Category: Compact MPV 
Price Range: £16,015 to £24,375
Even more spacious and practical than before, better to drive and better looking, class-leading safety.
Still a bit on the dull side to look at, badge snobs will look elsewhere.
A brilliant package that's been cleverly evolved into a class leader.
The Zafira is quite good fun on a challenging road. The driving position, helped by a rake- and reach-adjustable steering wheel, gives an excellent, commanding view of the road ahead. Along with the usual stability and traction control programmes, buyers can specify IDS-plus, which incorporates Continuous Damping Control. The idea is that the damper settings are constantly adjusted to suit the road conditions with a view to reducing pitch and body roll, an approach that works well.
On tight, twisting roads, the Zafira's maintains flat-cornering composure even at quite high speeds. Steering feel and feedback are first rate, and the ride/handling balance is very well resolved. If the ride does feel slightly firm, that's probably because the Zafira needs to account for a possible seven-occupant load.
Opt for the storming VXR model and an advanced version of IDS-plus comes as standard. Combine this with huge brakes, 18-inch wheels and a Sport button that firms things up even more and you've got the world's most indecently swift family MPV.
The new Zafira is available with seven engines. There are five petrols - a 105bhp 1.6, a 150bhp 2.2, a 140bhp 1.8, a 200bhp 2.0 turbo and a range-topping 240bhp 2.0 turbo for the VXR model - and two diesel options, a 120bhp or 150bhp 1.9 CDTi.
The range-topping 240bhp turbo petrol in the VXR model impresses with its outright pace - 0-62mph in 7.2secs and a top speed of 144mph - but can be difficult to drive smoothly, especially if the Sport button is engaged. This remaps the throttle's response, but in a way that makes it even more difficult to modulate the car's power.
As is increasingly the case with compact MPVs, our favourite engine is the turbodiesel. The 150bhp 1.9 has plenty of mid-range poke for a relaxed drive, with big max torque of 236lb ft available from just 2,000rpm. That said, we found the less powerful 120bhp 1.9 turbodiesel more than up to the job, so we'd recommend that buyers sample both before deciding to spend the extra £1,100 on the more powerful version.
There is a six-speed manual gearbox on offer - standard-fit on both 2.0 Turbo petrols and 150bhp diesel - with excellently spaced ratios and a precise, mechanical shift quality. Also available for the 120bhp 1.9CDTi is an all-new six-speed automatic gearbox that allows manual sequential gear selection.
Latest Readers' Drives About the Vauxhall Zafira
wrote on 06 02 2008
wrote on 25 11 2006