Used Ford S-Max vs Vauxhall Zafira Tourer
If you're in the market for a good-value seven-seater, you can't do better than the Ford S-Max or Vauxhall Zafira Tourer. But which one makes the most sense as a used buy?...
What are they like inside?
It’s easy to get comfortable in both cars, thanks to a similarly generous amount of seat and steering wheel adjustment. Both cars’ tall, wide windscreens and thin front pillars also provide you with a good view of the road ahead, although the S-Max’s curvier rear end obscures more of your view when looking over the shoulder.
The S-Max has soft-touch plastics in all the important places and everything feels sturdily assembled. The Zafira Tourer, meanwhile, has cheaper-feeling dashboard plastics, as well as a flimsier centre console and a more lightweight feel to its switchgear.
The Zafira Tourer is also second best for infotainment. There are too many small buttons and knobs to get the hang of, and the menus on the 7.0in colour screen could do with being more intuitive. The S-Max’s 8.0in touchscreen is certainly easier to use, although the system sometimes takes a while to respond when you press it, and there are some unnecessarily small buttons. From new, you had to pay £300 extra for sat-nav (which is standard on the Zafira Tourer), so it’s worth checking the car you’re looking at has it.
Tall adults won’t feel cramped in the front of either car. Both offer generous leg room, but the Zafira Tourer’s higher ceiling provides a few extra centimetres of head room. The S-Max has a wider interior, though, making it feel like an altogether larger car.
Move to the middle row and you’ll find three individual chairs in both cars that can be slid back and forth and folded flat independently. The Zafira Tourer trumps the S-Max for outright head and leg room, although once again the S-Max’s wider interior means it is the better car for seating three adults side by side.
The S-Max has the more family-friendly rearmost seats, too. It offers noticeably more head room and slightly more knee and shoulder room than its rival. Both cars’ sixth and seventh seats fold flat into the boot floor and are light enough to pull into position using one hand.
With the seats folded away, the Zafira Tourer just beats the S-Max in official boot space (710 litres vs 700 litres), but our measurements show that the S-Max’s load bay is more practical – it's longer, wider and has a bigger opening for easier access.
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