Test drive Opel Zafira 1999 - 2003 Minivan

Perfect married couple

Opel Zafira and Mitsubishi Space Star claim the role of pets
Opel Zafira and Mitsubishi Space Star correspond to the definition of an exemplary family man, since they are ideal for the role of the only car in the family. They are also similar to ideologically: both German and Japanese cars are built on the basis of Golf class cars Opel Astra and Mitsubishi Carisma. However, despite many similar qualities, there are fundamental differences between them.
Opel Zafira is a rather rare guest in our market. This car can be attributed to the category of universals of increased capacity. It is only 3 cm longer, 3 cm wider and 17 cm above Opel Astra Caravan (ordinary station wagon related to golf class), but at the same time holds as many as 7 people! Today, Zafira has only two contributors-classmates in the Russian market: Peugeot 307SW (which is problematic to buy due to the deficit) and Kia Carens.
In the dealers of Opel Zafira dealers, it is sold at a price of $ 19,000 (1.8 liter engine, a mechanical gearbox). Opel Zafira with a 2.2 liter engine and a manual box will cost from $ 22,690. Automatic gearbox adds to a cost of about $ 1,500. These prices differ little from those asking for Opel Zafira in Germany. And there it is very popular. A curious detail: According to the EUROTAXSCHWACKE reference book, this single -volume car loses less than other classmates in the initial cost when selling in the secondary market. Opel's car turned out to be so successful that competitors from Ford three years ago even suspended the development of a model of a similar class based on Focus.
Zafira bribes extremely wide possibilities for transformation of the salon. Logically reasoning that everything you need should be carried with them, Opel designers came up with a system of attaching the seats, which was called Flex7 (from English flexible flexible). With its help, the car interior with a light movement of the hand can be turned into a bus, a van and even a limousine.
Actually, only a driver's seat does not add up. It is especially worth noting the ingenuity of the designer who came up with the mechanism of transformation of the seats of the third row. When they are folded, and you will not guess that Zafira is a seven -seater car. The gender of the trunk of this Mikrovan is absolutely flat. To install the rear seats, it is enough to fold the carpet of the trunk, slightly move the second row sofa forward and pull the handle on the hand on the back of the third. Further, the smart mechanism will do everything himself. You can understand all this without instructions. The time spent on the transformation of the salon is two to three minutes from strength.
For the sake of objectivity, it is worth saying that the gallerine is not suitable for long travels (if adults are sitting on it). In other places it will be convenient for people of any height and complexion. And all due to the fact that the landing of the driver and passengers was made more vertical compared to the usual sedan: recall that Zafira as as much as Astra. Comfortable make a trip and the presence of cup holders in the folding armrest of the second row, and the supply of warm air into the back of the cabin, and large pockets in the doorway. In general, it is felt that the convenience of passengers was delivered by developers at the forefront. The highness of the car also greatly facilitates landing and landing.
But the driver can present several serious ergonomic claims to the designers. More precisely, four. First: the extremely uncomfortable location of the levers of transfers and the parking brake. The programs have to be switched by fully extending the hand, and to use the handbrake, you have to bend. In traffic jams, when you constantly turn it on, turn off the gears, it annoys so much that I strongly recommend purchasing Zafira with an automatic machine. The second serious claim is steering. I really want to give him more verticality, but the only possibility of adjusting (up and down) does not allow this to do this. Such landing does not contribute to active management. The third flaw is insufficient to adjust the driver's seat in the longitudinal direction, which is why people above 190 cm experience serious inconvenience. And the last claim is an overly compact location of the pedal node. People with a large size of the legs or in warm winter shoes, pressing the gas pedal, will constantly hurt behind the plastic casing or for the clutch pedal.
All these shortcomings are easily explained. They are a consequence of the Opelian Mikroven is made on the platform of the usual golf class. The miscalculations in the ergonomics of the driver’s place could be avoided, design Zafira as an independent car. But then the price of it would be fundamentally different. Moreover, the versatility of the car more than redeems these forced compromises.
But the 2.2 l engine with a capacity of 147 hp, installed on the tested Zafira, does not tolerate compromises. The motor is very temperamental (exactly the same engine is installed on an almost sports Astra Coupe and a unequivocally sports Opel Speedster) and a painful. It allows you not to part with the gear shift or jump from the first at once at the third, and then at the fifth speed. In addition, on the highway, even with full load under the gas pedal, a power supply will always remain. Although, despite all these wonderful qualities, such an engine for this car, in my opinion, is excessed. At least on slippery (after processing with anti -icing reagents) asphalt the leading wheels of Zafira, shod in studded tires, were constantly breaking into slipping. Thanks to the stabilization system of course stability, which has repeatedly come to the rescue. I think that a 1.8 liter engine will look more harmonious on a family machine. It fully satisfies the requirements for a family car on which it is not customary to arrange races from traffic lights.
In general, Zafira left a very pleasant impression. This is not a rolled, dynamic car with an extremely functional and spacious interior. In addition, the manufacturer promises that this year an updated Zafira will go on sale, devoid of some of the above deficiencies.
City star
The second participant in our comparative test Mitsubishi Space Star has already been visiting the pages of Co. However, for another story about this car there is a reason: more recently, a Space Star with a 1.8 liter engine with a capacity of 112 hp began to be sold in Russia. The richly equipped Space Star with such a motor can be bought for $ 17,900. Supplement for a sequional machine with manual transmission selection mode $ 1260.
In Europe, Space Star (by the way, the most successful Mitsubishi model in the Old World) is positioned as a family multifunctional car. Its main habitat is close streets of the metropolis. With very compact size (and, therefore, maneuverability), it is higher than the traditional representatives of golf class by at least 10 cm. These centimeters not only create additional space over the heads of the driver and passengers of Space Star. The high body allowed the plant to plant the star’s crew more vertically. Due to such a decision, the salon has become very spacious full -fledged five -seater. Three adults of the average complexion with convenience will be placed on the back sofa, while their knees will not touch the backs of the front seats.
It is also very convenient to get in a car and get out of it: the seats are at the level of the fifth point, so do not dive into the salon or climb into the seats.
According to the expanse, on the rear couch, the Space Star jumps through the class and practically meets the standards of car car (for example, Peugeot 406). However, in the functionality, the salon of a Japanese car loses Zafira. For example, in order to fold the second row of seats, the headrests must be removed from the backs of the seats. The seat itself moves back and forth by 15 cm, but these centimeters do not play a fundamental role when placing baggage. It is problematic to transport long -sized items to Space Star: unlike Opel, the Japanese does not have a hatch in the back of the rear sofa, and the back of the front passenger chair does not fold. Not to mention the fact that the third row of seats cannot be set even for a surcharge.
But the driver feels at the wheel of Space Star is much more convenient than behind the Opel Zafira steering wheel. There are no complaints about the driver's place. Only a high landing and again slightly busy location of the steering wheel interfere with truly lighting on this car. However, the car was very maneuverable and yurka. For the severity in controllability, you need to thank the steering hydraulic control with a progressive characteristic (when parking the car, the steering wheel is light, and at high speeds it is poured by force, allowing you to confidently control the trajectory of movement) and the rear independent multi -leash suspension with a steering effect. In its behavior on the road, the car differs little from the traditional hatchback.
With the advent of a modern engine in the arsenal of a modern engine of 1.8 liters, the Space Star began to be even more reasonable to be called an ideal family car. Even if the car is clogged to the eyeballs, the motor allows you to confidently stay in the city stream and make overtaking. The engine is extremely elastic, and its power is more than enough on suburban routes when moving at high speeds.
The advantages of hatchbacks with a high roof (namely, this category belongs to Space Star) has already been appreciated not only in Europe, but also in Russia. For example, the frantic popular competitor of the Japanese car Peugeot 307 is evidenced about this. However, now, with a new engine, Mitsubishi Space Star is quite able to compete with a French classmate.
Igor Komarov
 

Source: Wheel (company)