Opel Zafira Grand Tourer

Interior build pretty good since it is german, 1.4T though good power,no where close to the vw group 1.4T seen on the much more spacious touran. During test drive, ride pretty noisy since car old model, shoukd just go for the touran ,cheaper some more.

I have start driving Zafira A since 2002, and follow by Zafira B in 2007, and decide to change to Zafira C (Tourer) now. It’S more stylish and upmarket than previous Zafiras. After taking off the COE, the car cost that I pay now and then, a diff of about $6k (include 2 year/40000km free service which I do not have previously), which I think is worrh. As I do not try to speed up when lights turn green or always needs to overtake others, the engine performance for me is acceptable as well.The Zafira Tourer is enjoyable to drive, with well weighted steering and minimal body lean in corners.

Bought this car in April 2013. Have been driving it for over a year now. No major problems so far except for once when the battery went dead and a simple battery change solved the problem.

The GM 1.4L Turbocharged engine is powerful enough for city driving or highway overtaking with a reasonable FC of about 10.5km/L (60% HW,40% City). However, the fuel consumption increases to 7~8km/L when driven at speeds above 150+ kmh; probably due to strong air resistance.

Handling is good for a vehicle of such height. Fast cornering on slip roads is not a problem at all.

Exterior design is unique but that is subjective.

Interior design is where the Opel Zafira Tourer stands out against its rivals VW Touran and Citroen C4 Picasso. The dash board, seats and centre console are tastefully done up with black leather and red stitchings. Interior lights are beautiful giving the car a luxurious look. Instrument panel is also well designed and the needles will perform a sweeping motion when the engine is started.

The major downsides to this car are the middle and third row seats. Centre row seats cannot be adjusted forward or backward and the backrests have only 2 positions. The third row seats are strictly reserved for children as even a below average sized adult of 170cm height has trouble finding a comfortable seating position as the legroom is almost non-existent. Space wise, it is much smaller than the full sized MPV (Mitsubishi Grandis) we used to drive.

Another point to note would be the Air Conditioning system. Under the hot Singapore sun, the air con fan speed will need to be set at 3 and above or you will see your rear occupants sweating away as the rear air con vents are quite small.

Great car if you do not need the third row seats. Provides a huge boot space without it!

The last time I wrote the review was purely based on test-driving. This time round will be based on my past 5 months driving experience with this MPV.

Everything is pretty good and up to expectation except for 2 things.

1. The air-con automatic control (Climate Control) is terribly calibrated. You cannot use the AUTO mode because whatever is indicated on the console is not the real temperature that you are experiencing within the car. For example, when it is obviously hot (say 28 Degrees), it will indicate as probably 24 Degrees. Thus the fan speed will be switched to low.

Hence, I have never used the AUTO mode from then on! I always manually control the fan speed. The fan is terribly noisy!!! So noisy such that I have to raise my voice by quite a lot to talk to the passenger beside me or at the back!

2. The fuel consumption is the same as my previous 2L car or even worse. So rather disappointed with that.

Other than these, the rest are pretty ok. You do feel the power. I must admit it is indeed more powerful than my previous 2L car. Great stability and turning. Hard and heavy body, thus you do feel safe. Ideal for a small family.

Feature-wise is good. Even though there is a parallel parking assistant function, but I think I can park faster and precise than it. So I do not use it. But good for those who really needs help with parallel parking. The panoramic view is still the feature I like best and also most liked by everyone who sits in this MPV.

I will await my first servicing and hopefully they can help me address the air-con issue.

Due to my growing family size and nature of my work ( I need to use car to fetch my customers around), MPV is the way to go for me. With the high COE, to be frank, I was quite put off initially. The piece of paper is already higher than the car value!

With the needs in mind,I started to research into all MPVs in the market. Hoping to find one that is not too expensive yet safe to drive in and with good performance. Sounds tough!

For the past 1 month,going through all the reviews (both written and video),test drove quite a few MPVs - Wish,S-Max,Galaxy,Mazda 5 & 8,I finally made my decision. Opel 3rd Generation Zafira 1.4 Turbocharged.

Main reasons:

1. After test-driving it twice,I conclude that the turbo definitely gives the car the power similar to the 2L Japanese sedan that I am currently driving!

2. According to specs, it is fuel-efficient (About 13.88km/L). This is very crucial to me as I will be driving around with just 2 persons (including myself) during my main course of work. So I guess even with 4-7 persons in this car,my fuel efficiency at most drop to same as my current car (About 10km/L). On the whole,I still save!

3. Many of the MPVs can't really sit 2 adults at the 3rd row. But the new Zafira can!

4. With the throwing-in of 3-yrs free of maintenance and 5-yrs warranty, there will be additional saving for me.

5. Beside the attractive launch price discount, the fixed sunroof and panaromic view at the 1st row,with parking assistant (Parallel) and forward alert, certainly define a better enjoyment in driving for both me and my passengers.

6. When I bought,the package does include GPS and reverse camera. Not sure if it is still available now.

Geberally, I feel that this is a perfect MPV for a smally family to start off with. Road tax is so cheap too compared to other MPVs which are usuall 1.8L and above.