Opel sesame

OPEL may have taken some time to get back into COE Category A but it is doing so with what looks like a winner - the Meriva. This five-door "monocab" or one-box hatchback stands out for its trademark rear-hinged back doors and has not been introduced here since it was unveiled five years ago. But now that it has received a facelift as well as a new petrol engine, the time seems right for authorised distributor Auto Germany to offer it.

Cat A was recategorised in February 2014, when cars below 1,600 cc were also required to have an engine output limit of 130 hp. With this additional criterion, Opel was shut out of the small car category because its usual 1.4-litre turbocharged engines produce 140 hp.

But this latest 1,364cc unit delivers just 120 hp, thus allowing Opel to slot neatly back into Cat A with this second-generation Meriva. The Meriva is a compact MPV with a roomy interior for five occupants. But with its high sitting position, Auto Germany considers it a crossover van which can take on small Japanese hatchbacks and SUVs. The Meriva's makeover has given it a new face with redesigned headlamps and the latest Opel front grille. The rear lamps are also new and both these and the daytime running lights are LED.