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Vauxhall Zafira B (2005 - )

What's Good

Restyled Zafira with same Flex 7 seats, but centre seats modified so outer two can move closer if middle seat not being used. 4,467mm long x 1,776mm wide x 1,637mm high. Direct injection petrol 1.6, 1.8 and 2.0 litre engines. 1.8 Ecotec has 140PS. Also GM/FIAT 1.9 120 and 150bhp diesels and turbo 200bhp GSi. 620 litres luggager space with 5 seats up. 240PS Zafira XXR from october 2005. 320Nm torque. 0-60 in 7.2 with top speed 144. 18" alloys standard on VXR with 225/40 ZR 18 tyres. Diesel automatic very impressive. Has excellent autobox. RECOMMENDED.

Price lists (at 19-4-2005):-

New Zafira Expression 1.6i 16v £12,995
New Zafira Life 1.6i 16v £14,495
New Zafira Life 1.6i 16v (a/c) £14,995
New Zafira Life 2.2i 16v Direct £16,845
New Zafira Life 1.9 CDTi (120PS) £16,995
New Zafira Life 1.9 CDTi (120PS) Euro IV £17,395
New Zafira Club 1.6i 16v £15,195
New Zafira Club 1.6i 16v (a/c) £15,695
New Zafira Club 2.2i 16v Direct £17,545
New Zafira Club 1.9CDTi (120PS) £17,695
New Zafira Club 1.9CDTi (120PS) Euro IV £18,095
New Zafira Design 2.2i 16v Direct £18,995
New Zafira Design 2.0i 16v Turbo (200PS) £20,445
New Zafira Design 1.9 CDTi (120PS) £18,895
New Zafira Design 1.9 CDTi 16v (150PS) £20,045
New Zafira Design 1.9 CDTi (120PS) Euro IV £19,295
New Zafira Design 1.9 CDTi (150PS) Euro IV £20,445
New Zafira SRi 2.2i 16v Direct £18,545
New Zafira SRi 2.0i 16v Turbo (200PS) £19,995
New Zafira SRi 1.9 CDTi (120PS) £19,095
New Zafira SRi 1.9 CDTi (150PS) £19,595
New Zafira SRi 1.9 CDTi (120PS) Euro IV £19,495
New Zafira SRi 1.9 CDTi (150PS) Euro IV £19,995
New Zafira VXR (140PS) £21,995

Optional 19" bling wheels for VXR at £500.

5 Star NCAP occupant crash safety rating.

New VVT 1.8 engine from November 2005 with 140PS and low CO2 of 187g/km.

Flagship Zafira Elite on sale from July 2007 priced from £18,950. Has full leather trim, electronic climate control, cruise control, CD30 stereo with MP3 socket, alloy wheels, a multifunction trip computer and a sight and light pack, which incorporates automatic lighting control, rain-sensitive windscreen wipers and an electro-chromatic self-dipping interior mirror. Engine choices include 1.8i 16v, 2.2 16v Direct and 2.0i 16v Turbo petrol engines, or a choice of 120PS or 150PS 1.9-litre CDTi diesels. Vauxhall’s clutchless Easytronic gearbox is available on 1.8-litre models, with a conventional 6-speed automatic offered on all other variants except the 2.0 Turbo.

Minor facelift for March 2008 ‘08’ include extra chrome detailing on the radiator grille, new foglamp surrounds, revised rear lamp clusters and chrome detailing on the front headlamp lenses. New Exclusiv trim comes with air conditioning, CD stereo, remote central deadlocking, electric front windows, side, front and curtain airbags, 16-inch Structure wheels, roof rails and body-coloured exterior trim.
Curtain airbags standard on all Zafira models from 07, while Design, Elite and VXR models also get new piano black interior detailing around the audio and ventilation controls.

Announced 16-3-2009: NEW ECOFLEX ZAFIRA. New-to-range 1.7-litre advanced diesel engine emitting combined emissions of just 139g/km, making it one of the lowest CO2 7 seaters. Band E for Vehicle Excise Duty – costing £120 2009/10 and £110 2010/11 – while its BIK tax for company car drivers drops to 18 per cent, the lowest taxation class for a seven-seater car in the UK.

The Zafira ecoFLEX also gains a significant improvement in fuel consumption. With a Combined figure of 53.3mpg, this Zafira now has a theoretical range of 680 miles, meaning fewer trips to the pumps and less damage to drivers’ wallets.

The 1.7 CDTi engine – which can also be found in the recent Astra ecoFLEX – produces 110PS and 260Nm of torque, giving acceleration of 0-60mph in 12.6 seconds and a top speed of 112mph. A different final drive ratio also raises the gearing, improving both fuel economy and offering a more relaxed cruising gait.

With a starting price of £17,310 for the Zafira Exclusiv ecoFLEX, buyers will pay a £100 premium over the equivalent 1.9 CDTi 120PS model.

120PS diesel 6-speed auto tested at www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=205

More at www.vauxhall.co.uk

Last updated 16-11-2009

What's Bad

Underslung spare wheel still easily stolen. No standard fit additional security.

Some build quality issues emerging even in delivery, such as inoperative offside dipped headlight beam (which causes other problems), misaligned steering wheel and squeaking drivers seat.

What to Watch Out For

Reports of problems with EGR valve and particulate filter of 150PS diesel after prolonged slow running in traffic. On 1.9 CDTI if the engine smokes or the car suddenly loses power, the secondary butterflies of the swirl actuator valve may have sooted up and seized. Possible to clean but this does not guarantee it won't happen again. Really requires the inlet manifold to be changed as the part where the actuator connects to jams and does not let the butterflies open. Job can take six hours as the fuel pump and cam belt have to be removed to get at it. A coincidental fault is sooting up of the EGR valve.

Standard complaint, "My 07 Zafira CDTi is actually a very fine car - except for one big problem which is damaging to the very urban-travel families the car is aimed at. I live in an city area - but Vauxhall, to "comply" with EU Emissions, have fitted this car with a diesel filter which demands you should take it onto a motorway every week or two and trash it for 20 minutes without going below 50 / 60 mph to clear a DPF (particle filter). So I have to make several totally unnecessary motorway drives just to keep the car going." FROM 2008 A VAUXHALL DEALER SOFTWARE DOWNLOAD APPARENTLY CURES THIS PROBLEM.

On 1.9CDTI, timing belt drives waterpump and waterpump failure can fling it off in as little as 40k miles, wrecking the engine. By December 2008 this was becoming increasingly common at about 4 years old and circa 50k - 60k miles. So engines need new belts, tensioners, pulleys and waterpumps before 4 years old or 50k miles.

Some radios seem to fail to switch off or switch themselves back on again, draining the car's battery. Same problem as MINIs had in 2003.

Tailgate switch also fails, this is common on Vectra C and Zafira B.

One report of repeated Dual Mass Flywheel failures on a 1.9CDTI. Clutch judder common on both petrol and diesel manuals. May be DMF trouble. By July 2008 an admitted problem on pre-June 2007 production and clutches and flywheels being replaced under warranty. GM introduced modified clutch/flywheel components to production in around mid 2007 some 2-3 months after my Zafira was built. Models affected by the change are apparently Astra H/ Zafira B with 1.6 and
1.8 litre petrol engines.

Diesel autos vulnerable to failure of heat exchanger in radiator admitting coolant to the ATF and wrecking the transmission. On cars just out of warranty Vauxhall will usually contribute 40%. Also a design/manufacturing problem with 6-speed auto: an internal overflow pipe was too short which leads to the gearbox not being properly filled with fluid and subsequent result of jerky changes and eventual total failure.

Outbreak of fuel injection pump failures on 2.2 direct injection petrol engines in autumn 2008 coupled with shortage of replacement parts. Pressure sensor and injection pump fail, both made by Siemens. 3 weeks wait for the part as apparently there has been a huge run on them. Pump is £315. Total cost of repair typically £545. Later featured on BBC Watchdog 12-1-2008. ECU fault code does not identify if problem is fuel pump (leaking seal) or pressure regulator (sticking valve).

1.9 diesels can be good to drive, but give a lot of problems:

Failed inlet manifold swirl flaps (and the flaps can beak and be ingested by the engine).

Failed EGRs.

Choked DPFs.

Failed timing belts, often because the waterpump seized. Belt, tensioner, pulleys and waterpump need replacing every 40,000 miles.

Failed oil pumps.

Failed alternators.

Failed dual mass flywheels.

Failed turbos.

Recalls

17/11/2005: R/2005/137: VAUXHALL ZAFIRA B incorrect torque applied to trailer hitch fitting bolts VIN 00000000052015830 to 00000000062010564
17/11/2005:R/2005/137:VAUXHALL ZAFIRA B incorrect torque applied to trailer hitch fitting bolts VIN 0000000006G000039 to 0000000006G004231