Vauxhall Zafira 2.2i 16v

My dad recently bought a new car, his first ever brand new car and how lucky am I that I am the main driver of that car! Since having my daughter, and being the owner of a small Rover I realised the need for a larger car so when I sold my car and he bought this it couldn't really have been better, I got the size car I needed and being a brand new one made it even better!

We took a trip to Motorpoint in Burnley, Lancashire as we had heard several people talk about their good experience there and getting a great deal on a new car. When we arrived we were approached by a salesman who told us to have a look around and give them a shout if and when we found anything. I spotted a lovely, shiny black Vauxhall Zafira on a 58 plate and convinced my dad to take a closer look, and on doing so he said it looked like a nice car but it was important for him to be able to get in and out comfortably as he has a very bad back. Having my fingers crossed that he could do this, I was very happy when he said it was fine and we could go inside and talk money!

After sorting the finances out, we found that we could collect the car just a few days later (however the worst snow in 30 years put a stop to that!!). When we finally collected the car I was just itching to have my first drive of it - but again, the weather put a stop to that so about 2 weeks later I was able to have a go!! Excited much!?!

The Zafira model is a 2.2 SRi (this is the closest model that I could find to review) and is a seven seater version of the standard model. The car has remote central locking, and a feature I hadn't seen before is the double lock which gives you that bit more confidence about security (you can also open it with just a normal key in lock way if you lose the remote key). There is the usual modern features on the car - ABS, Power Steering, Air bags to both of the front seats, Air conditioning and a CD player/radio. There is the option of putting your ipod in the car if you prefer not to use CD's, however you do need to purchase a special adaptor and lead to do this - I haven't got around to doing this yet but it is something I am definately looking at doing. There are controls on the steering wheel for the radio/CD too, volume and skip but to be honest I forget they are there so rarely use them.

Other Features:
17" five spoke alloy wheels
Remote Controlled Ultrasonic Security Alarm
ESP Plus with traction control
Sports Suspension
Sport Switch
Dark tinted rear glass
Electric rear windows
Matt chrom-effect centre console
Front fog lights
Multi-function trip computer
Sports front seats with drivers armrest
Drivers seat with tilt and lumbar adjustment
Leather covered three spoke sports steering wheel
Rear roof spoiler
Sunglasses Holder
Alloy effect roof rails.

Engine and general properties (for those who understand it - I don't!):

Cylinders: 4
Capacity (cc): 2198
Maximum power (PS kW/rpm): 150 (110)/5600
Maximum torque (Nm/rpm): 215/4000
Fuel type: Petrol
Fuel Consumption Properties: 2.2i 16v Direct, 6 Speed
Fuel Consumption, combined mpg (litres/100km): 34.4 (8.2)
CO2 Emissions: 197

The car is very very spacious, there is plenty of room in the back for 3 people to sit, and I have a large Mama's and Papa's car seat in there but you can still easily fit two adults in the back with that which surprised me! Along with the seat space, there is plenty of leg room - my brother is 6ft 4" and he finds it comfortable in the back of the car for the first time ever! The dashboard is huge, maybe a little too big as there is so much space between the steering wheel and the windscreen, so much so that I sometimes find it hard to judge when parking up (mainly in multi-story car parks). The boot is huge! There is no other way to describe it, it easily fits my daughters pram in, lots of shopping, and I moved my brother and all his belongings from university home and it was just easy to fit it all in. The extra two seats are in the boot, they are flat so take up no space at all, and when you want to make it into the seven seater you simply move the back seats forward and pull up the two seats. My dad is very heavy handed and didn't realise you had to move the other seats first, so being a typical bloke he thought brute strength would work and broke the handle off one of the seats!! When the extra seats are up, it obviously detracts from the boot space, and very little will fit in, my daughters buggy fit in when folded but not much else!

This is the first car I have ever driven above a 1.6 so it was a major shock initially to drive it, and it moves like you wouldn't believe!! It did take a few drives for me to get used to it. For the first time ever I can get on a motorway and not take what feels like forever to get up to speed! When it comes to fuel consumption with this car, I have to say I haven't got a clear opinion really as daft as that sounds. I filled up with £40.00 which for some reason I always do when filling my car up for the first time, maybe that is a subconscious thing to see how many miles I can do on that amount? That amount of fuel didn't fill the tank, it was just over three quarters full which I guess isn't bad for such a big powerful (for me) car. That fuel did last a while, I managed to go to the Trafford Centre (which is another thing I always do with a new car for some reason), Blackpool, and a couple of trips to Blackburn, along with the normal every day driving - supermarkets etc. I was quite happy with this so I though that it was great for fuel, then it came to picking my brother up from university - he is studying at Ormskirk which is about 35 minutes away from where I live and to get there and back I have to put a minimum of £15.00 in which came as a shock as it originally did so well. So, is it good for fuel? I really don't know!

This car will set you back the tidy sum of at least £22,295.00 - more if you want added extras! However if you buy it from somewhere like Motorpoint as my dad did you will get it considerably cheaper!

So, my opinion of this car?? In a nutshell i LOVE it!! I am so lucky in having this as my car (although I understand should my dads other car fall to bits which I am expecting it will I won't have it any more) and cannot say enough about it to praise it highly enough! When driving this car I feel completely safe and I feel as though I have gained a little more confidence on the road even though I feel I am a competant driver anyway, but there is something about this car that somehow makes it feel different and better. It is the smoothest drive I have ever had, and the first car I have ever seen with 6 gears - I was actually a little scared of using 6th gear the first time!! My daughter loves sitting in the back of this car with it being higher than most of the other cars on the road she can see whats going on around her on long drives, and loves the fact that she can see the animals in the fields because with other cars she has never been able to do this.

Do I recommend this car to people?? YES!! It is a brilliant car and in my opinion Vauxhall have excelled themselves with this fantastic mo