Vauxhall Viva Rocks on sale now

The new Vauxhall Viva Rocks is available to order now, with prices starting at £11,530. Compared to the standard Viva, it gets an increased ride height, distinctive plastic cladding, silver roof rails, redesigned front and rear bumpers and 15-inch alloy wheels.

The Rocks sits at the top of the Viva range and so has a good level of standard equipment for the class. Highlights include cruise control with a speed limiter, air-conditioning and a leather steering wheel.

There’s one engine available – the same three-cylinder, 1.0-litre petrol that powers the rest of the Viva range. It produces 73bhp, returns an average of 60.1mpg and emits 106g/km of CO2. It’ll get the car from 0-62mph in around 13 seconds and on to a top speed of 106mph.

We've driven the Vauxhall Viva in its standard form – read our review here.

Vauxhall Viva Rocks design

Style aside, SUVs are all the rage these days and the increased visibility they offer over a conventional car is an objective benefit. It’s one Viva customers are likely to appreciate – even if the Rocks growth spurt only adds 15mm or so to the car’s overall height.

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Suspension comfort should improve over rough surfaces with the Viva Rocks, though. By pitching it as a car ‘ideally suited to city conditions’, Vauxhall neatly sidesteps its power deficit on motorways, and the Rocks edition should improve the Viva’s already-decent comfort. Given the state of many urban roads, this is can only be a good thing.

The Viva remains a practical city car in Rocks trim – there’s room for four and the 206-litre boot expands to a very usable 1013 litres with the rear 60:40 split rear seats folded.

Optional equipment

In addition to these changes, the Viva Rocks also gets the option of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone connectivity, Vauxhall’s latest IntelliLink infotainment system and its OnStar concierge service. This latter item puts you easily in touch with a team of assistants in Luton, who can provide advice on servicing needs and even program the sat nav for you. In the event of a collision in which the airbags are deployed, the OnStar system will also automatically contact the emergency services on your behalf.