GM’s efforts into increasing Opel’s sales brought the great decision of creating each generation of cars using a whole new platform. It allows the company not only to catch up with the competitors but also to outtake them faster and more effectively, while the increased costs are dissolved between all the vehicles offered around the world under all its marques. This is the reason why Zafira has received a complete reinvention each six years, in fact. But, as it was mentioned, this one’s leap was big enough to leave room for the previous phase to keep being sold, only in basic trims. It’s very easy to see examples like this in emergent markets.
But now you must be asking yourself what does this model bring to be that much better than the outgoing Zafira. The truth is, a great start for your answer would be speaking of the design. The new MPV features all Opel’s very latest family elements paired to some new ones. The current decade dropped all those square lines and volumes from the 2000s in favor of a sportier design, filled with irregular shapes which compose a much more fluid set. Zafira became classier than ever, changing the strongly-separated volumes for an organic division just like most cars are using nowadays. And if you think it looks too much like Ford C-Max, take a look at the front fascia: the inspiration for these V-shaped elements was taken from Ampera.
So many improvements at the outside couldn’t be combined to nothing less than even more of them at the cabin. The new MPV’s cabin still seats five or seven, but it repeats the original Zafira’s flexibility concept in its most literal way ever. All passenger seats can be folded or removed independently, there are up to thirty cargo spaces of different shapes and volumes, the driver is able to choose the car’s behavior from a list of driving modes, and the external bicycle rack now holds up to four (it is placed at the rear bumper). As if it wasn’t clear enough, their respective names are Flex7, FlexRail, FlexRide and FlexFix. You can fill Opel’s engineering staff with smiles estimating how many possible “different Zafiras” this car can be.
Besides, dealing with all those combinations will be even more pleasant because there’s also bigger luxury. The central console received two-tone coating once again, but with a sleeker design which makes it uncomparably classier than the previous model’s: the big LCD screen still divides the room with button and knob controls, but the latter ones now look more discreet. The steering wheel, in turn, repeats which must be GM’s global design for it. Like always, most comfort, entertainment and safety equipments will be restricted to the most expensive trims, which leaves the upscale Zafira Tourer good enough to steal whoever isn’t so sure of taking a Citroën C8 or a Renault Espace.
Speaking of safety equipments turns interesting in this car because it mentions a whole list of items which make their first appearance at this minivan. There are automatic braking system (in case of imminent front collision), blind-spot monitoring and lane-departure alert, among others. Like most automakers in the past few years, Opel is starting to invest in passive safety as much as in active protection, because there are several types of accident which can simply be avoided, using the extra care provided by all these electronic systems. Such concern is very important in all car categories, but it deserves even bigger attention from a potential buyer when it comes to a family vehicle.
Zafira Tourer debuts with seven powertrain options, all of them using start/stop system in order to reduce fuel consumption. There are a gasoline 1.4L unit with 120 hp or 140 hp and a diesel CDTI 2.0L with 110 hp, 130 hp or 165 hp, both turbocharged. They all use manual transmission, but the two most powerful can be upgraded to a six-speed automatic gearbox. Besides, Opel already announced that an ecoFlex version will arrive later, using a 130-hp diesel 2.0L with lower consumption and emissions numbers. It’s also possible to expect a sporty sibling with exclusive visual accessories and stronger engine.