Cars keep growing. More and more emphasis is placed on passenger safety, crumple zones, comfort… And the 20-year-old Opel Astra was simply smaller, lighter and generally more subtle than the current Astra . But what happened to Zafira?!
At the turn of the millennium, the Opel Zafira was one of the benchmarks for compact MPVs – such as the Dacia Lodgy of the time. A cheap car with the dimensions of a passenger car in which you can also fit a large family (up to seven members). The Zafira was sold in this form (in a total of three generations) until 2019, when it was replaced by the tested Zafira Life.
Who are you and what did you do with Zafira?
After the PSA concern bought their European division (Opel + Vauxhall) from GM in 2017, it was necessary to get Opel back into the black. Previously, one of the sister models would be said to be "rebranded"; today it is noble called: sharing of concern platforms. After all, we already got a taste of this topic, for example, during the Opel Grandland SUV test.
So, in its fourth generation, the Zafira changed from a compact MPV to a full-bodied van. It was thus placed alongside its siblings, which are the Peugeot Traveller, Citroën Spacetourer and Toyota Proace. Individual models differ from each other mainly in the front part (lights, radiator grille, bumper) and then slightly in the interior, in the composition of individual equipment… We received the Zafira in the shorter version for the test (the so-called "M" size – "eLko" is approx. 35 cm longer rear overhang) and the highest equipment Elegance. Under the hood of the Zafira, there is only one power unit on offer – a two-liter diesel – in two performance variants. In the tested car in a more powerful version (130kW/177k), only connected to an eight-speed automatic.
What do you look like?!
When I picked up Zafira, in addition to the already mentioned "You've grown a lot!", I also had to say "You look great in that orange!". Maybe it's just my personal opinion, maybe (dark) orange metallic looks a little out of place on a car of this size, but I really like it.
The Zafira's shapes themselves are no longer extravagant. The front feels massive (it's just a van), although the engine itself is quite low. The double molding on the fenders breaks up the monotony of large areas. Access to the rear rows is via sliding doors (from the Edition equipment on both sides), which are contactless in the tested car. You can also open them with the driver's button, or remotely with the key. Very comfortable and very addictive. In the rear part, the lid of the seventy-liter tank is incorporated into the molding in the fender. The luggage compartment is always accessed from the top through the hinged door. You need to take these into account, especially when parking. Not so much because of the height (they open approximately level with the roof), but because of the space behind the car. With an almost meter and a half long gate, you can forget about parking along the walls of shopping center garages, as well as about parking close to a row of parked cars. If there is absolutely no need, only the rear window can be opened separately – but it is quite deep at the bottom of the trunk, so it is better to open the door when storing fragile things.
It's an office!
In the interior, you will be greeted by leather seats in a 2+3+3 configuration. In the front, you get the feeling of sitting in a regular passenger car (two comfortable separate seats) with the feeling of driving a bus (high seating position, automatic opening of side doors and an aisle between the front seats). But in reality, everything is pleasantly close at hand. In front of you is an adjustable, multi-function, leather steering wheel, behind it are the "paddles" for manual shifting, and a little further down is the cruise control/speed limiter control. The instrument panel is analog, easy to read with an on-board computer display – the current speed is then projected onto the head-up display. To the left of the steering wheel is the ESP mode selector. There is also no wildness happening on the center panel – again, it was practically taken over from the concern's siblings. Display of the navigation system with several analog buttons on the sides – Apple CarPlay/Android Auto support is a matter of course. Beneath it, the interestingly designed two-zone automatic air conditioning control, the start button, the phone/document compartment, the 12V/USB socket and finally – the rotary automatic transmission selector. A little unusual, but in the end quite comfortable, until the end of the test I wondered why not all machines are like this…
The number of compartments in the dashboard will please you – illuminated and cooled in front of the passenger. On the other hand, the pockets in the doors are deep and can easily hold a two-liter PET bottle, but unfortunately you can only get to it when you stop at a rest stop. The pockets are relatively low and largely covered by the seat while driving.
Take a seat with us!
The front seats as such do not have any extreme lateral guidance, but they are perfect for swallowing highway kilometers. It offers a reasonable ratio of stiffness and comfort, complete with armrests and lumbar support (both for the driver and the passenger). On colder days, you will appreciate the three-stage heating, and the heating is not unpleasant even on the highest level (unlike some cars of the VW group). The massage function is just the icing on the cake. It goes without saying that both seats are fully electrically adjustable.
In the back rows, there are seats in a 2+1 configuration with separate seats and individually adjustable backrests. In addition to sliding, both rear rows can also be removed, and the luggage space then attacks with its volume of five cubic meters. The number is really impressive, but in the basic volume (it is true, we have a shorter version in the test) the luggage is almost negligible. Maximum weekly shopping for the whole family, or a few backpacks for a trip. Therefore, if you often plan to vacation with a fully occupied car, definitely choose the "L size" – as already mentioned at the beginning, the whole difference is in the rear overhang – so it is directly reflected in the volume of the luggage.
In the interior, it is also worth mentioning the audio system with ten speakers, a 220V socket under the passenger seat, remote-controlled Webasto independent heating or air conditioning vents above the rear seats. So there is no need to wait for the whole car to "warm up from the front".
To infinity and beyond – that is, actually within the district
Unfortunately, Zafira's test fell during a time when one was not allowed to leave the district without a good enough reason (or perhaps a mix of audacity and creativity). In my case, unfortunately, it was the mother Prague. The idea of maneuvering an almost five-meter van through the streets of New Town worried me a little… Fortunately, the Zafira has sensors at the front and at the back (with a camera at the back). And every other luxury limousine today also has the 5 meters+. Zafira does not lose its qualities even outside the city. A slightly lower center of gravity and a well-tuned chassis help it in corners. Thanks to it, the Zafira is neither excessively swayed nor hard and bouncy (as especially unloaded vans in utility versions can be). On the highway, even with a full crew, it can easily reach the highway limit, and if you happen to be late for check-in on the Croatian Riviera, thanks to its sufficient power, it can very comfortably accelerate far above the speed limit. The engine and chassis are then ably supported by an eight-speed automatic transmission, which shifts perfectly smoothly. So you can use the paddles under the steering wheel to the maximum when slowing down, when you want to brake the engine.
Overall, I rate Zafira as an excellent companion for larger families. The list price of the tested car is 1.3 million, but Opel really offers a lot of music for that. And despite the stigma that it may carry with it from the vassalage of GM, Opel now has a decent foothold under the management of the PSA concern.
