History and description cars Opel Zafira

This is a small passenger car with a one-volume body of the "minivan" type. It is produced by the German car manufacturer Opel from 1999 to the present. In other countries, the car is sold under the name Zafira, and the company name varies as Vauxhall (United Kingdom), Holden (Australia), Chevrolet (Latin America and Mexico), as well as other names. Porsche participated in the development of the car.

The Zafira has seven seats for transporting people - two in the front, three in the middle and two in the back. The rear seats fold down to make room for luggage. This system is called Flex 7. In the German TÜVs rating for the quality of three-year-old cars, the Zafira was the best of the Opels, losing only to the winner Ford Focus. The closest competitors are Kia Venga cars, Citroen Berlingo/Peugeot Partner, Mercedes-Benz Citan, Opel Meriva, Renault Dokker and Skoda Roomster.

Opel Zafira A (1999-2005)

The car was first shown as a concept at the 1997 Frankfurt Motor Show, entered serial production in January 1999, and sales began in April. It is assembled on the T-body platform, which is also the basis for the Opel Astra G 1998. Assembly was carried out in Germany, Thailand and Brazil.

In 2000, the Zafira took third place in the European Car of the Year category, behind two other cars - the Fiat Multipla and the Toyota Yaris.

The Zafira was available with a wide range of engines adapted from Astra. The car was equipped with petrol 4-cylinder engines of 1.6, 1.8, 2.0 and 2.2 liters with a capacity of 100 to 147 hp and diesel engines of 2.0 and 2.2 liters with a capacity of 82 to 125 hp. Two gearboxes were offered - a 5-speed manual and a 4-speed automatic.

Opel Zafira B (2005-2014)

The second generation debuted in Europe in 2005, with sales beginning on July 9, 2005. It shared the T-body platform and mechanical parts with the Opel Astra H. Assembly took place in Germany, Poland and Russia, with production in Singapore launched in 2007. Although this generation was replaced in 2011 by the Zafira C, this model remained in production until 2014.

The engine lineup was partially carried over from the previous generation of Astra/Zafira, but the diesels were updated. Six petrol engines with a capacity of 1.6 to 2.2 litres and a power of 104 to 237 hp. There are five diesel engines with a capacity of 1.7 and 1.9 litres and a power of 134 to 167 hp. There are four transmission options to choose from - 5- and 6-speed manual or 4- and 6-speed automatic.

Opel Zafira C (2011-2019)

The third generation, called the Zafira Tourer, was presented in concept form at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show as "Zafira Tourer Concept". The car is based on the Astra J platform "GM Delta II". Production took place in Germany and in Kaliningrad, Russia.

The petrol engine line includes eight modifications with a volume of 1.4 to 1.8 liters and a power of 113 to 200 hp, all 4-cylinder in-line. There are seven diesel engines with a volume of 1.6 to 2.0 liters and a power of 108 to 192 hp. There are three transmission options - 5- and 6-speed manual or 6-speed automatic.

Opel Zafira C

Opel Zafira C, back view

Opel Zafira C, dashboard

Testing the safety of some cars