Vauxhall Zafira Tourer
Mid-life makeover keeps MPV in contention
VAUXHALL’S biggest MPV, the Zafira Tourer, has been a big seller since it was launched in 2012. But with competition from smaller rivals like the Volkswagen Touran and Renault Grand Scenic (driven on Page 34), it’s time for a mid-life update.
Gone is the distinctive boomerang front light arrangement of the old car, replaced by a neater – if less idiosyncratic – face that’s not a million miles from the latest Astra. It’s handsome enough, as large MPVS go.
Inside, all the clever Flex7 seating technology and useful storage spaces remain. While there’s enough legroom in the middle row, the rearmost seats are best reserved for kids. Unlike rivals, ISOFIX points are on the two outer second-row seats only.
The dashboard gets a noticeable update. The mass of buttons on the centre stack has gone, replaced by a neater touchscreen arrangement featuring Apple Carplay and Android Auto, plus there’s a new steering wheel design, too. It’s all perfectly pleasant and neatly laid out, if lacking any real visual sparkle or feeling of unstinting quality.
Along with the new Mokka X, the Zafira Tourer now has Vauxhall’s Onstar personal assistance service as standard, improving the connectivity functions of the car.
Trim lines and engines are preserved from the pre-facelift car, with confusing grades running from Design up to Elite Nav, and a choice of the 138bhp 1.4-litre turbocharged petrol engine or a pair of diesels – the 134bhp 1.6-litre unit and the 2.0-litre with 168bhp.
Sales are evenly split between petrol and diesel, with manual transmissions favoured three to one over the automatic. Powered by the 2.0 CDTI engine, our Zafira Tourer came to a hefty £29,160 in Elite guise with a few choice options – but that’s less than you’d pay for most seven-seat SUVS of comparable spec. The driving experience is quiet and refined. The 2.0-litre engine is punchy, although it’s coarser and less acoustically isolated than the 1.6-litre ‘Whisper’ diesel. Elsewhere, the ride is fine, feeling supple in most situations and only flustered by the worst imperfections in the road. Perhaps the predicted top-selling SRI model on smaller wheels would fare better than our car did on large 18-inch versions. The steering is acceptable and the suppression of road and wind noise is first rate, while the Elite has the impressive panoramic windscreen to make the cabin feel suitably light and airy for passengers.