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Opel Zafira Tourer or Opel Zafira C , the end of the line for Opel and MPV in general. Goodbye vans with windows, you won’t be mourned.

 Opel Zafira C was supposed to be the name of the next Zafira B but Opel thought to call it Opel Zafira Tourer, so I will continue to write Opel Zafira Tourer. If the first generation was greeted with cheers by family members when it was new and by people who have a grape crusher in their yard and don’t keep it for decoration, for when it was second hand. In fact, the first Zafira I think owns the largest proportion in the countryside, being literally everywhere. I don’t think there is a village in the Balkans where there is not an Opel Zafira, usually from the first generation. Then came the Zafira B, the official car of the man who finds out he’s having his first child and decides he really needs a standard 7-seater MPV. And the Zafira Tourer?

Comically, the Zafira Tourer looks like a hearse. Except it doesn’t transport the dead to the cemetery, it transported itself on its own last journey. Already a conceptually aged car, the MPV has no place in our times dominated by SUVs and especially cross-overs. And it’s not just MPVs that are the issue, as we discussed in the Mondeo article the death of the saloon, the classic car as we know it.  The only one still holding on is the Scenic and the occasional Touran, but the MPV is as dead as “Pimp my bedroom”.

 As for the Opel Zafira Tourer, I don’t have much to say. It followed the classic recipe in that the Zafira has always been a inflated Astra, and the latest generation was built on the Astra J platform and then took parts from the Astra K. I say the last generation because in 2017 the model was retired for good with the arrival of the French at the helm.

Opel Zafira Tourer Engines

Petrol

• 1.4 Turbo with 120 and 140 horsepower – You could say it’s a decent engine on the Astra J, but putting this engine in the Zafira is like getting Rey Mysterio to carry The Mountain on his back. Occasionally there are issues with the water pump so keep an eye on the temperature gauge.


• 1.6 Turbo of 170 and 200 horsepower – Related to the 1.4 petrol, this genuine Musclehead also has water pump issues and as a bonus has thermostat issues. But if you’re the kind of guy who buys a 200-horsepower Zafira, those issues probably won’t stop you.


• 1.8 MPI of 115 and 140 horsepower – The only naturally aspirated engine on the Zafira Tourer, and the 115 is also power aspirated. Like any naturally aspirated petrol, it occasionally needs coil packs, but overall this internal combustion relic is carrying its retirement with dignity up until 2014.

Diesel

• 1.6 CDTI of 120 and 136 horsepower – Now the internet users will throw stones and human metabolic waste at me when I say that this engine was created by Fiat ( 1.6 Multijet ) and slightly modified by Opel. Mysteriously, they didn’t get an kick to the testicles and the engine is actually reliable. They’ll just have to get their hands on the 1.4 Turbo and both try to carry it on the back because they don’t stand a chance on their own.


• 2.0 CDTI of 130, 165, and 170 horsepower – These engines until 2012 were as good as a kick in the testicles with an iron tipped boot, but after 2012 things calmed down. They probably learned their lesson after the Insignia A. Otherwise, you’re left with the classic issues of a 2-liter 4-cylinder diesel, namely dual mass flywheel, particulate filter regeneration issues, and EGR issues. Only now the issues occur much less frequently. In fact, they occur as rarely as the message “It’s a match!” on Tinder using a real picture of me.


• 2.0 CDTI Bi-Turbo of 195 horsepower  – Are you really such a big diesel fan that you want a sport diesel? And of all the possible cars to sport a diesel in, you’ve considered a Zafira? I love it about you. Legend has it that when you buy this car you also get a complementary red stripe on your ID.

Opel Zafira Tourer General Issues

• For some obscure engines, the old M32 manual gearbox still causes issues. It usually rubs its bearings the way two lesbians rub each other in a club. Have you noticed that always in lesbian couples one is half the other? Why is that? It’s always Asterix and Obelisk. The affected engines are 1.4 Turbo and 1.6 Turbo, and the 1.4 Turbo also has issues with the automatic.


• You don’t have a spare wheel because in the past they were stolen anyway, so the engineers at Opel thought they wouldn’t give you any. That’s just my hand. You just get a repair kit you can stick where the sun doesn’t shine.


• All diesel engines are Euro 6 compliant and come with an AdBlue system. In case you need me to explain further, the AdBlue system is not the most successful and most cars have issues with the AdBlue pump, not just Opel. So I say buy some Vaseline (or olive oil) for the inevitable.

Opel Zafira Tourer Verdict

End of the line for one of the most iconic cars for Opel and the car industry in general. With Peugeot’s acquisition of Opel in 2017, things have changed. The Opel Zafira has been completely withdrawn from the market, the Opel Astra has been withdrawn in station wagon version in some countries, and the company is still rolling on minus. The reason, ironically, is the emergence of the crossover segment. I say ironic because Opel’s own Grandland is one of the manufacturer’s best-selling cars. What about the Opel Zafira Tourer? It remains a van with windows.

What engines do you recommend? For petrol, I recommend 1.6 Turbo 170 hp and for diesel any 2.0 CDTI after 2012. If you choose the 1.6 diesel, you deserve everything that happens to you in life.