Like the smaller Meriva, Vauxhall provides ingenious means of reconfiguring the seats with the Zafira Tourer. The middle row is lightly sculpted for three and each seat folds to provide a flat load floor, although there’s no tumbling motion to provide a protective bulkhead behind the front seats.
The outer bolsters of the middle chair’s backrest cleverly fold upwards once it’s dropped forward, to yield a pair of long, padded armrests for the occupants of the outboard seats.
They enjoy good legroom and foot space even when these sliding seats are positioned fairly far forward, and the longer drop from seat to carpet afforded by the Tourer’s floor architecture allows the cushion to support your legs more effectively.
The outer seats can be manoeuvred inboard (imagine the seat veering off into a railway siding as you move it aft), releasing extra elbow room.
The rearmost seats provide fair accommodation for two kids, who will find more legroom here than in many MPVs, although it’s hardly generous.
The panoramic screen improves the view forward for all occupants to quite a surprising degree, but short children in the rear may find the bodywork’s high sides and small windows claustrophobic.
The Zafira provides a trove of small-scale storage – no fewer than 30 cubbies, trays, bins and drinks holders, many lined. The boot isn’t badly dimensioned for an MPV of this kind when the third row is in place, but you’ll need to flatten these seats to provide luggage space for five, never mind seven. The parcel shelf handily stows below the floor.
The cabin is furnished pleasingly. A mix of soft-touch surfaces, chrome and aluminium highlights, double-stitched trim and orange illuminations create a reasonably high-quality ambience. Despite scoring poorly in our visibility test, the Zafira’s slim, twin A-pillar design hides less of the road in practice, and there’s a reversing camera option.
Buyers could choose from six trims – Design, Energy, SRi, SE, Tech Line and Elite.
The entry-level trim equipped the Zafira Tourer with a wealth of standard features, including 17in alloys, cruise control, parking sensors, and LED day-running-lights on the outside. Inside, expect to find air conditioning, Vauxhall’s IntelliLink infotainment system with a 7in touchscreen display, DAB radio, and USB and Bluetooth connectivity, along with the firm’s then new emergency assistance Onstar system complete with Wifi hotspot.
Upgrading to Energy trim brought you sat nav, foglights and some chrome detailings, while SRi models got bigger alloys, sports seats and a three-spoke steering wheel.
The mid-range SE model got a wealth of intelligent technology, including climate control, automatic lights and wipers and lounge seating. Tech Line added sat nav to the SE’s burgeoning equipment list.
The range-topping Elite Zafira Tourer got luxuries such as the panoramic windscreen and sunroof, leather upholstery and heated front seats.