10 Nov 05
The sell job continues inside, where the Zafira VXR gains grippy Recaro front seats, carbon-fibre-alike door trim bits, a chunky three-spoke steering wheel and alloy pedals. Given the typical MPV high-riding panoramic-view driving position, this all feels a bit incongruous.
But not nearly so much as when you actually turn the key and head off down the road. The first thing you'll notice is that the ride isn't totally ruined by the sporting suspension. All Zafira VXRs come with electronic controls that look after damper settings, electronic stability programmes and braking systems in a way that allows fast, stable progress, even in such a high-sided vehicle.
For those wanting an even more firmly damped driving experience, there's also a Sport button that firms the chassis up even more. Sadly, it also remaps the throttle in a way that's supposed to make it feel even more responsive, but in reality, just makes it unpredictable and over-enthusiastic.
Frantic is really the best way to describe the power delivery of that 240bhp motor (40bhp more than the previous mad Zafira Gsi). Give it loads from standstill and the steering wheel squirms gently in your hands as the front tyres melt away in a blue cloud. Torque steer isn't a major problem, but I form the same impression I do with all very powerful front-drivers - which is, "power's going to the wrong end of this thing."
