New Meriva

[BORG]

My, that is one tortured looking design. Unfortunatley, European design went from understated and sophisticated to flashy and trashy in the last few years. I feel like Europe is arriving at the point the US market did back in the 90s when design reached a new extreme. I don't like this, and I'm assuming most consumers here would have a hard time embracing it. And quite honestly, the body itself is fun but the front-end is really dull (like all Opels).

[Uzzy]

Originally Posted by All-Or-Nothing

I don't think the Buick needs a micro, mini, compact car at all. That whole segment to me does not scream luxury and class at all. Leave this segment to the Festivas and Aveos. I think a rebadged or even one off compact Buick will just cheapen the brand.

Originally Posted by Bravada

Dimtry, I don't get it. First you say it's too costly to put a GTC-style roof on a Meriva then you're saying we still need to wait to see. I bet $10 that the Meriva won't have a continous transparent glass roof.



Brace yourself for the Astra!

Buick is Buick, Oldsmobile, Saturn and Pontiac now that GM has discontinued the other brands.

I think Buick can pull-off an Astra sized vehicle, but not anything smaller. It doesn't need it, not in America.

[Bravada]

I think Buick can pull-off an Astra sized vehicle, but not anything smaller.

GM needs something to replace the Vibe, otherwise customers are lost. The current Meriva is quite comparable to the Astra when it comes to dimensions - at least inside. The Vibe was also considered a compact. Then again, I believe the Meriva will be skipped for the US in favor of the related "Gamma CUV" thing for Buick and a Chevy-Beat-inspired boxy wagon for GMC.

I agree that styling seems overdone and proportions awkward - the current Meriva is awfully bland, but not offensive. Frankly, I think that the boxish competition, even including pretty funky animals such as the Nissan Note, came out better, not to mention the rather nice Jazz, Lancia Musa and Modus (even if neither is as spacious as the current Meriva). It's a bit of a pity that GM tried to apply the Buick MPV "luxury" theme to such a small car rather than a more sporty theme. I would actually consider moving the vehicle to Chevrolet altogether if not for Opel sale concerns.

[DmitryKo]

Originally Posted by Bravada

Dimtry, I don't get it. First you say it's too costly to put a GTC-style roof on a Meriva then you're saying we still need to wait to see. I bet $10 that the Meriva won't have a continous transparent glass roof.

I will try to explain it to my best ability.


This particular spy shot of the red Meriva seems to have a longer windhshied that extends to the roof much further than it is usual, and there are no visible junctions, at least on the parts that are not camouflaged. It does look like a single continous glass piece because of the way it reflects the exterior objects.

Hoever, I don't think it would make much sense to use such elongated windshield just to obstruct the view with some interior element or roof structure. That would only make sense if there were an ultimate "glass roof", that is one single piece of glass that spans from the windshield and through the entire roof right to the back door, but that is impossible for both cost and technological reasons.

If there were a conventional beam between A-pillars at the front side of the roof, it would be more reasonable to use a standard windshield and a separate shaded glass sunroof, just like on the Peugeot 308, so there would be a visible junction line between the windshield and the rest of the roof, not a smooth glass surface that extends over the head of the driver.

This is why I think it's exactly an Astra GTC-style design "panoramic windshield", that is a longer windshield which extends to the roof while the rest of the roof is made of steel painted black, and the "beam" visible on the spy shot is either a part of a pullable sun shade or just some artifact arising from low picture quality.


All that said, I reserve a definitive conclusion until high quality photos are available.

Sorry, I really can't make it any clearer than this.

[Bravada]

I do believe there is an A-beam beneath the glass and that there is a crease that we don't see because of the reflections and the angle. Please see this earlier spy pic:

[DmitryKo]

Originally Posted by Bravada

I do believe there is an A-beam beneath the glass and that there is a crease that we don't see because of the reflections and the angle. Please see this earlier spy pic

It doesn't look like glass, it's probably a standard steel roof painted in black finish, similarily to the new Ford C-MAX.

[Bravada]

But that's what it is, Dmitry! Either darkened glass or a black panel, it's not a GTC-like panorama windscreen.