We say The Zafira is practical, spacious and cheap but looks dated and basic inside and offers a poor driving experience.Performance Big choice of engines with the turbodiesles being the obvious choices, as is the case for the rest of the Vauxhall model range. The VXR model is not an obvious choice - it has a top speed of 144mph which seems pointlessly big. Instead we’d plump for mid-level diesels that offer the best mix of performance and fuel economy.Emissions Vauxhall has applied its ecoFLEX efficient technology to the Zafira range in the form of the 1.7-litre CDTi ecoFLEX 108bhp unit that returns 55mpg and emits 134g/km in CO2, which is excellent for a car of its size.Driving Based on the new Astra, the Zafira handles well with plenty of grip and manageable bodyroll around corners. That can be improved further by an advanced chassis system that offers up a much stiffer suspension and ride for improved handling.Feel Refinement is generally very good, although the less powerful engines may struggle and become noisy when pushed.Space Masses of space and a seemingly infinite number of split and flatfolding seating options make the Zafira an extremely flexible car. It seats seven comfortably and while a 140-litre boot sounds paltry, that’s with all seats in use.Equipment Electric front windows, four airbags and remote central locking as standard. You'll have to put your hand in your pocket for air conditioning, CD player and curtain airbags.Price List prices, residuals and running costs should be good, but entry-level trims have poor standards of kit which is disappointing given that you’re not going to get much change from £18,000 for range-opening models.Quality The Zafira looks and feels good inside with plenty of soft touch materials. More importantly though for a people carrier, all the fixtures and fittings are solid and well put together so should stand up to the test of kids pulling and prodding.Safety Front and side airbags are standard on all models, stability control and curtain airbags are higher up.Pros The Vauxhall Zafira is a brilliantly versatile seven-seat MPV. It’s solid, handles surprisingly well on the road for a car of its size and comes with an impressive engine line-up. The interior is solid and robust, too.Cons The Zafira doesn’t come cheap and entry-levels model come with hardly any kit or equipment on board.Alternatives Volkswagen Touran, Mazda5
