Test drive Opel Zafira 2006 - 2008 Minivan

Excellent students with whom fun

The talents of this particular couple are able to melt the ice of the mistrust of our compatriots to compactwenes.
 



Rare birds
Personally, my word excellent student is not enthusiastic from school. After all, one of the five, as a rule, study boring cramps with whom you can’t talk about anything except homework. The same can be said about most modern compactwenes. Variantly gifted spacious, with good visibility and commanding landing, they are either boring in management, like a Renault-stage, or simply unreasonably expensive, like Toyota-Corolla-Verso, Honda-Fr-V or Volkswagen-Turan. On the contrary, bright in road habits and quite affordable for the price of Ford-Focus-Si Max is disappointed with a close compact by the standards of modern compact.
 

The only pleasant exception for the time being remained Opel-Zafir, who was not in a word, but by deed proved that there are demand for non-combatants in the country of sedans of Russia. And therefore, when this spring Mazda-5 with a 7-seater salon and a price of $ 21,900 appeared on the market, we had no doubt about the choice of sparring partner for a young Japanese woman. But to admit, taking Opel and Mazda with optimal 1.8-liter engines and mechanical gearboxes to the test, we did not suspect what kind of smart men they would be.
 

Yes, they delight even outwardly. Both Safira and five are beautiful examples of modern design. The language will not turn to call any of them by bus, and each, more important, clearly fits into the proprietary stylistic concept. Brush poured the spilled older sister of Astra, spectacularly heard in the hips. If the design confirms technological kinship, then in our opinion this is the highest class. In the same way, the predatory, almost shark of the physiognomy of the five does not spoil the sports image of the Mazda. But we are dealing with a single -embrane. In a word, Bravo, Herra-stylists and designers-san.
 



Very good and better
All of the above applies to the salons. If you are familiar with the industrial aesthetics of the interior of Astra or you are delighted with the sports plasticity of Mazda-3, then inside the back and five you will feel like in old, likely different jeans. For the rest, we inform: both the design and the quality of the decoration of Mazda and Opel deserve only praise. The minimum gaps between the panels, a worthy quality of the finish or, in extreme cases, its successful imitation, say, the same firm plastic of the torpedo of the Mazda still looks like a expensive soft one. So you will not find a budget approach in the salon of democratic compactwenes during the day with fire.

 
  
In both cars, the KP lever is located on a special coffee table. But we liked the selectivity and clarity of switching in Opel
 

Only one epithet is a magnificent drivers for the driver’s seat! Reliable lateral support, ideal shape, a huge number of adjustments
 
  
There is no mirror unpleasant trifle in the visor
 

Opel's glove box is much more modest in volume
 

Aviation notes are heard in the design of the hand brake lever


But in terms of ergonomics, that is, the real convenience of Safir still liked a little less. And you need to blame for this again. The frankly uncomfortable block of air conditioning, familiar to the owners of the Vectra, and the sensitive spoons of tar for compact mirrors too small for compact mirror.

 
  
The leather steering wheel and decoration for aluminum give the interior of the Mazda athletic tightness. It is more important that ergonomics is impeccable
 

It is difficult to make a complaint to the seats of the Japanese compactwane: a long pillow, tenacious upholstery, an optimal set of adjustments
 
       
Feet, boxing between seats, a spacious glove in the top five so many hidden corners that you will forget, where they put something


Mazda, in our opinion, is sinless. I especially want to praise the nuances for which Opel had to scold: huge mirrors and a super-submarine climate control, with which you easily find a common language, even when you rush 150 in the left row. The only thing passengers can complain about, the lack of pockets and armrests on the rear row doors. What can you do, the problems of the constitution of the door are clicked, pockets and armrests in them cannot be done. In addition, the convenience of sliding doors to the crowd in the parking lot of the supermarket outweighs in any case.
 





New standard
Ten years ago, compactwhen was a slightly more convenient 5-seater golf car. But it was Safir of the first generation that showed a further development path to small single-combatants a 7-seater salon. And now, along the way of Opel, the rest stretched. In fact, the stock does not pull, and seven in any case is better than five. That is why we were primarily interested in the third series of seats.


And I must say, despite the fact that the compactwenes gallery are often called exclusively for the nursery, in fact, a person will be able to accommodate there and a height of 1 m 85 cm. Of course, the bench itself is quite narrow and there is nothing to compare with the second row of seats, But there is a reserve in the legs and above your head. So to withstand there an hour and a half before the cottage is not a question. As they say, it is better to go badly than to go well.

In the second row, both backstage and ointments are enough for three adult passengers. At least the width of the salon allows. Another thing is that the frankly double molding of the sofa implies two, but very comfortable, places with a central armrest.

 
      
At the disposal of passengers of Mazda (left) a whole banquet table, Opel has only deflectors in the second row and a 12 V rosette
 
 
Thanks to the sliding door, getting into the Mazda salon is easier than a huge opening
 
   
Mazes folding tables will come in handy on the long road
 

The central part of the sofa of the backwater with light movement turns into a convenient armrest
 
 
The life of passengers of the third row in a Japanese and German car is equipped almost identical to the armrests and a cup holder on each side

 
All sizes are given in centimeters. * The distance from the seat pillow to the ceiling. The space for the legs of the seated rear is indicated provided that the driver’s growth is 185 cm
 

More trim!
Of course, with a 7-seater layout, talking about some trunk is even inconvenient. In the narrow gap between the third row of seats and the fifth door, it seems, the mouse will not slip. But in the 5-seater version and Mazda, and, in particular, Opel has something to boast. Safira surpasses the opponent, as they say, in all articles, albeit not much, but still obvious. The advantage is not only in the useful volume of the trunk, but also in its configuration. A large height to the curtain allows you to place three hefty suitcases in the back. And if you add the second row, the number of suitcases can be increased ... three times! And this is in the height of the head restraint, that is, not sacrificing visibility. Bravo! Mazda loses both in loading height and the size of the diagonal opening of the fifth door. And Opel’s victory in terms of carrying capacity would be complete, if not one circumstance.
 

 
 

 
 
The trunk of Safira surpasses the Mazda in all the useful volume, height to the shelf, the diagonal opening and the loading height
 
 
Under the floor of the trunk of Mazda is just a dock, Opel has a full -fledged stock
 

A jack and a set of tools in both cars can be obtained even with a 7-seater layout of the cabin


The fact is that manipulations with seats in the back, let’s say, are difficult to understand. Imagine that to remove or, conversely, get the third row of seats, you will have to raise the pillows of the second row sofa, then fold the back, follow the economy forward and only after that get the chairs hidden in the floor. And now everything is in the reverse sequence. For a minute or two, be guaranteed. In Mazda, the same operation will not take 10 seconds. They just pulled the lever, and the five became 7-seater. The Japanese, apparently, very well studied the Opel system of folding seats 7-Flexes and made it much more convenient. Well done!




Only good
But it is even more pleasant that the comfortable salon of both cars is complemented by comfort on the road. Say, the height of the five is even softer than that of a three -year -old or six. The car calmly swallows road joints, and with an increase in speed increases the smoothness of the move. It is only a pity that with noise insulation it turned out not so hot: the noise from Toyo's tires The basis of the sound background in the compact salon. The motor is practically not heard.

In the back of the motor, the sound of the motor is perceived by something muffled and fuel like it does not seem to be at all. And the suspension pleased with a successful combination of comfort and energy intensity. Despite the fact that in three days of trips, we were not able to force her to work on a breakdown, it is also not possible to present the complaints about the smoothness of the passage.

 





A pleasant surprise
It is generally accepted that the 1.6-liter gasoline engine is optimal for golf class. Accordingly, heavier compactwenes, built just on the basis of category C models, is ideal for a slightly more powerful 1.8-liter unit. Such cars have visited our test. True, with an equal working volume of Safir more powerful than the Mazda by as much as 25 liters. With. Significant difference. It was only in fact that sometimes it seemed that the advantage in the horsepower is on the side ... Mazda. The character of the Opelian motor turned out to be so frankly high -speed. At a traffic light, you quickly get used to playing gas with a pedal, artificially increasing momentum, otherwise a confident start will not work. And only when the arrow of the tachometer exceeds 4000 rpm, does the advantage of additional horses begin to be traced. At speeds of 140 km/h and above the backwater is noticeably temperamental, and a confident gain in maximum speed should not surprise.
 

But the Mazda is much more convenient in the city of the engine confidently pulling almost from idle revolutions. However, there are no problems with overtaking on the highway either. And this despite the modest, seemingly 115 liters. With. Moreover, the dynamic five remains, even if in the cabin five adults up to 140150 km/h at least. In a word, Mazda has a great motor.
 

The brakes did not disappoint. On both cars there are disco mechanisms both in front and from behind, so that compactwane is not afraid of sharp decelerations from high speeds. ABS also works quite soundly, which does not interfere in the actions of the driver ahead of time. The only claim is a slight side lean when braking with 140160 km/h. However, the family compactwegers cannot still be approached with the standards of the athlete from BMW.

 





Kaifa plan
We more than once praised Astra for handling. Now imagine that a quarter of a ton of ballast was loaded into it and increased the center of gravity. How do you think the handling of such a car should change? But at least we did not guess, we did not find any evidence of the changes in the worst in the character of the Safira. This compactwane has a perfectly configured steering wheel and a very dexterous chassis. Safira gradually inflams the driver's temperament, forcing the turns to go more actively. At the same time, she is obedient and humble on a high -speed highway, where she does not bother the driver with screening and vertical rocking at 160 km/h. In a word, for a small bus Opel is controlled by a hard five.
 

The honor of the donor chassis from the Mazda-3 and five did not shame the honor of the donor chassis. Unlike the younger sister, she may not have such a tight steering wheel, but to make him complaints about uninformativity means to scream his soul. The car, without hesitation, one might say, is happy to change the trajectory of movement, showing a reliable character on a high -speed line. And transverse rolls in corners are much lower than expected. It is nice when, by definition, unsportsmaning cars can bring joy from driving.
 





Almost great
The results of both compactwenes in the EuroNCAP crash tests cannot but rejoice. Both Opel and Mazda earned the maximum possible five stars. So, of course, of course, there was no doubt about the assessment of the safety of the Mazda, excellent. After all, even the basic performance of the five includes six airbags and ABS. And starting with the touring configuration, the list of equipment will be supplemented with track control and a dynamic stabilization system. A great example to follow.
 

 
This picture clearly shows that the inflatable curtains of the Mazda protect passengers of all three rows of seats


The standard equipment of Opel also includes ABS, front and two side airbags. But for inflatable curtains we are offered to pay $ 800. Moreover, the buyers of the simple version of the Essench will have to fork out, and those who aimed at the Cosmo top version. Disorder. Especially considering the fact that it was the curtains that helped to conquer five Eurocapas stars. And if so, then we are forced to remove half a bell from the well -deserved five Opel.
 

Not everything is so chocolate
The price list for the backbone begins with a very appetizing $ 19,990. It is tempting, because for this amount you are offered a 7-seater car with good equipment with safety products and an electric packet. It would seem that $ 1000 for the air conditioning and rejoice and rejoice. The only problem is that Safira-Essench implies a weak 1.6-liter engine with a capacity of 100 liters. With. For one and a half -ton car, its possibilities are enough only if you drive around the city alone. But if you use all seven seats for its intended purpose, and even visit the suburban highway, then the 1.8-liter Ango for $ 22,690 looks much more interesting. Yes, and the equipment itself is richer. Here is not only a 140-horsepower engine, but also air conditioning, and CD magnet, and heating the seats. Even adding such optional, but very spectacular alloy wheels and metallic color you will remain within 23 thousand. In other words, in the camp of 7-seater compactwenes there are simply no equal in price.
 

After all, a 7-seater Mazda costs at least $ 23,900 (a five-seater option is cheaper). But despite the optimal set of passive safety tools and an unconditionally talented 1.8-liter engine, you will not buy such a venue without air conditioning, metallics and with only one receiver. These options plus the CD-Magnetic and the flight comprehensive comprehensive comprehensive compartment will raise the price of $ 2150 so they exceeded 26 thousand. Light alloy wheels and tinted rear windows increase the price of another 700 green. And nothing remains before the cost of a 2-liter Mazda ... The price at the level of Korolla-Verso certainly deprives the Mazda of a fair amount of charm. And even the three -year factory guarantee does not look like a decisive advantage over the saline, with its 24 carefree months.

    
We decided:

It will not be a big mistake to call Safir and Mazdu-5 one of the best, if not the best compactwenions today. The talents of these cars extend much further than the convenience of entering/output, command landing and a supply of space above the heads of passengers. Both also have a spacious 7-seater salon, roomy trunk, bright appearance, very good dynamics and handling, high passive safety. What is not a portrait of the perfect family car? Moreover, Safira was able to resist the temptation and not to appoint an exorbitant price for her services. Yes, of course, about $ 23,000 for the optimal 140-horsepower Ango do not seem to be dumping. But the same equipped Astra will save you no more than $ 1,5002,000. And she is by no means so convenient when transporting voluminous luggage, and she has only five places. So it is Safira (, the average rating of 4.5) that turns out to be the winner of our test.

But the five in the Mazda index (, the average rating is 4.3), unfortunately, does not belong to the price. Being $ 3,0004,000 more than Safira, it does not show any good reasons for such a solid overpayment. Japanese quality? Sports image? The novelty of the model? Will be for you. Alas, a versatile gifted five at the current prices is most likely awaits the unenviable fate of the Corolla-Versso and Fr-V, namely, in the sales reports, shade the excellent results of the crooked queen and Sivik.
 
 
Mikhail Medvedev, photo of Maxim Goncharov
 
 
 
 
 
 

Source: Magazine buy a car [14/2006]