Vauxhall Zafira reviews

This is the second Zafira I've owned, the first was Zafira A 1.6 (old shape) I owned it for over 3 years it was 20 years old when I upgraded to my current 09 Zafira B SRI and it's still going strong. My current Zaf is an ex police car from Soho I've owned it for 4 years its cost me next to nothing in repairs or fixes. They are very spacious and reliable cars good on fuel, very practical cars. I am about to upgrade to a new Zafira tourer SRI 1.6 Diesel. I'd recommend anyone to get one. It's like anything in life, if you look after it, it will look after you and last.

We've had this car for nearly six years - it was 4 when we bought it. It was the cheapest vehicle that was big enough for our needs with 7 seats. It's not especially cheap to run though. We're getting around 26.5mpg from the 1.9 diesel automatic version, with mostly short journeys, which makes it expensive to run. Add to that the £300/year road tax. Brakes don't last quite so long, with it being a heavy automatic vehicle. Here's a taste of some of the repairs / additional maintenance it's needed: It's had a timing belt and water pump (as a precaution). It's needed suspension parts replacing - coil springs on two occasions, and rear subframe bushes. The sensor for the diesel particulate filter (DPF) needed replacing. And there have been no less than THREE safety recalls relating to a fire risk with the heater speed. Including when the car was new, that means it took them FOUR times to get it right - something so simple which has been in so many cars for decades... How could they get it so wrong? The interior is flimsy and of poor quality. The flap on the arm rest in the centre broke, as did the handle on one of the rearmost seats. So overall, it's done a useful job for us, but the low purchase price and flimsy build are the only really cheap parts of ownership. Would not purchase again.

Nice car so far

Zafira has been a reliable vehicle and a useful load carrier on family holidays - three adults and two children and luggage. l would definitely have another. The only downside has been the management lights coming on at random times and upon Vauxhall investigations nothing to be found.

Lots of publicity about fires - I am vigilant, but love my car - the second Zafira I have owned. I have arthritis and have a Blue Badge, it is so easy to get in and out and easy to park. It's also good for ferrying grandchildren around!

This is my 3rd Zafira as its a 7 seater I find them very handy for getting the grandchildren in to go places also the seats fold down to carry certain large items

Had an A class 1800cc Zafira for around eight years, like all the Vauxhall cars I've had (10) in 55years this was so comfortable, so reliable, and very economical to run, never let me down till six months ago when the Engine Mangement System went, costing three times more than car was worth, bought a B class 1800 Zafira, so uncomfortable to travel in, seats are hard as rocks, fell every bump in the road, stupid radio/cd that you just can not turn off and leave it off, carpets are a nightmare to to hover, and dash has bad habit of vibrating in low gear, running costs are more exspensive than the A class, the engine is slightly more noisey than the A class, with performance and reliabily although been fully serviced and tuned is no where as good as the A class was, wish I had never bought it, now looking for a C class 1800 Zafira , would not recomend B class Vauxhall Zafira's.

I bought my car because I wanted a car which was easy for my elderly parents and father-in-law to access, but still be spacious enough for me, my wife and two black Labrador dogs to travel also. The seven seat configuration of the Zafira suited that remit perfectly. The two rear seats configuration along with the middle seat bench configuration which slides forward the rear of the front seats give a massive, level base load compartment. I wanted my car to also look good so I purchased the extra sports body pack. I maintain the car, service, mechanical repairs etc, (I don't trust dealerships and garages to do a competent job at a reasonable price). The cars average fuel consumption is 42.2 mpg. I don't know if that's good, bad or average? It is what it is.

Great car for families recommend it for price, reliability and practicality.

Purchased to cope with grandchildren. It has proved to be a good workhorse but is somewhat under powered. Main complaint lack of usable storage space , particularly when fully laden. Despite the well documented issue with fire risk, ( Zafira B) personal experience with the Vauxhall brand has generally been a positive one.

Very reliable and efficient especially on long journeys

Does every thing you expect from this type of car plus has a few nice extra`s. Only clock around 600 miles a month and only fill up once a month. Acceleration in all gears is good but body can lean a bit on roundabouts. Radio, Sat Nav and heating controls excellent. Very comfortable seating, and extended glass sunroof is great on dull cloudy days as it brightens the cab and gives better forward visibility. 20,000 miles between servicing is attractive for when we travel to Spain as is the street level sat Nav, but I always know the route, just in case. I check my tyre pressure weekly and have no problem with the monitor system. Have purchased a set of wheels and tyre for the winter which will be fitted at service on 25/10/16, and these are reasonably priced from the dealer, Peter Vardy. Didn`t pick up on the need to use "ad blue", separate tank next to fuel filler. Would like to have seen a separate gauge fitted to monitor the usage. Do not like the spare being carried under rear floor, but where else could they put it? Finally, I enjoy driving this car, its not perfect, but the best one I have owned yet.

The age of my car is now causing me lots of expense due to breakdowns. I would gladly downsize now as I no longer need a large car. Electrical faults are appearing and the suspension went two years ago and was very expensive to repair. However, my car has proved really quite reliable over the years.

I've not had this long enough to comment on overall reliability or servicing costs. However, both performance and fuel economy seem reasonable for what appears to be quite a large car with a fairly small, albeit turbocharged, diesel engine. Performance is good rather than sparkling, with only a slight level of turbo lag. The engine is noticeably diesel in sound, though not intrusively so. The six-speed auto transmission is well set up and smooth in operation. Seating is comfortable and reasonably well proportioned with adequate legroom in the rear seats. Unlike van-derived MPVs, this has the low floor and entry of a saloon car, much to the satisfaction of my semi-disabled wife. The additional row of seats in the back of the car fold easily flat into the floor, improving the luggage space. The main rear seat can have the backs folded down or the cushions folded up and the whole thing be slid forward to increase the luggage area even further, giving the advantages of a traditional estate car, the high roof line making the space seem cavernous. The drawback is, of course, as with almost all vehicles of this type, the trade-off between seating or luggage - you simply can't have both! Some minor quirks with the basic controls - very idiosyncratic direction indicators spring to mind - are soon learned. So far, no complaints from the family and friends who've ridden in it, so I guess it must be doing most things right.

Excellent, reliable family car.

Owned since new , no repairs ever needed except rear brake pads and no breakdowns. Sufficient performance for most situations, just a little underpowered if fully loaded going up a steep hill. Very practical/useful for every situation.

Several points arise from 2 years use. Whoever designed the pillars to the front, side of the windscreen deserves to be dismissed. Add to it the front door jamb - the A-post - and you have an area 18 inches wide that blocks the view when turning right. And as for the unconventional handbrake lever, with the transverse handle - totally out of keeping with ALL previous cars I have driven. Hhad the chance to ride in a JAZZ recently. Much quieter. But a little smaller, especially the boot capacity. I own a 50 year old classic car that is geared 22mph per 1000rpm in overdrive top gear. The Zaphira is geared the same in 5th gear, so what progress has Vauxhall made in these 50 years. Probably will NOT go for another Vauxhall. The Japanese seem to recognise how to make a good feeling car.

We bought the car after our previous people carrier, a Toyota Previa, became uneconomical to repair. The Zafira was not my first choice of car, initially we were going to purchase a VW Touran, but have been put off them partly by their used cost (over £3,000 more than the Zafira), and partly by the cheat devices VW have been fitting on their diesel engines. However, the Zafira Design model we bought is well equipped, with environment control, heated front seats, automatic wipers & lights, sat nav, bluetooth, hands-free, front and rear parking sensors, roof rails, and tinted windows. The only omission is cruise control, but that is fairly straightforward to add afterwards. The interior is adequate, though a bit creaky - there is an annoying one behind the radio. Seats are very comfortable, with lumbar adjust on the drivers seat, and reach/height adjustable steering wheel. It's very easy on long journeys. I like the folding rear seats - much more practical than the Previa (where we had to remove the rear seats to gain extra space), and there is surprising amount of legroom and comfort for 7 adults. This is, however, at the expense of the boot. We do miss the boot space - when all 7 seats are folded up, the boot space is tiny, so when grandparents are travelling with us, we have to use the roof rack for luggage. However, as a 5+2 estate car, it is excellent, and the seat arrangements, whilst not as flexible as rivals, is sufficient for our needs. Power wise, we've got the Ecotec model, which at first felt a little gutless (after driving a 2.4 petrol). However, after adjusting to driving a diesel, there is sufficient power to haul it around, and it's quite a pleasant drive. When cold it does sound a little like a taxi, though is quiet enough once it's warmed up, and noise is not an issue at motorway speeds. Economy wise, I get 35-40mpg around town, and on a recent trip to Exeter from Manchester achieved 61mpg without trying to hard to drive economically. I am a little concerned about the DPF - at the moment the car goes on a good run once a fortnight, and spends a lot of time driving around town. I've noticed the car does a DPF regen quite regularly. There is no warning on the dashboard, however when stationary the trip computer goes from 0.1mpg up to around 0.6mpg - at that point I understand it's best to keep driving until it finishes. It can be a bit of a nuisance sometimes. The entertainment unit is very good (Vauxhall Touch and Connect). Hands free works fine on Android and iPhone 6, speakers are good (I'm partially deaf, so appreciate that), radio reception (FM and AM) is excellent, and USB playback is handy - beats my old CD changer. The sat nav is excellent, with full postcode access and ability to add points of interest, though it occasionally refuses to speak, and on a couple of occasions reverted to German. I understand there is a firmware update for the unit, and will be dropping it off at the dealers at some point. Not owned the car long enough to comment on reliability, or running costs, though it's caused me no problems to date (owned for 4 months).

Road tax too high

Lovely car to drive but let down by reliability. Alternator went just after three years old, endless problems with particulate filter, ABS went after 6 years and 50 000 miles and the garage didn't fit the fusebox cover back properly in the wettest December for many years. Ended up with three callouts to Green Flag in as many weeks and eventually a bill for £1 000 to put the electrics right. Got shot of it, no more Vauxhals for me.