Major move forward for Vauxhall’s big-selling Combo

Vauxhall is unveiling the new version of its highly successful Combo panel van, and promising major upgrades.

The van will be available in two wheelbases, two heights, two gross vehicle weights and with four engines.

Vauxhall expects the newcomer to continue the success of its predecessor, saying that it boasts the highest payload (up to 1,000kg with driver), a large load volume (up to 4.2 cubic metres), highest rear axle capacity (1,450kg) and longest wheelbase in its sector.

The van gets a complete new look with a deep steeply raked screen for better visibility, large and practical panoramic mirrors and a wraparound headlight style.

It comes in lengths of 4.39 or 4.74 metres and heights of 1.85 or 2.10 metres. The L1 offers a 3,400-litre load volume, over a load length of 1.82 metres, the L2 4,200 litres over 2.17 metres. Load width is 1.71 metres, while payload choices are 750 or 1,000kg.

A low loading height of 54.5cm with wide-opening doors will make filling the van easier, while on the options list is a roof flap to aid the transport of long items such as ladders or pipes.

The four engines are all diesel units, 1.3 and 1.6CDTi versions each offering 89bhp, a 1.6 with 104bhp and a 2-litre of 134bhp. The 1.3 gets a five-speed manual gearbox, the larger engines six-speeds, while the Tecshift five-speed auto/manual transmission can be specified with 1.6 engines. All engines get start/stop technology unless the Tecshift is fitted.

For the first time two trim levels are offered, standard and Spotive, the latter bringing the Combo in line with other Vauxhall vans. What is claimed to be a more sporty style is combined with extras such as air conditioning, metallic paint, body-colour bumpers and door mirrors, a nearside sliding door, driver seat with height adjustment, armrest and lumbar support and full wheel covers.

Cruise control, parking sensors, automatic climate control and ESP with a hill holder top a full options list.

First customers will see their new Combos in February. Prices start at £14,703.33 excluding VAT, which will buy the L1H1 2000 1.3CDTI 16v 89bhp model.

Vauxhall Meriva MPV

Vauxhall has put a lot of thought into its new Meriva – and the result is a useful, good-looking and likeable multi-purpose vehicle

This is Vauxhall's new Meriva MPV. It looks a cleverly-conceived car, with its wavy waistline and rear-hinged rear doors, and it is. What it is not, though, is a direct replacement for the old one. Because, as with so many new cars, it has grown. The Meriva used to be a mini-MPV. Not any more.


You can see the logic. Vauxhall's other MPV is the Zafira, a full seven-seater. So it's quite big; bigger, for example, than the Renault Scenic and Ford C-Max. So Vauxhall needed a clearer rival for these cars, more than it needed a direct replacement for the old Meriva which was never a huge seller. The new Meriva, on sale from June and from £15,495, is it.

It's roomier than the old one. But that fact is a mere sideshow compared with its other niceties, beginning with "FlexDoors". An MPV is very likely to be used by families – that's the point, after all – so it makes sense to let young and old occupy a communal space during the boarding process, instead of having a back door in the way.

The doors open out a long way, too, so passengers don't feel hemmed in. And, unlike smaller rear-hinged doors found in, say, a Mini Clubman or a Mazda RX-8, the rear doors can be opened without the front ones being opened first. A self-locking device activates over 2mph to overcome the safety objection, that if a door were to be opened accidentally while the car was moving, the wind would fling it back. And then there's the cabin.

As before, the rear seats slide back and forth as needed. And when they are in their rearmost position you can fold down the narrower centre seat and slide the outer ones nearer to each other, creating a four-seater car with lots of shoulder room for the rear passengers. It's a neat trick, but wherever the rear seats are set, you can still see into the boot space past the luggage blind. The rear seats also fold fully flat to create a large load space.

Then there's the "FlexRail". This actually consists of two rails set between the front seats, each with two tracks. The upper one carries an armrest and big storage box, the lower one a storage tray with a cupholder. Both can be slid into different positions or removed entirely, and there's another tray under the whole ensemble with more cupholders, a power socket and USB/jack-plug sockets for MP3 players. The lack of a conventional handbrake (it's electric instead) makes all this possible.

Now it's time for a drive. The previous Meriva was nothing special here, except that there was a racy VXR version which was massively entertaining to drive and which no one bought. Its turbocharged liveliness proved prescient, because now two of the three available petrol engines are again turbocharged to give them the energy of engines rather larger than their 1.4 litres. With 120bhp or 140bhp, these engines fit today's downsizing mantra perfectly. I tried both; a 100bhp non-turbo and two diesels are also offered.

The 120bhp version feels less powerful than it is, but at least its CO2 output is fractionally lower than the non-turbo car's. So the 140bhp Meriva is the one to have, if you can justify the extra £775, because it has enough spark to make it properly fun to drive even if it's no VXR. It gets a six-speed gearbox, too.

Both cars cope well with bumps, and our Vauxhall Merivas (as opposed to mainland Europe's Opels) have UK-specific settings for their electric power steering. These reduce the glutinous resistance too often found in such systems, so the steering self-centres more easily and feels more natural around the straight-ahead. Quite why other countries should want it any other way is hard to fathom.

One curious aspect of the Meriva's marketing is that the version called Exclusiv is not the top model. That role belongs to the presumably more-Exclusiv SE. Never mind; it doesn't stop the new Meriva from being a useful, likeable, good-looking and well-thought-out MPV.

The Rivals

Citroen C4 Picasso 1.6 THP 150: from £19,405.

Spacious, more wieldy than seven-seat Grand. Airily futuristic outside and in. Turbo petrol engine is high spot in otherwise dull drive.

Ford Focus C-Max 1.8: from £17,665.

Typically excellent Focus driving feel, but 125bhp engine is dated. Rear seats slide and converge like Meriva's. New model arrives soon.

Mercedes-Benz A180: from £16,780.

Keenly-priced. A-class looks neat, has "premium" feel, and is fun to drive. Not quick (116bhp), but it deserves to be more popular.

Ellesmere Port Vauxhall car plant almost doubles production

VAUXHALL’S Ellesmere Port plant has almost doubled car production as more stable conditions return to the automotive sector.

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders revealed that UK car production rose by 90.2% in March, the fifth consecutive monthly increase and the biggest in the society’s 40 year history.

It follows probably the worst downturn in car sales in decades after finances dried up as the credit crunch took hold.

Vauxhall spokesman Dennis Chick said: “We are looking at extremes here. Last year was a disaster, but things are slowly getting back on track.”

In January 2009 Ellesmere Port produced 3,860 Astra models.

In February that rose slightly to 4,055 and in March it was 5,280.

The plant also suffered four weeks of non-production between January and February as demand slumped.

By comparison Ellesmere Port has a maximum production capacity of 16,666 cars a month. But this January production hit 8,231 cars, a 113.24% year-on-year increase compared with January 2009.

In February Ellesmere Port made 7,999 vehicles – a 97.26% increase compared with the previous year – and last month production was 89.24% ahead on 9,992 cars.

Mr Chick added: “Demand right across Europe is going up and that is why Ellesmere Port is doing well.

“They’re running at pretty good rates now and we are cautiously optimistic.”

Vauxhall Astra GSI spied

The latest edition of the Vauxhall Astra GSI has arrived, and will top the range until the arrival of the VXR in 2011.

It’s full speed ahead at Vauxhall! Still fresh from its launch late last year, the new Astra isn’t exactly looking dated, but the wraps are already off the sporty GSI model, which was caught testing undisguised in Germany.

The GSI will be semi-hot hatch to whet our appetites before the arrival of the full-blooded VXR model next year. From the pictures you can clearly see the tweaked front end and twin exhausts, while the car sits several centimetres lower to the ground than the standard model.

This version will get a 2.0-litre twin-turbo four-pot putting out 190bhp. That should mean than it will beat the old GSI’s 143mph top speed and improve on the 0-62 time of 8.2 seconds.

Vauxhall Ampera Steps Into Pre-Production Phase

Last Friday the first pre-production model of the Opel/Vauxhall Amprea electric Sedan rolled off the line at GM’s Pre-Production Operations’ assembly line in Warren, Michigan. That means the car is almost ready for mass production, after they fully developed a few more things and did some other tests, such as the final vehicle software and controls, fine tuning the vehicles’ driving characteristics, and performing safety and structural integrity testing!

“We’re right on target for producing the Ampera for European markets later next year,” said Andrew Farah, Vehicle Chief Engineer for Ampera. “There’s still work to be done, but being able to drive an Ampera off our pre-production line is a great accomplishment for the teams here and in Europe.”

The Ampera, which is the European version of Chevy Volt, is powered by electric motors and also comes with a gasoline engine which only acts as an electricity generator to fill up the batteries. On a full charge, the car can cover a distance of only 30 miles, but when the generator kicks in, the range is extended to 300 miles. It’s a plug-in electric powertrain and that means you can also charge it via power outlets at your home.

Vauxhall has plans to put the Ampera on sale in Britain by 2012.