- 1. It’s not just practical, but good-looking too
- 2. It’s ergonomically laid out, ultra-practical, and filled to the brim with tech and comfort features
- 3. It’s completely reconfigurable
- 4. It drives like a dream
- 5. It’s competitively priced
When you think of a family van, usually it’s models like the Volkswagen Transporter Kombi, Hyundai Staria, VW Caddy and Ford Tourneo that spring to mind, but the Opel Zafira, now in its 4th generation, deserves a place in the sun too. Here’s why.
1. It’s not just practical, but good-looking too
The Zafira Life is broad and muscular with a friendly, high-tech face and LED daytime running lamps.
In our week with the Zafira Life (in flagship Elegance trim), we had eyes following us wherever we went. The Zafira Life has a definite VIP vibe going for it, especially with the tinted windows. Apart from giving the van salacious looks, I’m sure people were wondering which celebrities were inside and where they were going.
2. It’s ergonomically laid out, ultra-practical, and filled to the brim with tech and comfort features
Sitting in the front seats, everything is within easy reach, and thanks to the rotary gear selector for the 8-speed automatic gearbox, the cockpit is clean and uncluttered. My only gripe with the Zafira Life is those fingertip controls behind the steering wheel for setting the cruise control – I’ve never been a fan of this in any of the Stellantis products.
Looking straight ahead, the driver sees the head-up display where info such as speed, the speed limit (thanks to Speed Sign Detection), and cruise control data are displayed. Driving at night is made easier thanks to the Smart Beam system that automatically dips the headlights to prevent dazzling oncoming traffic. This is available on Elegance models only and can also be switched off. Both Zafira Life derivatives have four airbags each.
Other safety tech in the Elegance variant includes adaptive cruise control, a lane-departure warning system, and blind spot monitoring, as well as Driver Attention Alert (all models), which monitors your driving style and encourages you to take a break if it detects you’re sitting a little too still behind the wheel. The lane-keep assistant beeps as you drive over the white line, but this can be switched off if it irritates you, just like all the other driving assistants. Forward Brake Assist is another smart feature that will stop the Zafira Life if there’s a chance of a collision with another vehicle or a pedestrian. Under 30km/h it will stop the vehicle, but over 30 km/h it will autonomously slow the Zafira Life down.
As for infotainment, a 7-inch touchscreen with Opel’s Intellilink system is Apple CarPlay/Android Auto compatible, and the Elegance model has 10 speakers. Satnav is integrated into the Elegance model.
Our Elegance model had some lovely creature comforts like heated seats for the front passengers, and front/rear parking sensors with a 180-degree surround view camera (optional) to make parking the large, voluminous van a cinch, while also preventing accidents. (Apparently, there’s also a massaging function for the two front seats, which I am sad I overlooked!)
3. It’s completely reconfigurable
The flagship Elegance model is the more luxurious offering aimed at families who want a little more than just a van with space for everybody. The seats are made of full leather, and the second row has two captain seats with armrests and a VIP sliding and folding table in the centre, as opposed to a full bench for three in the 8-seater Edition variant. This setup is perfect for the kiddies to enjoy lunch while driving or for working folks who need a desk for their laptops.
For more of a lounge/dinner table effect, the captain seats can also be installed facing the rear seats, and the table trays can be moved back, which is ideal if you’d like to have a more sociable journey. The seats can also be folded down or removed if you need more space for cargo or sports equipment.
Getting in and out of the Zafira is easy and comfortable, as both sliding doors are fully automated. We love the easy-access rear window – you don’t always have to lift the large, heavy tailgate if you just want to grab something from the handy parcel shelf right at the top of the cargo area – you just open that window, get what you need, and voila.
4. It drives like a dream
Despite its voluminous body, the Zafira doesn’t feel very bus-like to drive and its suspension is lovely and soft, without being wallowy. It’s actually quite easy to operate and manoeuvre (due in part to all the cameras), and its 2.0-litre turbodiesel powerplant is quite punchy, with 110kW and 370Nm. The 8-speed ZF-derived gearbox is smooth and gear changes are imperceptible. Fuel economy is not quite the 6.3 litres per 100 km that Opel suggests, but closer to about 8, which is not bad, considering the Zafira Life’s weight and size.
5. It’s competitively priced
While the flagship Zafira Life 2.0TD Elegance (pictured) is not cheap at R902 900, the Zafira Life 2.0T Edition model is a relatively affordable R781 900. While the Elegance variant is undoubtedly nicer to live with, I’d rather opt for the Edition variant. It has all the most important specifications, but just makes do without any of the fancy stuff. To make that massive saving, I would have no problem giving up the automatic doors, massaging seats, adaptive cruise control and the like.
Ané AlbertseAné was bitten by the motoring bug at a very young age. Her mom recalls her sitting in her stroller as a 3-year old, naming every car that came past. She was working as a freelance motoring journalist for publications such as Rapport and City Press, when AutoTrader nabbed her for good. She lives in the Western Cape with her two kids and two cats.View News & Reviews
Keyword: Top 5 reasons why we love the Opel Zafira Life