Vauxhall Zafira - Difference between Zafira A & B

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Thu 29 Apr 2010 01:11
Vauxhall Zafira - Difference between Zafira A & B - johnny

Hi

Looking for a replacement for my 51 plate Zafira - narrowed it down to a 56 / 07 Focus Estate, CMax , Octavia or another Zafira (not the most exciting drive but very practical and loads around). Is there much difference between Zafiras A & B ( talking a 1.6 Club) or is it basically a facelift?

Generally though, budget £7-8K expect to keep for about five years. Annual mileage 10K mostly short runs, . 2000 mile round trip to France each summer when it'll be crammed with camping equipment plus two or three 500 mile return trips to Yorkshire. I'm tall so need plenty of legroom.

Any advice most welcome

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Fri 30 Apr 2010 23:02
Vauxhall Zafira - Difference between Zafira A & B - Vauxpop

The main differences between zafiras a & b are:

1. The new car is around 5 inches longer, mainly interior space. It is based on the astra h estate, the old one is based on the previous estate.

2. The new car is 5 star ncap, including side impact and curtain arbags. 3 stars for old shape. Better build quality too.

3. The cockpit is much more carlike, including aircraft style handbrake.

4. 3 point belts all round and more flexibility with the seats, but the flex 7 seating is the same.

5. Parcel shelf can be cleverly stowed with all 7 seats in action.

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Sat 1 May 2010 12:09
Vauxhall Zafira - Difference between Zafira A & B - johnny

Thanks - useful to know about the parcel shelf stowage which was always a bit of an irk.

For camping trips I've always had to push the bench seats forward by a few inches to cram all the gear in at the expense of kid's legroom. Hopefully some of the extra 5 inches has found its way into the bootspace.

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Sat 1 May 2010 12:21
Vauxhall Zafira - Difference between Zafira A & B - Avant

The Octavia has more boot space (as hatch or estate) than the others, but it depends who is going to sit behind you in the back, given that you're tall. If your party is four adults, an MPV may be a better bet. An S-Max would be ideal but I'm not sure you could get one within budget.

Maybe add the Toyota Verso to the list if you're looking for reliability over the next 5 years. The Citroen Picasso and Renault Scenic are spacious, but too vulnerable to expensive failures if the previous owner hasn't looked after them.

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Sat 1 May 2010 21:09
Vauxhall Zafira - Difference between Zafira A & B - johnny

Thanks Avant - do you mean Corolla or Avensis Verso?

Huge choice of Zafiras available, mostly through OVS Direct when searching Autotrader - I've had my Zafira A for 45,000 miles and five trouble free years the only problem being a £50 EGR valve. Don't enjoy driving it that much but maybe better the devil you know...

Octavia estates are a bit thin on the ground and seem to be commanding fairly high prices - any comments on the 1.6 FSI? Taking the boot lip into consideration, there doesn't seem to be much difference between the Octavia hatchback and estate.

BTW Sorry to see the site as a shadow of its former self - hope it gets back to the great forum it was. I used to spend half the working day reading the posts :-)

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Sat 1 May 2010 22:55
Vauxhall Zafira - Difference between Zafira A & B - Alby Back

At the risk of predictability, I'm going to recommend a Mondeo estate. I've had several and as tools for shifting stuff and people, if required over long distances, with room to spare in comfort and with a modicum of driving pleasure, I find them very hard to beat.

Quite coincidentally I was chatting to a pal the other day who like me spends far too much time driving and lugging stuff around. He has had in relatively quick succession ( he does a lot of miles ), a Passat estate, a BMW 3 series estate, a couple of Mondeo estates and most recently a Zafira which he has never got on with.

He has just swopped it for another Mondeo Mk3 estate. Like me, he loves them.

It would be possible to get a very nice late mk3 with your budget.

Edited by Humph Backbridge on 01/05/2010 at 23:10

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Sun 2 May 2010 00:59
Vauxhall Zafira - Difference between Zafira A & B - Avant

I was thinking of the Corolla Verso (now called just Verso): the Avensis Verso for some reason didn't last very long in the UK. Didn't sell well I presume, but there are plenty of Avensis estates around.

Humph and others have had very good service from Mondeos: you had the Focus on your list and they have some of the engines in common. Depends on how much room you need. Fords have the advantage of being good to drive as well as reliability. I'd never buy one new (depreciation) but secondhand hey are great value.

With the Octavia, the 1.6 is adequate - no ball of fire, but the 1.8 has more oomph and you can make good progress with a lighter right foot, so it shouldn't use much more petrol. At 10k a year I presume you're looking for petrol power. The 1,9 TDI engine in the Octavia, Passat and other VAG models is durable but more modern diesel engines seem liable to major failure, usually just after the 3-year warranty runs out.

Grieve not for this forum: there was an unfortunate closure in February and some of the regulars left us: but some have returned and we get new members referred by the HJ website. We'll be fine.

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Sun 2 May 2010 01:18
Vauxhall Zafira - Difference between Zafira A & B - johnny
Good to hear it. Where else would I have learned (among other things) about DMFs, DPFs, Invacars and railway brake dust...

Used to drive a 2.0l Diesel Mondeo for work a few years ago (Remote Desktop put paid to that!) and loved it - just a bit large for everyday use these days.

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Mon 3 May 2010 12:59
Vauxhall Zafira - Difference between Zafira A & B - Jes

I've had a Zafira B 1.9 Design (150bhp version) for the last 3 years. Absolutely love the driving position, the versatility the cabin offers, 20k mile servicing and the turn of speed when needed. It's now covered 49k miles and I'm thinking of changing it for a new one (perhaps Elite version - to get the full leather interior).

The DPF issue now seems stable and sorted. the EGR valve needs to be included as regular maintenance (perhaps part of servicing). It's been a learning curve as the owner, but I'm more than happy to buy another.

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