IT'S all about flexibility with Vauxhall's family transporter, the Meriva.

Perhaps the most notable feature in this category is the unusual way the doors open. Vauxhall calls it the FlexDoors system with the front door hinged at the front and the rear at the back.

This allows the doors to be opened away from each other to give an astonishing amount of space when entering and leaving the vehicle.

It's all part of Vauxhall's plan to turn the conventional concept of family car usability on its head, throwing in for good measure a raft of unique cabin features that boost interior versatility.

For parents with children, there are further benefits.

Due to the larger door opening and free space around the door pillar, parents can lift small children forwards into rear-mounted, second-stage child seats without having to contort themselves around a door.

And with both the front and rear doors open what the manufacturer terms a ‘parent-friendly' zone is created with no door barrier between front and rear occupants.

Importantly the FlexDoors cannot be opened while the Meriva is travelling at over two mph by occupants.

Rear-hinged back doors are not new to the motor industry but this is the first time they have been used on a family car in recent times.

Inside the Meriva are two further groundbreaking innovations.

The FlexRail adopts a completely fresh approach to the design of a car's centre console, and provides owners with a variety of modular storage and comfort solutions that fix on to an ingenious dual-rail base, with further space liberated by use of an electronic parking brake which is standard on all models.

It provides convenient and adaptable storage for a wide variety of everyday items, from handbags and magazines, to MP3 players, CDs and colouring books.

The cubby count has also increased, with features like a 1.5-litre bottle holder in each of the front doors, meaning that owners now benefit from one of the most practical cabins in class.

In addition Meriva's FlexSpace allows easier fold-down of the rear seats, while moving the rear seats to create more boot, leg or shoulder room is simpler than ever.

The new Meriva's seat comfort has also advanced, with the adoption of front seat technology from the Insignia and Astra. Like these cars, the Meriva offers the biggest range of seat adjustment in class, extending to 240mm in length and 65mm in height.

And the Meriva has benefited greatly from the styling advances of the Astra and Insignia, possessing a very individual line, greatly improved over the old model which was beginning to look dowdy.

A striking feature is a ‘wave' design in the belt line that increases the depth of the rear windows - a great boon for young children.

New for the Meriva is a full-length panoramic sunroof, which is standard on SE models. At almost two metres long, the roof comes with an electronic blind and is one of the largest of its kind offered in the compact MPV market.

There is a comprehensive range of diesel and petrol engines, and this Excusiv Lmited Edition was powered by the punchy 1.4 Turbo petrol which gives 117mph performance with a 0-62mph sprint of 11.5seconds.

Economy is commendable for a power unit of this type with a combined readout of 46.3mpg.