[Linked Image] Vauxhall's new Meriva compact MPV and Signum station wagon go on sale on June 2nd. The Meriva costs from £10,995, and comes with 1.6 8-valve, 1.6 16-valve and 1.8-litre petrol engines, and should be cheap to run, with insurance groupings from 3E and extended service intervals of up to 20,000 miles or two years. A five-seater, it has flexible rear seats similar to those in the larger Zafira, which slide backwards, forwards or sideways, as well as folding completely flat. The Signum, essentially a posh Vectra estate, costs £17,995-£25,600. It has a roomy cabin with two generous aircraft-style rear seats (and an occasional third centre seat), and comes with most of the engines offered in the Vectra range, including the 2.0-litre and 2.2-litre DTi diesels and the 3.0 V6 CDTi, which all have 30,000-mile maximum service intervals. For more on both models, check out 4car's full road tests.

The Astra 1.7 CDTi, with GM's latest common-rail diesel engine, is also new for this summer. The 80bhp CDTi engine, which meets the Euro IV emissions regulations and thus qualifies for a 3 percent company car tax break, returns 61.4mpg and 124g/km of carbon dioxide in the Astra. Top speed is 107mph. There is also a stripped-out ECO variant, with extra aerodynamic and lightweight features, which returns 64.2mpg, 118g/km and 111mph. This new engine comes in Envoy, LS, Club, SXi and Elegance versions, with prices from £13,275 to £14,775. The ECO version comes in LS trim only, at £13,775.

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