Perhaps the biggest surprise about Vauxhall's Vivaro is that its off-the-wall styling - for a van - has not dated to anywhere near the extent predicted by its critics when it debuted at the start of the decade.

As a consequence all it's needed is a modest mid-term makeover. The exterior has been tidied up a bit with the introduction of a new front grille plus different light clusters front and back, while changes to the interior involve little more than different seat fabrics.

Driven to a great degree by the need to comply with Euro4 emissions regs, the key alterations have taken place under the metal.

The Vivaro has been equipped with a new 2.0-litre common rail diesel producing either 90PS or 115PS, up from the 82PS and 100PS offered by the 1.9-litre used in the outgoing model. They are joined by an uprated version of the departing Vivaro's 2.5-litre common rail diesel, this time producing 145PS rather than 135PS.

Unusually, Vauxhall is providing fuel figures for its latest light commercial. On the combined cycle it quotes 40.4mpg for the least-powerful 2.0-litre, 40.5mpg for the 115PS variant, and 36.7mpg for the 2.5.

The latest Vivaro comes with a new six-speed gearbox as standard plus ABS with Brake Assist, but not ESP. That's restricted to the options list - Vauxhall argues that it is not really needed by the flocks of van operators on big city stop/start delivery work.

Something else to be found on the options list is TecShift, a six-speed automated manual gearbox. Previously only on the 2.5-litre, it can be specified on the 115PS 2.0-litre as well this time round.

Good to see the Vivaro now comes with a three-button ignition key so that the cab and cargo area doors can be locked independently. It means that the cab can be kept secure while the van is being loaded and unloaded.

Up to three keys can be supplied with the vehicle. While that is undoubtedly useful if it is being used by more than one driver, it is vitally important that fleet managers keep tabs on their whereabouts.

We sampled a short-wheelbase low roof Vivaro in van and nine-seater minibus guise - it can be ordered as a 12-seater too - and had no arguments whatsoever with the handling.

The newcomer exhibited predictable, confidence-inducing behaviour when cornering, and offered plenty of feedback through the steering wheel. With wind, road, and engine noise all well suppressed, Vivaro coped easily with the various road surfaces we encountered - even the deliberately patched and potholed UK-style ones provided by GM's Dudenhofen, Germany, test track.

Any downsides? Just two - the slightly rubbery gear change provided by the dashboard-mounted lever and the 115PS diesel's lack of torque. There must be some somewhere, but finding it was a real struggle.

Offering from 5.0cu m to 8.36cum of cargo space, Vivaro can tackle payloads of over 1200kg depending on which model you choose.

Bear in mind that Vivaro is the consequence of an existing joint venture between GM and Renault and is in effect a rebadged Renault Traffic. Nissan markets it as the Primastar, and both Traffic and Primastar will share Vivaro's changes.

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