Heh, the alternatives for running around in at my work are Kangoo vans which are used by the engineers and have oil trickling around the floors, the other alternatives are slow (18km/h), very heavy (up to about 6 tonnes) and have no suspension.
The Meriva has electric steering which doesn't like the cold/wet, but it does have a stereo, is relatively comfy and is road legal so can be used for runs to the chip shop.