It might just be me, but I'm finding it hard to imagine a good reason for the Zafira VXR. The idea isn't new, of course - there was a rapid GSi version of the first-generation car, based on the contemporary Astra floorpan - but familiarity has not made it any less peculiar.VXR is Vauxhall's still relatively new signal that potential buyers should be prepared for a high-performance experience. Tagged on to the Zafira name, it indicates that what we have here is a seven-seat compact MPV version of the hottest current Astra, itself the on-paper leader of the hot hatch brigade with just under 240bhp available.As discussed in another review, the Astra VXR is awfully quick in a straight line. It's no roller-skate, though. Ride quality, for instance, is surprisingly good, but that's partly because the suspension set-up is quite soft. As you may have read elsewhere in this magazine, soft-but-well-damped is the way we like our fast road cars; the problem with the Astra is that the "but-well-damped" bit has been missed out; there's a lot of body movement and it's none too well restrained, so the car can easily become unruly if you're trying to push it through corners.The set-up of the Zafira VXR is very similar. If anything, the ride quality is even better, but the tendency to go bananas is even more pronounced. That's not helped by the centre of gravity, which is inevitably higher than on the Astra since this is a significantly taller car.Naturally, you sit higher in a Zafira than you would in a conventional hatchback. The driving position is quite upright, and that makes perfect sense in less powerful versions. Visibility is good, and you don't expect to have to deal with substantial g forces in any direction.You do, however, have to deal with them in the VXR. It accelerates hard, brakes hard and has enough grip to corner hard - all these in greater measure than you would experience in any other compact MPV. Suddenly the high-set driving position makes you feel like you're driving a vastly overpowered van, and that takes some getting used to.The Zafira VXR is slower than the equivalent Astra, but not by much, and it has nothing to do with power output, which is the same in each case. What holds the Zafira back are its extra weight and greater aerodynamic drag. Neither of these things is greatly apparent from the inside; on the contrary, the Zafira would be a much more relaxing car to drive if Vauxhall had turned down the engine's wick a bit.As things stand, there is more power than the car can really deal with in any situation other than a straight, well-surfaced road on a dry day. In other conditions a cold perspiration may bespangle your brow as you find what a large effect can be achieved by a small squeeze on the throttle at, say, 3000rpm.I have to admit that this is quite fun for, say, ten or fifteen minutes. But I wouldn't like to deal with it every day, and although I obviously can't speak for everyone I just don't see what the appeal would be to anyone who might consider a Zafira on the basis of its other qualities.I mean, if you need to transport seven people, or use the same amount of space to carry lots of luggage, or some combination of the two, what use is the best part of 240bhp going to be to you? Do you really have to be able to accelerate hard - perhaps up fearsomely steep hills - when the car is fully laden? Do you know six other people who would be prepared to sit with you as you allow the VXR to let rip?And if you really do want the straightline performance, and relish the car's manic behaviour on corners, are you also the type of person who needs what a compact MPV has to offer? Furthermore, if you bought the last hot Zafira, were you so impressed with it that you are now prepared to trade it in for an even more powerful version?The answer to any of these questions could be "yes" - or, more likely, "yes, so stop second-guessing us and write about things you know next time, Finlay". In which case, fair enough. But the Zafira VXR would still strike me as a car with very limited appeal - an example, in short, of niche marketing taken close to the extreme. Engine 1998cc, 4 cylinders Power 237bhp Fuel/CO2 29.4mpg / 230g/km Acceleration 0-60mph: 7.2 seconds Top speed 144mph Price £22,145 Details correct at publication date
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