Had a chance to drive the fourth generation Opel Zafira MPV last week. Opel is a much loved brand, and now falls under the Stellantis stable of models. It’s in essence a mini-van, and comes in two variants, namely the Edition, aimed at families, and the Elegance, which is expected to fill the more luxury role or shuttle role. The former being an eight-seater, and the latter a 7-seater.
Let’s look at the exterior styling. It’s a nice looking MPV. Nice looking grille with the Opel logo prominent, and the bottom left and right and center air vents give it an authoritive look. It has dark tinted windows from the B-pillar to the back, which are large, to allow maximum visibility and give shade and privacy as well.
It has sliding doors on either side, the Edition are manually opened, but the Elegance are electrically opened, as well as remotely.
The Opel Zafira Life Edition and Elegance models are fitted with halogen headlamps, front fog lamps, and Automatic Headlight function. The Automatic High Beam Function is only available on the Elegance model. The Zafira Life comes standard with a glazed rear tinted tailgate with heated rear windscreen and a single wiper for the rear window.
Into the spacious cabin, and you have two separate front seats, which have electric capability for the top mode, and manual for the Edition. The Elegance model has heated seats as well, and side curtain blinds as standard. These are really cool and offer extra privacy if needed. Lots of storage areas and cupholders, the front ones are on the dash and might allow sunlight to heat cool drinks.
Enjoyed the heads-up display on the Elegance model. Fancy climate control, dual of course, as well as rear as well, is adjusted by sunlight sensors, according to the intensity of the sunlight. The particle and odour filter keeps air recirculating, preventing allergy-provoking pollens and bad smells.
The Keyless entry allows the driver to open both front and rear doors when the key is within range of the vehicle.
The Zafira Life models have the option to fit front and rear park sensors with a 180° reverse camera, which sends a top-view 180° image of the back area. When the vehicle approaches an obstacle, the system automatically zooms in on the remaining space to accurately display the remaining distance. This allows for more accessible parking and improved visibility for the driver. I sat in both the front and rear of the Zafira, and it really is great for an extended roadtrip, with space and comfort in spades.
Love the dual panoramic sun roof, which can be operated on both sides separately. It has a state of the art infotainment system which is compatible with Apple CarPlay & Andriod Auto. Equipped with a 7-inch touchscreen intellilink infotainment system, the Zafira Life multimedia system offers connectivity via USB, Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto. The Zafira Edition is equipped with six speakers, while the Elegance is fitted with an upgraded sound system comprising 10 speakers.
Also liked the tailgate with window that opens separately as well. This MPV is very well crafted.
Both Opel Zafira Life Edition and Elegance models come with a refined and powerful 2.0-litre turbodiesel engine with stop/start technology. Developing 110kW at 4 000 r/min, we found that the Zafira had plenty of go in it, and although not loaded, achieved good speed and power.
Mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission, the Zafira Life offers exceptional fuel economy, we experienced this first hand , and although we did not achieve the #claimed figures, it was close enough.
Safety is key with Opel, and it comes with front and side airbags as standard, driver alert will tell you to take a break every two hours. It has a Driver Attention Alert with a road behaviour feature. This system monitors the driver’s behaviour via a camera and steering wheel movements and sends an audible and visual alert if a loss of attention is detected.
In addition, Lane Departure Warning (LDW) with lateral correction alerts the driver when the vehicle crosses a line without using the indicator. The system also detects unintentional lane departure and provides the driver with alert and visual feedback on the instrumental panel. This can become irritating, and people often turn it off at their peril.
Zafira Life Elegance models are also equipped with Forward Brake Assist that can help prevent a collision with mobile or fixed obstacles and pedestrians at speeds under 30km/h. At speeds above 30km/h, the vehicle’s speed is reduced before impact.
Pricing
Opel Zafira Life Edition R749,900
Opel Zafira Life Elegance R869,900
In summation, the pricing is very good, and it is way below the Hyundai Staria, a futuristic new van that has been launched. The Zafira is attractive to look at, and has comfort and space in abundance. It has up to date tech, and has a good powertrain, that gives punch and torque.