class.
Undoubtedly, the new model is a dream of a car to drive; outperforming all rivals in this regard. Suspension and handling are pitch-perfect at any speed, and the grip is remarkable. Improvements to the Astra's look and feel (a clear challenge to the also recently-facelifted Ford Focus) are just as successful, but they've come at a price: the Astra is no longer as practical inside as it used to be. Streamlined switches and dials in the cockpit look great, but they can be difficult to read. Similarly, chunky rear light clusters make it difficult to load luggage or shopping into the boot (which also suffers from an inconvenient lip). These points aside, however, the new Astra represents a remarkable transformation, and now stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the best in its class. Compact MPV: Vauxhall Zafira
It says a lot that the Zafira and Meriva are advertised side-by-side on television, and Vauxhall's two MPVs have plenty in common - like clever seating arrangements, for instance. In the Zafira, that means giving you the potential to carry seven passengers in a compact body (which it shares with the Astra).
However, that extra row of seats - which made the original 1999 Zafira a best-seller - is now a familiar and oft-copied technology; and when it came to the 2005 re-vamp Vauxhall's designers seemed stuck for ideas. The new car offers little in terms of innovation that wasn't already there, and could well start losing market share to its more forward-thinking rivals. What improvements the '05 Zafira did make over its predecessor are largely to do with handling, which is substantially improved; and its looks, which sadly are not. Coupe cabriolet: Vauxhall Tigra
The original Tigra started life as a concept car at the 1993 Frankfurt Motor Show, and in the following year it went into production as a small coupe, built from many of the same parts as the Vauxhall Corsa. It was withdrawn in 2000 and then reborn, in its current convertible form, in 2004.
The roof is a folding hard-top similar to the one on Peugeot's 206cc, and it can be stowed with a minimum of fuss in under 30 seconds. What's more, it doesn't get in the way of a surprisingly roomy boot, and doesn't cause the kind of body torsion problems that plague many other convertibles. In performance terms, its supermini parts stop the Tigra from ever feeling like a sports car - but there's still plenty of fun to be had on the open road. And as a bonus, residual values on the model are particularly high; so if you do decided to upgrade later, you could potentially get most of your money back. Car insurance discounts for Vauxhall owners
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