Review: 2004 Vauxhall Zafira GSi

[Redcoat]

Review by me, from a test drive.

The small, c-segment platform minivan market has been booming in Europe recently, a trend started by Renault with their Megane-based Scenic, and since copied by Citroen (Picasso), Ford (Focus C-Max), Nissan (Tino), Toyota (Corolla Verso), VW (Touran) and of course GM - with the highly rated Vauxhall / Opel Zafira.

I cant say i was that optimistic about the GM offering as i swung into the Vauxhall dealership; it is due for a refresh this year and Vauxhalls (apart from the VX220 and Monaro) are not considered very exciting.

After looking around a couple of base models, my fears appeard to be comfirmed - the interior plastics were worse than those i had seen on competing VWs, Mazdas and Hondas. The dreaded Light Grey Plastic was there in abundance, and the overall styling of the car seemed a bit dated next to the sharp looking C-max.

Zafira

However, looking around the car in detail revealed some obvious selling points. The boot (trunk for our Colonial chums ) was cavernous - i believe it offers class leading room. Combined with the Flex-7 seating, this little minivan will be able to do some serious hauling for its size. I am pretty sure i could fit a full height fridge or wardrobe in the back with the rear seats slid all the way forwards.

So far, so utilitarian.

It was then i decided to take a quick test drive, and as i was short of time, i asked for the keys to the vehicle nearest the door - a GSi.



Its easy to miss the slightly larger wheels, and the lack of black plastic cladding on the exterior.

As soon as i got comfortable in the GSi it was clear this was a very different Zafira. Where cheap plastics once resided, there was leather, chrome dials, a trip computer...

What manner of beast was this?

The half-leather Recaros should probably have given me a clue, but the true nature of the car only becomes apparent on the move.

Start it, and the 2.0L Turbocharged ecotec exhibits a muffled growl. The ride is quiet and extremely comfortable, and manouvering around back streets the steering is precise. The car does not feel at all bulky. The seating position is high, and gives excellent visibility - unlike some minivans where it is hard to tell where the corners of the car are.

But none of this matters when you punch it in third gear on a straight road! the muffled growl of the 2.0L Ecotec is replaced by an insistant whine from the turbo, and 200hp presses you into the leather wrapped Recaros. I can well believe that this car will accelerate to 60mph from rest in seven and a half seconds, and leave many so called "hot" hatches in its dust.

From a roll, no unboosted 4-cyl hot hatch short of a Civic Type-R will have a chance thanks to the instantly available 185lb-ft of torque. This van can't half shift!

However, all the available power would be useless without a good suspension setup, and thankfully the Zafira GSi has a bespoke sports suspension kit not available on other models. This thing grips the road, and feels very solid through the corners - it makes you wonder why all minivans dont drive like this.

All in all i was very sad to get out of this car - i think a call to my insurers to see what the damage a 2.0L,Turbocharged vehicle will do to my annual premium is in order!

[MelvinJ]

Thanks for the review, Redcoat. Ever since the Zafira came out, I've wished that we would have it in the US. Now that it's got a turbo Ecotec, there's no doubt! Replace the Relay with this.

[Redcoat]

yep, the refreshed model should be a Saturn, with the turbo a Redline.

[TriShield]

That should be our Saturn Relay, or just call it the Saturn Zafira here. That has a nice ring to it.

[86fleet]

This would make a nice Saturn. How come the Cobalt SS doesn't have a turbo? I thought that the sport-compact crowd liked them better than superchargers.

[Redcoat]

Not sure, might be emissions differences?

the 2.0 Turbo Ecotec is used in quite a few GSi products here...Astra, Zafira, even the VX220 and VXR220.