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Vauxhall Zafira 1.4 Sri turbo auto - How is a turbo with an auto box? - Benet

My wife and l like automatic petrol engined cars in a roomy MPV bodystyle, not SUV. Over the yaers, we have got used to Japanese cars with approx 2 litre engines, but to get one now you have to either 'buy old' or 'buy import'. Today we tried this 2016 Zafira. It was quite pleasant but I could hear the gearbox working away to make the best of the small engine's limited torque. I wonder if we would really get on with it? Or am I being very old-fashioned? I think we are likely to buy a car between 5 and 10 years old.

Vauxhall Zafira 1.4 Sri turbo auto - How is a turbo with an auto box? - badbusdriver

A Zafira 1.4 turbo has 200nm of torque from 1850-4900rpm, a Toyota Avensis 2.0 has 196nm of torque @ 4000rpm

Conclusion: the small engine (with limited torque!) has more torque over a much wider rev range than the bigger n/a engine.

Vauxhall Zafira 1.4 Sri turbo auto - How is a turbo with an auto box? - Benet

Thanks for the correction, makes me more positive about that particular car

Vauxhall Zafira 1.4 Sri turbo auto - How is a turbo with an auto box? - skidpan

A Zafira 1.4 turbo has 200nm of torque from 1850-4900rpm

Bit surprised about that. The 1.4TSI 140/150 PS VAG engine has 250nm of torque over a similar rev band.

In fact the 1.0 TSi 110/115 PS VAG engine has 200nm of torque over a similar rev band.

That makes me think that the Vauxhall 1.6 is a tad weedy in comparison.

Vauxhall Zafira 1.4 Sri turbo auto - How is a turbo with an auto box? - John F

Modern small turbo engines are very 'torquey' at low revs. Our Peugeot 2008 1.2 puretech 130 EAT6 has an ample 130Nm at only 1750 r.p.m. Unless you have a heavy right foot the auto box changes up at around 2500 rpm. The engine speed is usually somewhere between 1500 and 2000 revs. Top (6th) gear gives a relaxed 30mph per 1000 revs and is rarely engaged on single carriageways unless the autobox is (easily) overridden. It would be interesting to experience the way in which the turbo Zafira's (presumably) ZF 'easytronic' automated manual behaves with the Peugeot's TC Aisin EAT6.

Vauxhall Zafira 1.4 Sri turbo auto - How is a turbo with an auto box? - Benet

This is all very informative. I wonder if the turbocharger is 'something else to go wrong' though, something that might make the Zafira less reliable than an alternative car with a bigger engine?

Vauxhall Zafira 1.4 Sri turbo auto - How is a turbo with an auto box? - badbusdriver

Modern small turbo engines are very 'torquey' at low revs. Our Peugeot 2008 1.2 puretech 130 EAT6 has an ample 130Nm at only 1750 r.p.m.

You are selling the 2008 short John, it actually has 230nm!

Vauxhall Zafira 1.4 Sri turbo auto - How is a turbo with an auto box? - John F

Modern small turbo engines are very 'torquey' at low revs. Our Peugeot 2008 1.2 puretech 130 EAT6 has an ample 130Nm at only 1750 r.p.m.

You are selling the 2008 short John, it actually has 230nm!

Thanks bbd, my typo! Just for comparison, my 1980 TR7 2.0l has only 107hp and its max 161Nm is at a relatively thrashy 3450 rpm.

Vauxhall Zafira 1.4 Sri turbo auto - How is a turbo with an auto box? - badbusdriver

A Zafira 1.4 turbo has 200nm of torque from 1850-4900rpm

Bit surprised about that. The 1.4TSI 140/150 PS VAG engine has 250nm of torque over a similar rev band.

I was thinking the same thing as I typed but those are the figures I can find for that 140bhp version the engine. I wondered if the torque was pegged back because the auto box struggled to deal with it, but the peak torque for the manual is the same. The following 150bhp version (which for some reason doesn't seem have made it into the Zafira Tourer) has (in the Astra) 245nm as a manual and 230nm as an auto.

Vauxhall Zafira 1.4 Sri turbo auto - How is a turbo with an auto box? - Ethan Edwards

My old Vitara was a 1.4t with an automotive. Theres no way I'd describe it as slow, lethargic. Quite the opposite 235nm of torque it was very nippy indeed. IMO having an autobox actually protected the turbo, from abuse , over revving etc.

And sorry to bang on here but peppy performance is one of the reasons I drive an EV now. But worried about a 1.4t automatic? Not for one second.