Richard Hammond Rates the Newly Revived Viva

The reincarnation of the Vauxhall Viva becomes another name “brought back from the past like the Beetle, Mini and Fiat, says Richard Hammond in his review for the Daily Mirror. “You can tell the Viva was developed on our roads because the ride is comfortable, even more so with a few people on board. It steers well and drives as well as you need a small and simple car to. “We like simple cars here and the new Viva is blissfully simple.” The five-door body has a one-litre motor that produces 75bhp and “as is popular at the moment, it has three cylinders”. “The Viva’s greatest selling point is its price – your basic SE costs just £7,995 which is terrific value. “It has Group 3 insurance and a combined fuel consumption of 62.8mpg so it will certainly appeal to younger punters or those having to make a pension go a decent way. “The second selling point is that it doesn’t look like a cheap car. The styling follows current Vauxhall thinking and has elements of the Astra coupé but looks more normal than the ADAM. “Mirror to mirror the Viva is slightly longer and narrower than Volkswagen’s Up, which of course is its natural rival. Even the Up, and its brothers from Skoda and Seat, can’t match the Viva on price,” Hammond concludes.