The Opel Zafira is a car manufactured and marketed across three generations between 1999 and 2019 by
Opel
Opel Automobile GmbH (), usually shortened to Opel, is a German automobile manufacturer which has been a subsidiary of Stellantis since 16 January 2021. It was owned by the American automaker General Motors from 1929 until 2017 and the PSA Grou ...
. Based on the
Opel Astra
The Opel Astra is a compact car/small family car (C-segment) developed and produced by the German automaker Opel since 1991, currently at its sixth generation. It was first launched in September 1991 as a direct replacement to the Opel Kadet ...
platform, it is developed to occupy the
multi-purpose vehicle
Minivan (sometimes called simply as van) is a North American car classification for vehicles designed to transport passengers in the rear seating row(s), with reconfigurable seats in two or three rows. The equivalent classification in Europe i ...
(MPV) segment.
The Zafira was also marketed under the
Vauxhall
Vauxhall ( ) is a district in South West London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. Vauxhall was part of Surrey until 1889 when the County of London was created. Named after a medieval manor, "Fox Hall", it became well known for ...
marque in the United Kingdom until June 2018,
the
Holden
Holden, formerly known as General Motors-Holden, was an Australian subsidiary company of General Motors. It was an Australian automobile manufacturer, importer, and exporter which sold cars under its own marque in Australia. In its last thre ...
marque in Australia until June 2005, and under a number of other market-specific brands and names.
The name "Zafira" derives from the
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...
word meaning ''to succeed.'' Since 2011, it received an additional moniker as the Zafira Tourer.
__TOC__
Zafira A (1999)
The first generation Zafira was internally designated as the ''Zafira A''. Co-developed with
Porsche
Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, usually shortened to Porsche (; see #Pronunciation, below), is a German automobile manufacturer specializing in high-performance sports cars, SUVs and sedans, headquartered in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany ...
,
it debuted in concept form at the 1997
Frankfurt Auto Show
The International Motor Show Germany or International Mobility Show Germany, in German known as the ''Internationale Automobil-Ausstellung'' (''IAA'' – International Automobile Exhibition), is one of the world's largest mobility shows. It cons ...
and entered series production in January 1999, with sales beginning in April of that year.
[''Automobil Revue 2002'', p. 454]
The Zafira shared the
T platform with the 1998
Astra G, sharing much commonality with that car. The Zafira seated seven passengers in three rows. Using a system marketed as ''Flex 7'', the split back seat could fold into the floor to increase cargo space, without requiring removal.
Offered with a series of petrol engines and initially a single diesel offering, the "X" engines were replaced by the newer "Z" engine generation in 2000.
These featured
variable intake manifolds and were able to meet
Euro 3
The European emission standards are vehicle emission standards for pollution from the use of new land surface vehicles sold in the European Union and EEA member states and the UK, and ships in EU waters. The standards are defined in a ser ...
emissions standards. The 2.0-litre turbodiesels were complemented by a 2.2-litre option in January 2002.
The Zafira A body was used in GM/Opel's
concept
Concepts are defined as abstract ideas. They are understood to be the fundamental building blocks of the concept behind principles, thoughts and beliefs.
They play an important role in all aspects of cognition. As such, concepts are studied by s ...
hydrogen-powered fuel cell
A fuel cell is an electrochemical cell that converts the chemical energy of a fuel (often hydrogen) and an oxidizing agent (often oxygen) into electricity through a pair of redox reactions. Fuel cells are different from most batteries in requ ...
vehicle the
GM HydroGen3
HydroGen3 was an Opel hydrogen fuel cell concept vehicle used for testing in 2006. HydroGen3's driving range is the highest of any fuel cell vehicle approved for public roads in Japan. The five seater front-wheel driven prototype is based on the O ...
.
A facelift was launched in February 2003 at the
Geneva Motor Show
The Geneva International Motor Show is an annual auto show held in March in the Swiss city of Geneva. The show is hosted at the Palexpo, a convention centre located next to the Geneva Cointrin International Airport. The Salon is organised by th ...
.
The Zafira ranked third in the
European Car of the Year
The European Car of the Year ("ECOTY") award is an international Car of the Year award established in 1964, by a collective of automobile magazines from different countries in Europe. The current organising companies of the award are ''Auto'' (Ita ...
for 2000, behind only the
Fiat Multipla
The Fiat Multipla (Type 186) is a six-seater car produced by Italian automaker Fiat from 1998 to 2010. Based on the Bravo/Brava, the Multipla was shorter and wider than its rivals. It had two rows of three seats, where its compact MPV competi ...
and
Toyota Yaris
The is a supermini/ subcompact car sold by Toyota since 1999, replacing the Starlet and Tercel.
Up to 2019, Toyota had used the Yaris nameplate on export versions of various Japanese-market models, with some markets receiving the same vehicl ...
. In TüV's ranking of the quality of three year old cars, the Zafira was by far the best Opel; only slightly behind the winning
Ford Focus
The Ford Focus is a compact car (C-segment in Europe) manufactured by Ford Motor Company since 1998. It was created under Alexander Trotman's Ford 2000 plan, which aimed to globalize model development and sell one compact vehicle worldwide. The ...
.
Zafira A production ended on 25 May 2005, in
Bochum
Bochum ( , also , ; wep, Baukem) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia. With a population of 364,920 (2016), is the sixth largest city (after Cologne, Düsseldorf, Dortmund, Essen and Duisburg) of the most populous Germany, German federal state o ...
. It was replaced by Zafira B in Europe, but was still sold in most other markets until 2012 (albeit that its cousin the Chevrolet Astra was discontinued in 2011), except for Australia and New Zealand, where the model was cancelled altogether.
File:Opel Zafira rear 20080811.jpg, Opel Zafira A
File:2000 Vauxhall Zafira Club 16V 1.6.jpg, Vauxhall Zafira (UK, pre-facelift)
File:2004 Vauxhall Zafira Life 1.8 facelift.jpg, Vauxhall Zafira (UK, facelift)
File:2001-2003 Holden Zafira (TT) van (2008-12-14).jpg, Holden Zafira (Australia, pre-facelift)
File:Chevrolet Zafira.jpg, Chevrolet Zafira (Brazil)
Markets
The Zafira was marketed in the Philippines from 2001 to 2005, as the last Europe-based Opel marketed in the Philippines after they stopped selling the Opel Astra in 2003. Although sold as the Chevrolet Zafira, it was sold alongside other
Opel
Opel Automobile GmbH (), usually shortened to Opel, is a German automobile manufacturer which has been a subsidiary of Stellantis since 16 January 2021. It was owned by the American automaker General Motors from 1929 until 2017 and the PSA Grou ...
vehicles until it the Opel name was pulled out of the Philippine-market by its distributor, GM Philippines.
The Zafira was produced and sold in the Thailand from 2000 to 2005. it was sold alongside other
Opel
Opel Automobile GmbH (), usually shortened to Opel, is a German automobile manufacturer which has been a subsidiary of Stellantis since 16 January 2021. It was owned by the American automaker General Motors from 1929 until 2017 and the PSA Grou ...
vehicles until it the Opel name was pulled out of the Thai-market by its distributor, GM Thailand. Thailand’s domestic family wagon segment with 3,946 units sold.
The Zafira A was sold in Malaysia as the Chevrolet Nabira.
Zafira OPC
Introduced at
Geneva
Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...
in February 2001, the turbocharged Zafira OPC went on sale in October 2001. With , this was the fastest minivan on sale in Europe.
Only available with a five speed manual transmission, 0–100 km/h (62 mph) can be reached in 8.2 seconds and the top speed is .
File:Opel Zafira OPC Line-Paket (A, Facelift) – Frontansicht, 12. Oktober 2013, Düsseldorf.jpg, Opel Zafira A OPC
File:Opel Zafira OPC Line-Paket (A, Facelift) – Heckansicht, 12. Oktober 2013, Düsseldorf.jpg, Rear view
Subaru Traviq
The Zafira was sold in Japan from August 2001 through to November 2004 as the Subaru Traviq alongside the standard Opel vehicle. In exchange, Subaru supplied the
Subaru Forester
The is a compact crossover SUV that has been manufactured by Subaru since 1997. The first generation was built on the platform of the Impreza in the style of a taller station wagon, a style that continued to the second generation, while the thir ...
as the Chevrolet Forester in India since 2003.
According to Subaru, the Traviq name was a combination of the words "travel" and "quick".
Imported from Thailand, the Traviq was originally only available with the bigger 2.2 litre engine, although a 1.8 L, lower priced alternative was added in July 2003.
The engines used were not Subaru supplied
boxer Boxer most commonly refers to:
* Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing
*Boxer (dog), a breed of dog
Boxer or boxers may also refer to:
Animal kingdom
* Boxer crab
* Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans
* Boxer snipe ee ...
engines, but were conventional
in line
''In Line'' is the debut album by Bill Frisell, released on ECM in 1983. It contains four solo performances by Frisell and five duets with bassist Arild Andersen.
Reception
''The Rolling Stone Album Guide'' called the album "a lusciously reflecti ...
units that were uncharacteristic to market recognised Subaru products, and all-wheel drive was also not available.
The sale of the Zafira as a Subaru created a conflict with previously established
Yanase Co., Ltd. retail dealerships, in that Yanase was already selling Opel products, like the Zafira. When production of the Traviq ended, Yanase continued to import Opel products into Japan until 2006. It was replaced later in 2008 by the
Subaru Exiga
The is a mid-size MPV that debuted as a concept car during the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show. According to the Japanese Subaru press introduction materials, the name "Exiga" is a neologism combination of the words "exciting" and "active". The Exiga nam ...
– developed from the
Subaru Legacy
The is a mid-size car built by Japanese automobile manufacturer Subaru since 1989. The maker's flagship car, it is unique in its class for offering all-wheel drive as a standard feature, and Subaru's traditional boxer engine. The Legacy was sold ...
platform.
File:Subaru TRAVIQ S Package (XM220) front.JPG, Subaru Traviq (Japan)
Zafira B (2005)
The second generation Zafira, internally designated ''Zafira B'', debuted in Europe on 12 February 2005, with sales starting on 9 June 2005. It shared the platform and mechanical parts with the
Opel Astra
The Opel Astra is a compact car/small family car (C-segment) developed and produced by the German automaker Opel since 1991, currently at its sixth generation. It was first launched in September 1991 as a direct replacement to the Opel Kadet ...
H. In February 2007, the Zafira B was launched in
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
. By March 2007, the model had only been introduced in Europe and Singapore.
It went on sale in Mexico in April 2006, and Chile in September 2007. In both countries, it was branded as the ''Chevrolet Zafira''. Although this generation was replaced in the end of 2011 by the Zafira C, this model remained in production until May 2014 as the Zafira ''Family''. This name change occurred in markets including Germany.
Names and markets
* Vauxhall Zafira – United Kingdom
* Chevrolet Zafira – Chile and Mexico
* Opel Zafira – Europe (except for United Kingdom), Japan, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan & South Africa
In Mexico the Chevrolet Zafira was discontinued after the 2006 model year, and replaced by the five-passenger
Chevrolet HHR
The Chevrolet HHR (an initialism for Heritage High Roof) is a retro-styled, high-roofed, five-door, five-passenger, front-wheel drive crossover designed by Bryan Nesbitt and launched by the American automaker Chevrolet at the 2005 Los Angeles A ...
.
File:Opel Zafira 08-7-2005 silver hr.jpg, Opel Zafira B (2005–2009)
File:Opel Zafira B Facelift front 20090923.jpg, Opel Zafira B (2009–2014)
File:Opel Zafira B Facelift rear 20090923.jpg, Rear view (2009–2014)
File:Opel Zafira 2006 dashboard.jpg, Dashboard (Opel Zafira B 2006)
File:Leopel 1.jpg, Opel Zafira ''OPC''
(2009–2011)
File:2005 Vauxhall Zafira Life 1.6.jpg, Vauxhall Zafira (United Kingdom) (2005–2009)
File:2007 Vauxhall Zafira VXR 2.0.jpg, Vauxhall Zafira VXR (United Kingdom) (2005–2009)
File:2012 Vauxhall Zafira Exclusive Facelift 1.6 Front.jpg, Vauxhall Zafira (United Kingdom) (2009–2014)
File:2012 Vauxhall Zafira Exclusiv 1.6 Front.jpg, Vauxhall Zafira (With new badge design) (United Kingdom)
File:Chevrolet Zafira 1.8 Essentia 2008 (15995933804).jpg, Chevrolet Zafira B (2005-2009)
File:Chevrolet Zafira 1.9 CDTi Essentia 2009 (19203931458).jpg, Chevrolet Zafira B (2009-2014)
Engines
The Zafira B's engine line was partly carried over from the previous Astra/Zafira generation. Opel replaced the 2.0 and 2.2 turbodiesel
I4 engines with 1.9 L common rail turbodiesels developed by Fiat (Multijet).
Opel Performance Center
Opel Performance Center (OPC) is a division of the German automobile manufacturer Opel, initially set up as a subsidiary in 1997. The main focus of OPC is the development of performance derivatives of the Opel range, such as the hot hatch Corsa ...
developed a
turbocharged
In an internal combustion engine, a turbocharger (often called a turbo) is a forced induction device that is powered by the flow of exhaust gases. It uses this energy to compress the intake gas, forcing more air into the engine in order to pro ...
2.0 L performance version of the Zafira B as well. A CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) version of the new Zafira with a 1.6 L engine is also available.
Known issues and recall
In December 2015, safety officials in the United Kingdom asked Vauxhall to initiate a full safety recall of the model Zafira B, due to a worrying level of
car fire
A vehicle fire is an undesired conflagration (uncontrolled burning) involving a motor vehicle. Also termed car fire, it is one of the most common causes of fire-related property damage.
Causes
Accidental
A motor vehicle contains many type ...
s apparently or alleged to have been caused by 'Improper Repairs'.
The fires continued, even those recalled, and a second full safety recall was announced in May 2016, with all owners advised not to use the fan in speeds regulated by the "resistor pack" which contained a solder based unreliable safety critical thermal fuse, until the second recall, starting August 2016, had been carried out.
On 3 May 2018, a criminal investigation into Vauxhall's handling of the fires of the Zafira B and recalls was launched in the United Kingdom.
On 31 August 2019, major damage occurred in a parking garage in
Cork, Ireland when an Opel Zafira caught fire.
On 7 January 2020, there was a spontaneous fire in an Opel Zafira, which caused over 200 to 300 cars in a parking garage at
Stavanger Airport, Sola
Stavanger Airport ( no, Stavanger lufthavn; ), commonly just known as Sola, is an international airport located in Rogaland county, Norway. The airport is located southwest of the centre of the city of Stavanger inside the neighboring munici ...
to be destroyed. No people were harmed.
Zafira Tourer C (2011)
The third generation of the Zafira, called the Zafira Tourer, was previewed in concept form at the
2011 Geneva Motor Show, as the 'Zafira Tourer Concept'.
It was largely based on the
Opel Astra
The Opel Astra is a compact car/small family car (C-segment) developed and produced by the German automaker Opel since 1991, currently at its sixth generation. It was first launched in September 1991 as a direct replacement to the Opel Kadet ...
J, and when the Zafira Tourer C went on sale, the Zafira B remained on sale from 2011 up to 2014, albeit in facelifted form as the "Zafira Family", to act as a smaller and cheaper version, as the Zafira Tourer C increased in size, to act as a proper rival to the
Ford C-Max
The Ford C-Max (stylized as Ford C-MAX and previously called the Ford Focus C-Max) is a car produced by the Ford Motor Company from 2003 to 2019. It has a five-door compact multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) design. The Ford Grand C-Max has a longer wh ...
.
A hybrid/electric version was expected to follow during 2012. This car indirectly replaced the
Opel Sintra
The Opel/Vauxhall Sintra is an automobile produced under the German marque Opel for the market in Europe between 1996 and 1999. It was sold in the United Kingdom as the Vauxhall Sintra. The Sintra was one of the second generation U-body (known ...
, the only previous full sized Vauxhall/Opel MPV in Europe, which was discontinued in May 1999 after just three years on sale, as a slow selling product built in the United States. The production version debuted at the
2011 Frankfurt Motor Show in September, and went on sale November 2011.
A natural gas version of the Zafira Tourer was announced in December 2011. A dual fuel vehicle, its CNG tank driving the car 530 kilometres, and a 14-litre petrol tank provided additional range or operation when a CNG filling station was not available.
In June 2016, a facelift was unveiled for 2017 (with sales starting at the end of 2016), dropping 'Tourer' from the name when sold as an Opel. As part of the upgrade, new front and rear bumpers and new interior brought styling in line with the
Opel Astra K
The Opel Astra is a compact car/small family car (C-segment) developed and produced by the German automaker Opel since 1991, currently at its sixth generation. It was first launched in September 1991 as a direct replacement to the Opel Kadett. ...
.
OnStar
OnStar Corporation is a subsidiary of General Motors that provides subscription-based communications, in-vehicle security, emergency services, turn-by-turn navigation, and remote diagnostics systems throughout the United States, Canada, China, Mex ...
navigation was also introduced as part of an updated IntelliLink infotainment system, complete with 4G LTE hotspot, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility.
Other new options for MY2017 included adaptive LED headlights, "Opel Eye" front camera, high beam assist, traffic sign assist, forward collision warning, lane departure warning and adaptive cruise control.
In June 2018, the Vauxhall Zafira Tourer was discontinued from the United Kingdom, citing the rise of SUV and crossover vehicles.
In 2019, it was replaced by
LCV-based
Zafira Life.
File:2011-03-04 Autosalon Genf 1422.JPG, Opel Zafira Tourer Concept
File:Opel Zafira Tourer 1.4 Turbo ecoFLEX Edition (C) – Heckansicht, 15. September 2012, Düsseldorf.jpg, Opel Zafira Tourer 1.4 Turbo
File:Opel Zafira Tourer (front).jpg, Opel Zafira Tourer C CNG
File:Opel Zafira C 2016 facelift at Schaffen Diest (2017).jpg, Opel Zafira Tourer (facelift)
File:2014 Vauxhall Zafira Tourer SRi CDTi Automatic 2.0 Front.jpg, Vauxhall Zafira Tourer
File:2017 Vauxhall Zafira Tourer SRi CDTi 2.0 Front.jpg, Vauxhall Zafira Tourer (facelift)
File:2012 Opel Zafira dashboard.jpg, Dashboard
Engines
All engines had a six speed manual gearbox as standard, bar the 1.8 petrol, which had a five speed manual gearbox as standard. An automatic gearbox was available as an option on the 1.4T and 2.0 CDTI (165 PS), both without S/S.
An
EcoFLEX version went on sale in 2012, equipped with the 2.0 CDTI (130PS) engine and it gained a
Start/Stop system to make it more economical, emitting 119g/km of , as for petrol variants they were 1.4T ecoFLEX with a
Start/Stop system with same amount of power (120 and 140 PS) like standard versions but with lower emissions – 144g/km and better fuel efficiency.
In 2013, two all new engines were introduced:
1.6 SIDI Turbo petrol engine with 170 PS and 200 PS, and newly developed
1.6 CDTI diesel engine with 136 PS. In September 2014, Opel introduced its all new generation of engines – Large Diesel engines, starting with 2.0 CDTI engine with 170 PS and 400 Nm, which is a part of new strategy in which Opel will introduce seventeen new engines, in a period from 2014–2018.
Awards
* The Zafira Tourer was awarded "Best Estate" at the German Car of the Year awards of 2012.
* The Zafira Tourer scored a five star rating in
Euro NCAP
The European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP) is a European voluntary car safety performance assessment programme (i.e. a New Car Assessment Program) based in Leuven (Belgium) formed in 1996, with the first results released in February ...
.
* The Opel Zafira Tourer won the prestigious "Golden Steering Wheel 2012" award from German publications ''Auto Bild'', ''Bild am Sonntag'' and twenty six European partner magazines.
Notes
References
External links
Official Opel Zafira Tourer website (Ireland)
{{Chevrolet (South America) timeline 1980 to date
Zafira
Cars introduced in 1999
Cars of Germany
Compact MPVs
Euro NCAP small MPVs
Front-wheel-drive vehicles