Opel Zafira

It's a challenge making a successor of an award-winning car, but Opel's managed to create a better second-generation Zafira.

What's New
When Opel introduced the Zafira in 1999, the company had every reason to be confident that the product was going to be a big hit. It was the first compact Multi-Purpose Vehicle (MPV) from a German automaker to offer a third row of seats that could be stowed away into a flat floor and it was the only one in its segment with such a feature at the time.

This system which Opel called Flex7, made the Zafira popular enough to find 1.4 million loving homes during its lifetime.

With hopes to attract more young buyers than before, the new car has been styled to look bolder and sportier, with large headlights, stocky bumpers and just the right amount of chrome detailing.

The Flex7 system has been retained, but it now sits on a larger platform than its predecessor which allows the Zafira to be a more spacious people mover.

How it Performs
During its international launch at Gothenburg, Sweden, we drove the flagship 2.0-litre turbocharged Zafira which has an engine that's identical to the Astra Turbo. Turbo-lag is non-existent and there's plenty of grunt throughout the rev range. There's a nice induction noise too when the throttle is wide open, accompanied by a throaty exhaust note.

The six-speed manual gearbox feels slick and intuitive, while the clutch is progressive. Unfortunately, there's no automatic transmission available for this sweet engine, which greatly reduces the chance of this variant coming to Singapore. What is more likely for our market are the 1.8 and 2.2 litre versions.

The Zafira's suspension is on the stiff side, but not to the extent it provides a jarring ride when driven along a stretch of poorly surfaced road. The upside for this kind of suspension set-up, though, is you get an MPV that thinks it's a hot hatch. The Zafira handles comparably to the Astra around the winding roads, with controlled body-roll and sharp turn-in.

The cabin is more spacious than before, especially where head and legroom are concerned. The dashboard plastics look and feel classier than the ones in the old car, and the architecture is refreshingly contemporary.

The Flex7 system allows you to turn the Zafira from a seven-seater to a six, five, four, three or two-seater without the hassle of having to remove any of the seats out of the car. The two individual third-row seats can be stowed into a flat floor and the second row bench can be tucked against the front seats to make way for a cavernous cargo bay.

How it Stacks Up
Standard equipment hasn't been decided on yet (the new car is due to arrive here at the end of the year) either, but the test car we drove had Opel's latest gadgets that include steering-linked headlamps, six airbags, Interactive Driving System (IDS) and Continuous Damping Control (CDC).The Zafira is more practical, refined and better to drive than the previous model, although the sporty suspension may not interest comfort-biased drivers. The Renault Grand Scenic and Volkswagen Touran will be the Zafira's fiercest competitors.

Technical Specifications

MODEL Opel Zafira 2.0 Turbo ENGINE Engine: 1998cc turbocharged in-line 4 Max Power: 200bhp @ 5,400rpm Max Torque: 265Nm @ 4,200rpm TRANSMISSION 6-speed manual TOP SPEED 225km/h 0-100km/h 9.0s