Vauxhall Zafira reviews

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.

Excellent car for the money

The car looks perfect until it breaks down to un drivable . We did try to claim for the car to be fix from the garage it came from sadly he refused.

i bought my 2008 1.8 breeze in novenber 2013, it has been everywhere. i cannot fault it. fuel ecomomy around town i get about 70 miles from £10, which is pretty good, on a long run the fuel economy is fantastic, i managed over 450 miles on £50. it's not as spacious as my lucida was but, that said it accomodates my family of 6 quite well.reliability is not a problem, i had a zafira A before this one and that was a complete nightmare. so i would advise anyone to buy one. mine has 85000 on the clock so it's about average mileage. the timing belt is due at 100000 miles so i have a while before that is due. Love it.

After a long line of vauxhalls, cavaliers,omega's and a zafira mk 1 which was a nightmare, i purchased my 08 zafira in 2013. All i can say is that i love it. performance is great, being the 140bhp engine it flys. around town i get about 29-30 to the gallon. long run it's brilliant. i have four kids and they travel no problem. just looking forward to going abroad this year as they journeys are a pleasure. a great car.

Very good in motorway driving I change recently I think it heavy in petrol

Very pleased with car just a few things for me to do which is expected for a seconed hand car purchase. Car was well presented by the gagarge and because I paid full sticker price they delivered which was the most improtant thing for me as I did not have transport to go and view. I was told that I would get 12 months AA breakdown cover and that you would be in touch can you please advise if you can send this to me? Many thanks

This is my fourth Zafira in 10 years. I am very pleased with this new model. It has stop/start technology and has a Turbo. I am very impressed with the overall performance, comfort and fuel economy. I would strongly recommend the Zafira as very good value for money MPV.

My zafira is great but it does struggly with the cold days so i have to charge the battery perhaps every other day and i make sure every thing is switched off before turning off the ignition - but i can not grumble as i really do not do that many miles each day.

I've had the Zafira for 8 months and have been delighted with the comfort for the driver and passengers; there is good visibility, excellent space standards. I'm very pleased with my purchase.

Had the car for just over four years, covered slightly under 85,000 Miles and it's honestly great. It's our one family car so it covers a 60 mile work commute daily, routine shopping and jobs which includes the dreaded supermarket multi-storey, transport of small children to school/ nursery etc, use for visiting family the other end of the country and also some caravan towing at holiday times. Add to all this that there is a double bass player in the family and the versatility is really stretched. It's not the most exciting of things to drive but it's comfortable, safe, ridiculously practical and also manageable in tight spaces/ car parks which is essential as we live in the city where street parking in is a daily bind. The extra 2 seats render the boot pretty much useless and they are only for kids really although they've got us out of a few spots so as an occasional thing they are great. My only reservation is that it's a bit on the thirsty side compared to the published figures. I think it would have to be a 200+ mile trip at a steady 56 MPH with no stops before that would start happening! All the same, the 1.9 Diesel returns us around 42 MPG combined so it could be much worse. I'd definitely stick the Zafira on the list of possibles for versatile family cars...

This is my third Zafira. All three have been very reliable. The Flex seating system scores massively over any other MPV where you would have to remove seats. The only real complaint is that passengers in the third row always complain about being too hot (not enough ventilation). I had to go to a Zafira when the 4th child arrived, but the flex seating gives you fantastic boot space when needed. As with all people carriers, however, boot space is non-existent with a full load of passengers.

Reliable car. A bit heavy for a 1600 engine but Vauxhall had a special price for this engine size. Still gives 36.2 miles per gallon. But I always drive smoothly. High driving position gives a good view of the road and it is comfortable getting in and out of the driving seat. Plenty room inside and can convert to an estate car with the seats flattened....

After a very bad experience with a brand new Peugeot 207SW in respect of faults, servicing, franchise and customer services, I purchased another new Zafira. Having owned one previously I knew exactly what I was getting and was very pleased indeed to return to a reliable, practical vehicle. I am achieving 36mpg with a fair amount of city/town driving, which is pretty reasonable for a large MPV petrol and I have had absolutely no faults or issues in the 7 months I have owned same. The 1600 is obviously a wee bit sluggish accelerating uphill when loaded but that is to be expected for such a large car. I did however purchase a spare wheel/tyre, which I carry in the boot as I was not happy just having the inflation kit. Delighted to own a Zafira again, great family car.

a very reliable and fairly economic vehicle mine is a 2003 dti with 125000 miles and still original battery and exhaust,it puts up with a lot of abuse, and dose not let me down, when i replace it i will get another one or a vaux mocca,

Very practicle has plenty of space for people being a 7 seater although no boot room when all seats are being used.Very comfy and high up and easy on your bum / back when going over bumps.

I have had my Zafira for 41/2 years and to date I have not have any problems as it is subject to annual service by the main dealer and known potential problems are checked out. Using the Vauxhall service club cost of spares etc. are reduced according to age of vehicle.

The Vauxhall zafira is a good looker, with its sleek and defined body work, With lots of room inside, transporting up to 8 passengers, with a large roof for luggage. However what lets this vehicle down is the running costs. Its costs up to £40 per week. Would I buy another...NO.