• Simple and rugged feeling cabin
• Clear dials and controls
• No reach adjustment on steering wheel

Hop behind the wheel of the Vauxhall Viva Rocks and you are presented with a functional, if not terribly exciting cabin. All of the major controls and switches are all easy-to-understand and operate, with or without the optional 7.0-inch infotainment touchscreen fitted.

It may not be the last word in design flair, but there’s still some nice touches such as the sporty-looking steering wheel and subtle chrome inserts. There’s a pleasant cohesion to where everything is fitted, too, with all controls benefiting from an uncluttered, logical layout.

Average interior quality

The standard of materials used in the Viva Rock’s cabin is par for the course for a city car. There are a few nice elements, yet for the most part it’s cheap and robust with plenty of hard plastics.

Viva Rocks drivers shouldn’t have any major concerns over the car’s cabin lasting the course, with most switches and controls feeling durable enough for what the majority of models will go through in their lifetime.

Comfortable seat, but steering wheel could do with more adjustment

The Viva Rocks comes with driver’s seat height adjustment as standard – a bonus on a small city car like this – but unfortunately does without any reach adjustment for the steering wheel. This means exceptionally tall/short drivers may struggle to get fully comfortable in what is an otherwise relatively spacious and comfortable cabin.

Touchscreen infotainment systems optional

One optional extra worth considering is the R4.0 IntelliLink system that replaces the standard (and dated-looking) R300 BT Radio interface with a 7.0-inch colour touchscreen, including DAB radio and Apple CarPlay/Android Auto connectivity. Sat-nav is available at extra cost, however Apple Maps and Google Maps can be used with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto respectively.

Aside from the additional features offered with the R4.0 IntelliLink system, the colour touchscreen and surrounding buttons help make the Viva Rocks’s cabin look far more premium. 

• Reasonable ride comfort
• Comfy seats and decent levels of room
• Lots of road and wind noise on the motorway

In its natural urban environment the Viva Rocks boasts decent levels of ride comfort, even if it is a touch firmer than would be ideal over bumps and potholes. For the most part, however, it’s well controlled and absorbent, doing a good job of keeping the levels of body roll down (where the body of the car leans out of corners).

Unless you’re working the engine hard, the 1.0-litre motor stays reasonably quiet with only an off-beat three-cylinder thrum present at low speeds. However, to get the most out of the car you do need to rev the engine considerably, with the resulting noise predictably noticeable. It’s not unpleasant, mind, nor is it unusual for a car in this class.

Road noise and wind noise are respectable unless you take the Viva Rocks on a motorway or A-road. The car’s high-sided design means it can pick up the wind easier than many of its rivals, and you’ll need to turn the radio up high to drown out the elements. Standard-fit cruise control and air-con, plus optional heated seats should make journeys more pleasant.