Test Drive Opel Zafira 2006 - 2008 Minivan

Minivan for Egoista

Family minivan, say? Oh well. Having traveled behind the wheel of Zafira OPC, I realized that not every child, not every wife, and even more so no every mother-in-law would agree on such a journey.

 
Opel plays an adult. The company acquires his own person. It is the face, and not a non-absorber mask, as ten or twenty years ago. One of the most recognizable and interesting features of the ODS versions offered by now almost for the entire model range of the company. Serious, I must say versions. Fast. Each spoils blood to competitors in its segment. That Astra ORS will show the best time among classmates on Nordshaife, then Corsa. Now, Opel's asset has the fastest disposable on the Zafira OPC planet.
 
People knowledgeable, of course, immediately distinguish the ODS version from ordinary Zafira. First of all in color. In such bright blue metallic, mass oplaires do not paint. In fairness, I will say that the car with the ORS socket can also be white, black or bright red. But it is this deep shade of blue the most noticeable, catchy and original. Well, the disks by 18 inches of the corporate 6-spoke design also give out difficult Opel. And looked at it, you can see a concise body kit with a large air intake in the front bumper, two chrome-plated trapezoids of the back and a modest ODS inscription on the trunk doors. There is no pure tuning tuning.
 
And this is good. This allows you to make a mock on the threads in a stream. The car playing is gaining maximum 230 km / h, which makes it easy to break away from most of the persecutors. No one simply expects such a bump from a family seven-leaved car!
 
Yes, Zafira and in the modification of ORS damn is spacious. The Flex7 system, known in the past generation of the model, allows you to make a two-, five-or seven-seed salon with minimal effort. At the same time, dismantling the seats do not need, they just fold into the floor. It is uncomfortable to sit on the last row, but being inside, you feel quite comfortable. In a long journey, of course, you will not go, but an hour-another road to giving a person with an increase of up to 180 cm will endure quite. The trunk with the current third row is reduced to microscopic 140 liters. But is it often to travel by all? In the five-seater version, the volume reaches 645 liters, and with a folded medium row of gigantic 1820 liters. But all this, as we have noted, there is also a conventional Zafira.
 
Front sports chairs Recaro main and most noticeable OPC prerogative. Sit down in them is a pleasure, the body is perfectly fixed. Given the magnitude of the transverse accelerations, which is capable of ZAFIRA OPC, such a pronounced side support thing is unchecked. Yes, and the recaro logo on the back warm the soul.
 
The range of longitudinal adjustment seemed insufficient, and the landing turned out to be slightly higher than I would like. But here nothing can be done by the costs of the seven-bed layout of the inner space. Another sacrifice on which you have to go in the sake of sportiness, discover side support rollers, which make a little difficult landing. If the head of the family gather to rolling down on his super-box office to a business meeting, then the jacket is better to take off, otherwise it will face. The central part of the pillows of all seats is made of ribbed vinyl with good friction properties. These inserts are of the same blue as the car itself. The lines on the skin of the chairs, on a plump, very soft to the touch of the ram and on the lever, the gearbox is also made in blue threads in the tone. Stylishly looks salon.
 
Gorgeous visibility, a lot of glasses. Click on the engine start button. He is familiar to Astra OPC: the same 240 forces and 320 Nm of the moment. In response, I hear the bass rumbling of a customized exhaust. Quilly, without excess pathos, but the power is felt. PPCs here 6-speed, mechanical. Seriously. The first, we went. No, I did not go, rushed! Motor, who displetely drove something vague on low revs (up to 2000), slightly spinning, spoke more fun, and after 3000, with rage, wrapped all his 240 forces on the front driving wheels. The first twisted instantly, the ESP icon was constantly blinked on the panel. The second is almost as fast, the ESP continues to wink. Up to hundreds, I am already on the third. No, I do not do, but per annoying in less than 8 seconds.
 
Along the way, I note a very short box (the sixth gear on the highway is completely running) and excellent switching even on high speed. Quickly, very fast for Zafira. If the kids were sitting at the back and ate sweets, then at best everyone would be thoroughly drowned, and in the worst might be suppressed. Drinking the driver will also not work adaptive suspension IDS Plus2 is tuned hard, shakes pretty. But in energy intensity it can not be denied. Lying policemen, not to mention less tangible irregularities, passes although with tangible jerseys, but very assembled, without a hint of a split even at quite high speeds. And there are no suspension breakdowns.
 
On the front panel there is a Sport key. The manufacturer declares that it makes the suspension even more tough, the steering wheel is clearer, and the gas is more sensitive. About the gas and steering wheel agree, it is obvious. But changes in the suspension are less noticeable. Comfort, which was not too much, suffering, and the character of manageability almost does not change. But it does not matter, because the Zafira OPC is perfect. Clearly, without delay it is necessary to move the steering wheel and at the same time it is very slightly cubed for a car with such a high center of gravity. Let's say thanks to thick stabilizers of transverse stability and again IDS Plus2.
 
Outpations on external radius become commonplace, the car is firmly in turning to most serial vehicles inaccessible. The only enemy is an excess of power. If it is almost no felt on straight lines, then the internal unloaded wheel constantly drops in the turns. A self-locking differential is suggested here. But it would be already too much for a family car. This family climbs again
 
How to be? How to learn to easily move in this mad car when it really needs? When is the wife, children, dog, finally?! I will try to ride slowly, preferred. I will not turn the engine above 3000, I promise the steering of sharp movements to do not do, and the roads will learn to go smoothly, rather than fly in the wild. It turns out, but with difficulty. Masochism smacks! But the household calmed down, and the dog stopped flying to the trunk and here. But the graduation system after quick ride warmed up and provocatively bass is even louder, poured oils into the fire they say, come on, that you stopped, pressing gas! Fucking!
 
Lord, I want to stay alone now. One in such a seemingly not a selfish vehicle, like a seven-seater minivan Opel Zafira OPC!
 
Prices and equipment

Opel Zafira OPC is sold in Russia in the only, rather rich configuration. It includes climate control, active Ids Plus2 pendant, front armchairs Recaro, parking sensors, leather multifunctional steering wheel, MP3 stereo system + navigation, xenon and 4 airbags. The price of the world's fastest minivan is established in the amount of approximately 972,000 thousand rubles.
 
Dmitry Krotov
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A source: Motor magazine [November 2007]