Twin Cam
www.twincam.ie
Opel Zafira 1.9 CDTI SRi
Road test - February 2006
by Kevin Fenix
When it was first introduced some eight to ten years ago, the Opel Zafira caught all its competitors on the hop. Some like Ford decided to cancel their forthcoming rival and go back to the drawing board. Others decided to go ahead with just five seats and see if there was a demand for seven seats in this segment of the market, whilst others hurriedly tried to come up with an alternative that did not clash with Opel’s patents on its brilliant “FlexSeven” seating design. Time, however, has caught up with the Zafira and its five plus two seating is now a little bit more complicated than some of the alternatives offered by the competition. That is not to say that it is not still a very good system.
Above left : Four seats plus armrest. Above right : Five seats
Above left : Five plus two seats Above right : Fold away rear seats
Above left : Five seat luggage space Above right : Seven seat luggage space
The old Zafira was conservatively styled, homely and attractive. This new model has a sharper more distinctive edge to its styling, yet it remains immediately recognisable as an Opel Zafira. The test car looked particularly distinguished in its formal black paintwork, set off with chrome trim and dark tinted glass from the B-pillars back.
Above left : Sports seats Above right : Silver finish
My test car was finished to SRi trim standards which is the sporty specification. On the plus side this gives you a leather covered steering wheel, sports seats with lumbar support on driver’s side, electric windows all round and front fog lamps. Those sports seats really are comfortable and the substantial bolsters on the sides hold you firmly, but comfortably in place. You get other fancy items of trim like aluminium pedals, brushed aluminium sill covers, dark tinted glass, silver panel in centre console, matt silver roof rails and an armrest on the inner edge of the driver’s seat. Perhaps the best item of all is so small and innocuous that it goes almost unnoticed. Up on that gaudy silver panel, to the left of the triangular hazard warning lamps switch is a small rectangular button labelled “SPORT.”
Who would have thought that pressing such a small button, could make such a big improvement in the performance ? In normal driving the turbocharged, intercooled diesel engines revs to about 4,000 rpm in a typical diesel manner. It just runs out of steam at 4,000 rpm, which is pretty conventional for diesel engines. It is perfectly satisfactory for normal driving and gives a performance that is perfectly satisfactory for a spacious and comfortable family car, especially a high build MPV. Press that sport button, however, and the Zafira is transformed. It seems to get a strong second breath at 3,000 rpm which sends that tacho needle swinging right up to the 5,000 rpm mark. What was once a satisfactorily performing family car, suddenly thinks it is a sports car and performs with verve and excitement. We are told the sport programme also stiffens up the suspension and gives a more direct feel to the steering. On a particular section of twisting road, I found I could drive 10 km faster. The only disappointment is that slower traffic now becomes an even more annoying impediment to your progress. As it is the steering is geared to give a sporty 2.6 turns from lock to lock, which is satisfying. One other item that comes with the sport button is an electronic stability programme, which is a very welcome safety feature. It can be turned off for those driving conditions, where it would be counter productive.
One disadvantage of the Zafira’s body design, are those sloping windscreen pillars. They cause no difficulty when looking directly ahead, but if you want to look even a few degrees to the side, there is a very heavy area about half way up the pillar that causes a major blind spot. This is inconvenient all the time, but becomes even more annoying when “Sport” is selected and you are trying to drive at a sporting pace along a twisting road.
The SRi specification has stiffened springs, even before “Sport” is selected, so the suspension tends to be a little choppy on normal Irish urban road surfaces. It is not so noticeable when “Sport” is selected as you expect a sportier car to have a harder ride and you have your mind occupied with things other than superb travelling comfort. I do not know if all current Zafiras have the same brakes, but the SRi model, as tested, had substantial 320 mm x 30 mm ventilated discs at the front with 267 mm x 10 mm plain discs at the back. They are linked to an anti-lock system that includes electronic force distribution, with emergency brake assist and cornering brake control, plus the electronic stability programme. You and your family should thus be able to enjoy the extra benefits of that “Sport” performance in safety.
Overall performance is more than satisfactory, especially for a spacious and comfortable family car, with a top speed of 202 kph (125 mph) and 0-100 kph acceleration in 10.4 seconds. That velocity is delivered with a highly satisfactory fuel consumption too. (See technical data for full details). All this is delivered with a low level of carbon dioxide emissions too, just 87.343 gm/km/lt.
Talking of family cars, this Zafira came with some gadgets that will make your children the envy of the neighbourhood; a DVD screen that folds down from the roof, so that those in the rear seats can watch Harry Potter, or whatever, whilst you get on with the driving. So that the noise does not deafen, distract and completely disorient you, two pairs of earphones, each in their own zip-up case are also provided for the viewers in the back seats.
Family cars have to be versatile and the Zafira scores well on that front. If the need arises, it can tow a braked trailer of up to 1500 kg, or a 750 kg unbraked one. If all seven seats are in use, as they could well be on a family holiday, the available luggage space is rather small, so you may need to fit a roof box to those silver roof rails. The Zafira can carry up to 75 kg on the roof, but remember that includes the weight of the box, its associated cross bars and the contents of the box. It has a payload capability of 639 kg, which is the weight of all the passengers and their luggage wherever it is stored. The weight of any trailer does not figure in these calculations as the trailer rides on its own set of wheels. While the brakes are designed to cope with the stated loads of car and trailer, remember that additional weight, whether on its own wheels or not, still has to be moved by the power of the engine and this can affect fuel consumption and acceleration.
If you look at the luggage capacity in the technical data, you will see that it extends from 0.140 cubic metres when all seven seats are in use, to a maximum of 1.820 cubic metres when all the rear seats are folded and the available space is loaded to roof level. Apart from the figure of 1.820 cu.M, the other figures are for luggage loaded to the window sills only.
Below left and right : Luggage space
Above left : 0.140 cubic metres ------- Above right : 0.645 cubic metres
Above : 1.070 cubic metres with seats folded and fully forward
In its SRi guise the Opel Zafira is an impressive, well finished car, with an excellent performance for a large, comfortable family car. If you are on a tighter budget, you may like to consider a basic model with a 1.6 litre petrol engine, which costs over Euro 10,000 less. It has all the basic advantages of space and comfort, is cheaper to tax and insure and has enough performance to satisfy most family motorists. However, if you have that extra to spend, then why not get all the bells and whistles that come with the SRi. Alternatively your partner and you may decide that a basic Zafira, plus a small second car makes a more attractive all round family package. You could have a BRAND NEW Opel Agila and a basic Zafira for around the same price as a Zafira 1.9 CDTI SRi. It makes you think, doesn’t it ?
Technical data
Dimensions
Overall length ------------------ 4467 mm
Overall width ------------------- 1801/2026 mm (without/with mirrors)
Overall height ------------------ 1645 mm
Wheelbase ----------------------- 2703 mm
Front track ---------------------- 1488 mm
Rear track ----------------------- 1510 mm
Turning circle ------------------ 11.1/11.5 M (kerbs/walls)
Unladen weight ---------------- 1566 kg
Gross vehicle weight ---------- 2205 kg
Max. towing weight ------------ 1500 kg (braked) --- 750 kg (unbraked)
Max. roof load ----------------- 75 kg
Power/weight ratio ------------ 20.045 kg/kW (based on gross vehicle weight)
Luggage capacity --------------- 0.140/0.645/1.070/1.825 cu.M
Tank capacity ------------------ 56 lts
Engine
Type ------------------------------ 4 cyl. DOHC 16v turbocharged, intercooled, direct injection, diesel
Capacity ------------------------- 1910 cc
Compression ratio ------------- 17.5 : 1
Max. injection pressure ------ 1600 bar
Max. turbo boost pressure --- 1.4 bar
Bore/stroke --------------------- 82 mm x 90.4 mm
Power ---------------------------- 110 kW @ 4,000 rpm (57.591 kW/lt)
Torque --------------------------- 320 Nm @ 2,000 - 2,750 rpm (167.539 Nm /lt)
CO2 emissions ------------------ 167 gm/km (87.343 gm/km/lt)
Transmission
Type ------------------------------ 6 speed manual
Ratios ---------------------------- Gearbox -------------------------------- Overall
1st -------------------------------- 3.82 : 1 ---------------------------------- 14.62 : 1
2nd ------------------------------- 2.05 : 1 -------------------------------------7.86 : 1
3rd ------------------------------- 1.30 : 1 -------------------------------------4.99 : 1
4th -------------------------------- 0.96 : 1 -------------------------------------3.67 : 1
5th -------------------------------- 0.74 : 1 -------------------------------------2.85 : 1
6th -------------------------------- 0.61 : 1 -------------------------------------2.35 : 1
Reverse -------------------------- 3.55 : 1 -----------------------------------13.60 : 1
Final drive ----------------------- 3.83 : 1 -----------------------------------************
Suspension
Front ----------------------------- MacPherson strut, L-shaped lower wishbone, 24 mm anti-roll bar
Rear ------------------------------ Trailing arms, <-shaped torsion beam, coil springs, telescopic dampers
Steering
Type ------------------------------ Electro-hydraulic, power assisted, rack and pinion
Turns lock to lock ------------- 2.6
Wheel diameter ---------------- 370 mm
Brakes
Type ------------------------------ Servo assisted, dual circuit, with anti-lock, cornering brake control, electronic force distribution and emergency brake assist
Front ----------------------------- Ventilated disc --------------------------320 mm x 30 mm
Rear ------------------------------ Disc ---------------------------------------267 mm x 10 mm
Wheels
Type ------------------------------ 5 spoke, cast alloy, 5 stud
Size ------------------------------- 7J x 17 H2
Spare ----------------------------- Pressed steel ventilated --- 6.5J x 16 H2
Tyres
Type ------------------------------ Continental Sport Contact 2
Size ------------------------------- 225/45 R 17 - 94V
Spare ----------------------------- Continental PremiumContact --- 205/55 R 16 - 91V
Rolling circumference -------- 1.873 M (estimated)
Performance
Top speed ----------------------- 202 kph (125 mph)
0-100 kph ----------------------- 10.4 secs.
Fuel consumption
Urban ---------------------------- 7.8 lt/100 km (36 mpg)
Extra urban --------------------- 5.3 lt/100 km (53 mpg)
Combined ----------------------- 6.2 lt/100 km (45 mpg)
Warranty/servicing
Coverage ------------------------ 2 years unlimited, 3 years assistance, 12 years perforation
Service interval 30,000 km /1 year
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Recommended retail price (excluding delivery and charges)
Opel Zafira 1.9 CDTI SRi ---------------------------------------------- Euro 36,495 (at February 2006)
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Below : A plastic acoustic shield hides the engine from view
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