Not quite a Tourer de force

FIRST DRIVE OPEL ZAFIRA TOURER 2.0 CDTI:IT'S A SIGN of the times when you spend millions developing an all-new third generation of a model, only to continue selling the old one it was supposed to replace. Presumably when the initial development team for the new Zafira Tourer met about three years ago, they hadn't foreseen the mess the European economy would be in by 2011.

Their hard work created a car that looks far sharper than its predecessor, but that may be ahead of its time. Opel has decided to retain the current Zafira on the forecourts for the interim, describing it as a value proposition for a family market overshadowed by financial concerns.

While the two cars share the same name and overall shape, the newest Zafira is a more upmarket offering. It may enter the market at a slightly higher price, but the plan is that it will prove more tempting to the likes of the Insignia buyer, whose family is sick of fighting over who rides in the back seat and who gets left behind.

The interior switchgear and some of the styling cues are from the coupe-styled Opel saloon. And that’s the overall feel to this car: whereas the older Zafira feels like a blood brother to the Astra and others in Opel’s hatchback range, the Tourer version looks and feels closer to its flagship family car.

Exterior styling swishes and creases make the traditionally boxy Zafira look like it could be fun to drive. A few hours behind the wheel proved it is just that.

The wheelbase has been increased and the extra width gives it a better stance on the road, where it corners with aplomb. It’s impressive in terms of handling and the ride quality is excellent, both traits up there with the reputed best-in-class, the Ford S-Max. And that’s exactly the rival the boys and girls at Opel were aiming at.

The engine line-up is extensive, but the only one of interest to Irish buyers will be the 2-litre diesel that features in the current Astra and Insignia range. This engine comes with a range of power outputs: a 110bhp, a 130bhp and a 165bhp. Our test was the 165bhp version with start-stop. The 130bhp version should be able to lug this Tourer about, but we’d have to question the pulling power of the 110bhp version.

Emissions for all outputs are below 140g/km, so annual motor tax will cost €156, and if you really want to cut costs, the 130bhp version with start-stop puts out just 119g/km and falls into the lowest tax band. None of them are real sprinters but the smart handling should make up for the lack of straight-line acceleration.

Then again, while performance is often the wish of the driver, that’s a minority voice among the key decision-makers in a people-carrier purchase. For the rest of the family, a Zafira is bought primarily for its flexible interior.

Inside, this new model is much smarter than before, even if it suffers the same fate as the smart Insignia: a central console that has more buttons than a hussar’s tunic. At night the cockpit looks impressive, but in practical terms it’s a pain. The older version might lack the pizzazz that makes you feel like you’re on a flight deck, but at least you can turn the heating down without having to look up the handbook.

Then there’s the seating: the greatest whizz of the Zafira since it first took to the road in 1999. Back then it was positively revolutionary. No longer did you have to lug out the extra seats and store them away when you wanted to use a bit more bootspace. Instead a simple tug of a little red toggle and they flipped up and disappeared into the boot floor. It was simple but ingenious, like all the best ideas.

This new Zafira makes that task even easier. It requires less force to flip the seats than it does to open the boot in the first place. The second-row bench has been swapped with three independent seats that slide forward and back, depending if you want more legroom in the middle row or more bootspace. Opel has clearly been listening to its customers, many of whom spend most of the time using the car as a five-seater with a big boot, and has given them more flexibility in both areas.

Where the new Zafira disappoints is in the third row of seats. Previously we have travelled in the car with three adults sitting in a line from front to back. True the passenger in the third row was folded in two, but they could survive the trip without amputation. In the new model we simply couldn’t get three adults to follow the same format. In order to give the third-row passenger enough legroom to allow blood to flow, the middle-row passenger was digging his knees into the person in the front seat, who by then was straddling the steering wheel.

Opel makes much of the flexibility of the second row, with the middle seat folding away as an armrest, while the outside seats can slide sideways as well for extra shoulder room. They’re calling it a “lounge on wheels”, and it’s impressive if not quite up to the billing.

The official measurements also impress: an extra 70 litres of bootspace in five-seat format, bringing it up to 710 litres, while there’s a van-like 1,860 litres available with the second row folded flat. But it’s with the extra third row, often the reason for buying the car in the first place, that we have some qualms. It’s fine for young children, but simply doesn’t feel as spacious as the older version. With seven seats in use the bootspace is 152 litres; up by 12 litres but still not much better than a supermini.

Aside from this, the Zafira Tourer brings a splash of style and quality to the people carrier. Its problem is that it’s up against a host of rivals that offer much the same combination of origami seating arrangements.

Pricing has yet to be confirmed for Ireland, but expect it to start above the current model, which costs from €26,360 for the 1.6-litre petrol and €27,495 for the 1.7-litre diesel. The engine upgrade in the Tourer, along with the addition of gadgets like blind-spot alert, traffic-sign recognition and adaptive cruise control means prices will probably be closer to €30,000.

The Zafira has always been a firm favourite in its class, a car we always recommend as a test drive for the family buyer. The Tourer version looks more sporty and is more comfortable so it will remain on the shortlist, but a little more of that ingenuity that led to the first model back in 1999 and it could have jumped ahead of its rivals. The Tourer is good, but not out in front of the pack by any measure.

FACTFILE

Engine: 1,956cc four-cylinder diesel putting out 110bhp, 130bhp or 165bhp

0-100km/h: 12.5 secs (110bhp); 11.4 secs (130bhp); 9.8 secs (165bhp)

l/100km:5.2 for all power outputs or 4.5 for the 130bhp with start-stop

Emissions:137g/km for all power outputs or 119g/km for 130bhp with start-stop

Prices:Unconfirmed but likely to be slightly more than the current Zafira range which will continue to be sold in 2012

Due in Ireland:April 2012