Vauxhall Zafira MPV 1.8 VVT Design 5dr Reader reviews

My car

Bought a 1 year 1.8vvt design for £9200-so dont buy new!

Comfy & handles well, cabin feels nicely screwed together but even though it 2nd top of the range it hasnt much kit-no cruise control, blu tooth or ipod connection (if the manual is to be believed).

I bought it as a large estate rather than full time 7 seater and when there are extra kids they fit in the back no problem.

Performance is what i expected (average) but why no 6th gear?? 80mph is 4000rpm!!!!! to make matters worse the shift between 1 & 2 is notchey.

If you can afford it go for the 150bhp diesel, more torque & that 6 speed.

However still a cracking car for the money.

My car

This car was an ex-demo from my local dealership, for which I have nothing but praise since owning a previous diesel Zafira. It's even roomier than its predecessor I like the aircraft-style hanbrake lever, the chromatic interior mirror, one-touch lane-change mode on the indicators, and the windscreen wipers are superb.

I don't like the onboard computer - information overload!

This car handles, rides and stops much better than the old model. There is some dash reflection from the extended dashboard and also vibration noise at low revs from the same area.

The gearing is quite low - it will pull away in fifth at 30mph on the flat, however, a sixth gear would be a big plus. The engine is very quiet until about 4000rpm.

Fuel economy is good providing a sensible right foot is used, I am getting 450-475 miles to the tank in mixed driving conditions.

All in all, it's a safe well built car that does everything it says on the tin!

My car

I bought a Zafira 1.8 Elegance in May 2002. The first problems developed within a few months - a new oxygen sensor was fitted under warranty. A few months later, new spark plug coils were fitted, again under warranty.

At just under three years old, the steering rack and nearside trackrod end were replaced under warranty, due to wear and leaks respectively.

Niggly problems have included items such as the CD player on/off button, map lights, stone chips, the windscreen beginning to 'bloom', and the key's battery terminals have fractured.

Another annoying problem was that the front mud flaps I fitted cut through the paint due to flexing while in use. I have seen the same problem on many other Vauxhalls with these. This is I believe a design flaw and Vauxhall should have the damaged paint repaired under warranty - if fitted by by Vauxhall.

This week (March 2007) I discovered that the rear offside door has fractured in the area of the stay bar. I am a professional design engineer and after inspecting the door concluded the following.

The material around the staybar is very thin (~1mm) and the constant flexing (when the door is opened) appears to have work-hardened the steel, causing it to become brittle. A tri-angular section around the size of a 1p coin has fallen off. I checked the other door and this shows similar signs, although not as progressed. I would conclude that this is a design fault which I hope Vauxhall will remedy at their cost, but I'm not hopeful.

My car

This review is not specifically about the new (05-) Zafira, but the comments apply across models and range.

I cannot recommend highly enough that you do not buy a Vauxhall Zafira. I have one that is now seven years old but I have had many problems with it. The latest one is that the rear doors appear to be falling off!

My garage regarded this to be a manufacturing fault and raised a case with Vauxhall. They dismissed it out of hand. Clearly they expect doors to fall off after a few years! They did not even want details so that they could ensure any potential manufacturing process issue could be investigated.

A poor quality car can be tolerated if customer Service is acceptable, but Vauxhall's Customer Service is absolutely atrocious.