TRYING TO stuff your Christmas shopping into a small car boot can add to the stress of preparing for the festive season.
Having a motor big enough for all the yuletide comings and goings might just help take a little bit of the tension away.
The Zafira Tourer, on test here, is a perfect vehicle for a large family’s needs. It’s positioned above the current Zafira model in Vauxhall’s line-up and raises the bar in the Multi-Purpose Vehicle (MPV) sector.
The car uses the Flex7 seating, which set new standards for seven-seat integration in the original 1999 Zafira, but it now offers improved levels of flexibility, innovation and comfort. Enhanced material quality and an awesomely airy cabin further mark out the Zafira Tourer from its more modest sibling.
The vast Vauxhall also holds great driver appeal. A fresh chassis, using key components from the Insignia, with a longer wheelbase and wider tracks, provides outstanding dynamics, while offering better ride comfort than ever. Vauxhall’s celebrated FlexRide adaptive damping system – a rarity in this class – is also available as an option. And, with a 2.0 turbocharged 163 bhp oil-burner under the hood, the mammoth MPV is no slowcoach. It has plenty of shove and will munch up the miles effortlessly.
Of course, if you have children, safety will be at the forefront of your mind when motoring. That’s why Vauxhall has placed a large amount of emphasis on protection in the Zafira Tourer, with a glut of driver-assist systems to look after you and your passengers. Traffic Sign Recognition, Side Blind Spot Alert and Advance Park Assist – which helps you find an adequate parking space and guides you into it – are among the option features.
Unsurprisingly, the Tourer’s load area is immense when the extra rear seats aren’t in use, and still acceptable with the spare seats occupied. So, when it comes to Christmas, this isn’t a bad choice of car for packing your gifts, and the turkey, into. The Zafira Tourer will also provide you with a quick getaway from the madding shopping crowds. If that’s not a good enough reason to treat yourself to that new family car you’ve been thinking about, I don’t know what is.
PROS ‘N’ CONS
- Space √
- Comfort √
- Safety √
- Steering √
- High price-tag X
FAST FACTS
- Max speed: 129 mph
- 0-60 mph: 9.1 secs
- Combined mpg: 53.3
- Engine: 1956 cc 4 cylinder 16 valve turbo diesel
- Max. power (bhp): 163 at 4000 rpm
- Max. torque (lb/ft): 258 at 1750-2500 rpm
- CO2: 139 g/km
- Price: £25,685 on the road
Now, follow the link below to read a published review:
R Magazine, November/December 2012
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