Opel has just picked up on the swift-moving trend for diesels in smaller cars with the 1.7-litre Meriva turbodiesel.

This environmentally friendly car is extremely spacious inside and can cater well for a growing family’s needs. It is available in three trim options, Life, Enjoy and Design.

The review car featured the Enjoy specification which included dual airbags, curtain head airbags and active head restraints, ABS, ESP (Electronic Stablisation Programme), electric front windows, wind up ones behind; power locks with remote control, centre folding armrest, driver seat height adjustment, and Xenon headlamps.

Traction control is standard.

The car, for those not yet familiar with the Meriva generally, is a very spacious and comfortable four seater, with individual seats. The centre console box in the centre of the rear seats - with big cubby below - can be put back to form a half a seat suitable for a child. It’s a wee bit fussy and you wouldn’t do it too often.

The Meriva features a very high roof line and a high driving position. Visibility is superb thanks to the low scuttle line and all that glass. The small triangular side front windows really help too as the A-Pillars are on the thick side. They extend forwards to the front of the dash which is a very long way in. The spacious feeling also comes from the huge amount of dash space to the windscreen.

On the road I found the engine needs to be revved to 2300rpm to get the most from its 240 Nm of torque. Around town, the car proved easy to manoeuvre in heavy traffic and to park. All the time, it proved commendably quiet, the modern way for a diesel to make its best impression.

I did have some difficulty using the handbrake when the flip-over arm rest was down because it covered over the lever somewhat and tended to catch my elbow. Being a bit on the small side, I always have to move the driver’s seat a fair bit forward and this can exacerbate such problems.

The gearshift features a black shiny surface with white numbers and looks smart indeed. It also works very directly and without excessive effort needed.

The dash sweeps out from the passenger side to the centre, the swerve accentuated by an aluminium strip. Aluminium is continued below on the lower central console and along the doors and around the instruments. The speedometer and rev counter circles merge together in the centre of the panel. The indicator click, though, was a bit too quiet.

Audio controls were also on the steering wheel and the review car featured headphones and sockets so that the rear passengers can listen to their own music at whatever sound levels they prefer, without distracting the driver! There’s a choice of three different audio systems. The rear seat entertainment DVD option is an extra but could prove worth the money for a peaceful trip with the younger members of the family

Bucket type seats are both comfy and supportive especially on a longish trip.

The Meriva is based around a seating concept called FlexSpace which enables the car to act as a 5, 4, 3, 2 or even as a one seater vehicle without removing the seats.

It’s an ingenious concept no matter how you look at it. But really it’s a four and a half seater car as the centre back console folds up to make a third smaller seat in the centre rear, really only suitable for a child. It too comes with a 3-point safety belt and a height adjustable headrest.

The FlexSpace system allows the rear seats slide independently sideways, backwards or forwards so even tall adults can adjust their seats to allow for their own preferences.

All the seating configurations allow generous loadspace options to cater for big or awkward loads.

With the rear seats folded flat the load volume can be extended from 330 litres to more than 2,000 litres of storage space. A tonneau completely hides your cargo from prying eyes. Pull up the floor area and you’ll find another large, but shallow, storage area to keep special items tucked away.

For families with small children, there are numerous cubby areas to hold all the bits and pieces, including a great glove compartment, good door bins, open areas and good deep cupholders. There are two pull out plastic trays behind the two front seats, lipped so no sharp edges.

The ISOFIX child seat in the rear centre is integrated with the vehicle. The safety belt is only used to secure the child, not the seat itself. The Meriva comes with standard ISOFIX attachments on the rear outer seats and an optional ISOFIX attachment on the front passenger seat. For added rear seat safety, there is a third, 3-point seat belt in the middle of the rear seat (which also has its own adjustable headrest).

Should a serious frontal collision occur, the clutch and brake pedals are released from their fixed positions to help reduce the danger of injuries to your leg.

Besides the 1.7 CDTI ECOTOC option, the Opel Meriva is also available in 1.6, 1.6 ECOTEC, 1.8 ECOTEC, and 1.7 DTI ECOTEC versions.

Theme pack options are available to individualise the car to your own lifestyle needs, including a bicycle carrier, handsfree phone cradle, and a cool box.