Opel Zafira

Zafira A (1999–2005)

The first generation of the Zafira is usually referred to as Zafira A, as is customary for Opel models. Developed with the aid of Porsche, the Zafira was first shown in concept form at the 1997 Frankfurt Auto Show, and entered series production in January 1999, with sales beginning in April.

The car was based on the same platform as the 1998 Astra G and shared much in common with that car. The Zafira A body was used in GM/Opel's concept hydrogen-powered fuel cell vehicle the HydroGen3. Offered with a series of petrol engines and initially a single diesel offering, the "X" engines were replaced by the newer "Z" engine generation in 2000. These featured variable intake manifolds and were able to meet Euro 3 emissions standards.

The Opel Zafira has seven seats arranged in three rows, the back row of which can be folded into the floor to create more space, individually or together, rather than requiring that the extra seats be physically removed from the vehicle. The system was named Flex 7. In TüV's ranking of the quality of three-year-old cars, the Zafira was by far the best Opel, only slightly behind the winning Ford Focus.

Introduced at Geneva in February 2001, the turbocharged Zafira OPC went on sale in October 2001. With 192 PS (141 kW), this was the fastest minivan on sale in Europe. Only available with a five-speed manual transmission, 0–100 km/h (62 mph) can be reached in 8.2 seconds and the top speed is 220 km/h (137 mph). The popular 2-litre turbodiesels were complemented by a 125 PS (92 kW) 2.2-litre option in January 2002.

The Opel Zafira A was replaced by Zafira B in Europe, but was still sold in most other markets until 2012 (albeit that its cousin the Chevrolet Astra was discontinued in 2011), except for Australia and New Zealand, where the model was cancelled altogether. The Zafira was sold in the Philippines from 2001 to 2005, being the last European-based Opel car to be sold in the Philippines after they stopped selling the Opel Astra in 2003.

The Zafira was sold in Japan from August 2001 through to 2004 as the Subaru Traviq alongside the standard Opel vehicle, where it was cancelled and replaced later in 2008 by the Subaru Exiga – developed from the Subaru Legacy platform. According to Subaru, the name was a combination of the words "travel" and "quick", however, the word more closely resembles the English word "traffic".

Due to the exterior dimensions exceeding Japanese government regulations for vehicles defined as "compact", Japanese buyers were liable for additional taxes. The Traviq was originally only available with the bigger 2.2-litre engine, although a 1.8 L, lower-priced alternative was added in July 2003. The engines used were not Subaru supplied boxer engines, but were conventional in line units that were uncharacteristic to market-recognised Subaru products, and all-wheel-drive technology was also not available.

The sale of the Zafira as a Subaru created a conflict with previously established Yanase Co., Ltd. retail dealerships, in that Yanase was already selling Opel products, like the Zafira. When production of the Traviq ended, Yanase continued to import Opel products into Japan until 2006.

Zafira B (2005–2014)

The second generation of the Zafira, called the Zafira B, debuted in Europe in 2004, with sales starting in 2005. It shares the platform and mechanical parts with the Opel Astra H.

In February 2006, the Zafira B was launched in Singapore. By March 2006, the model had only been introduced in Europe and Singapore. It went on sale in Mexico in April 2006 and Chile in September 2006. In both countries it was branded as a Chevrolet Zafira.

Although this generation was replaced in 2011 by the Zafira C, this model remained in production until 2014—retailing as the Zafira Family.

Names and markets

In Mexico the Opel Zafira was discontinued after the 2006MY, and replaced by the five passenger Chevrolet HHR (discontinued in Mexico since 2009).

However, by 2010, reflecting both its status as a run out model, and adverse consumer reaction to uncertainty over Opel's future, the car was outsold by the more recently face-lifted Volkswagen Touran on the German market, with 2,568 Zafiras sold in the first two months of the year, against 7,270 Tourans.

Engines

The Zafira B's engine line-up is partly carried over from the previous Astra/Zafira generation, but Opel replaced the old 2.0 and 2.2 turbodiesel I4 engines with 1.9 L common-rail turbodiesels developed by Fiat (Multijet). Opel Performance Center developed a turbocharged 240 hp (180 kW) 2.0 L performance version of the Zafira B as well. A CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) version of the new Zafira with a 1.6 L engine is also available.

Known issues

In December 2015, safety officials in the United Kingdom asked Vauxhall to initiate a full safety recall of the model Zafira B, due to a worrying level of car fires apparently or alleged to have been caused by 'Improper Repairs'. The fires continued, even those recalled, and a second full safety recall was announced in May 2016, with all owners advised not to use the fan in speeds regulated by the "resistor pack" which contained a solder based unreliable safety critical thermal fuse, until the second recall, starting August 2016, had been carried out.

Zafira Tourer C (2011–present)

The third generation of the Zafira, called the Zafira Tourer, was previewed in concept form at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show, as the 'Zafira Tourer Concept'. It is largely based on the Opel Astra J, and has been revealed that, when the Zafira Tourer C goes on sale, the Zafira B will remain on sale, albeit in facelifted form as the "Zafira Family", to act as a smaller and cheaper version, as the Zafira Tourer C is to increase in size to act as a proper rival to the Ford S-Max. A hybrid/electric version was expected to follow during 2012. This car indirectly replaces the Opel Sintra, which was discontinued in 1999.

The production version debuted at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show in September, and went on sale November 2011.

A natural gas version of the Zafira Tourer was announced in December 2011. A dual-fuel vehicle, its CNG tank will drive the car 530 kilometres, and a 14-litre petrol tank provides additional range or operation when a CNG filling station is not available.

In June 2016, the facelift of the Zafira Tourer was unveiled for 2017. As part of the upgrade, new front and rear bumpers and interior bring styling in line with the Opel Astra K. OnStar has also been introduced part of an updated IntelliLink infotainment system, complete with 4G LTE hotspot, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility. Other new options for MY2017 include adaptive LED headlights, "Opel Eye" front camera, high beam assist, traffic sign assist, forward collision warning, lane departure warning and adaptive cruise control.

Engines

All engines have a six-speed manual gearbox as standard, bar the 1.8 petrol, which has a five-speed manual gearbox as standard. An automatic gearbox is available as an option on the 1.4T and 2.0 CDTI (165 PS), both without S/S. An EcoFLEX versions went on sale in 2012, equipped with the 2.0 CDTI (130PS) engine and gains a Start/Stop system to make it more economical, emitting 119g/km of CO2, as for petrol variants there are 1.4T ecoFLEX with a Start/Stop system with same amount of power (120 and 140 PS) like standard versions but with less CO2 emissions – 144g/km and better fuel efficiency.

In 2013 two all new engines were introduced: 1.6 SIDI Turbo petrol engine with 170 PS and 200 PS, and newly developed 1.6 CDTI diesel engine with 136 PS.

In September 2014, Opel introduced its all new generation of engines – Large Diesel engine, starting with 2.0 CDTI engine with 170 PS and 400 Nm, which is a part of new strategy in which Opel will introduce seventeen new engines, in a period from 2014–2018.

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