2000 Vauxhall Zafira Elegance 1.8 from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Excellent, practical family MPV

Faults:

The only things that have "gone wrong" in almost 3 years are

- one headlight bulb,

- worn tires (no surprise after 40,000 miles!)

- the tab that keeps the washer bottle cap in place snapped

- one fog lamp smashed by a stone.

General Comments:

Pleasantly surprised at how well the car handles and very pleased with how responsive the engine is (particularly compared with my Galaxy, that had a larger engine!).

Now I am used to the high up driving position of MPV s I would be reluctant to go back to a "normal" car.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 22nd April, 2003

2000 Vauxhall Zafira Elegance 1.8 from UK and Ireland

Summary:

A brilliant solution for the 4 child family

Faults:

Only one real problem, a tendency to cut out on deceleration, particularly at roundabouts on main roads, the last one was a bit scary on a fast road, fully loaded and suddenly no real brake power.

Any way took it in for a service and got told that the throttle housing needed replacing and this would solve the problem for £288. Asked the dealer to complain to Vauxhall as it was a known problem that made the car dangerous.

End result problem appears to have been fixed for free by local dealer. Apparently Vauxhall will authorise the work on any car under three years old, with less than 60,000 miles on the clock.

The dealer also gave me a £25 discount on the price of the front brake pads that needed fitting.

General Comments:

A brilliant solution for the 4 child family.

Spectacularly boring, but succeds to do most things well.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 9th November, 2002

2000 Vauxhall Zafira Elegance 2.0TDi from UK and Ireland

Summary:

A roomy all rounder

Faults:

The Service Required indicator was not reset by the dealer prior to delivery.

A bolt on the engine worked loose.

Both front fog lights have suffered stone damage.

Heavy oil consumption, to the point that the engine rattled. There was no low oil light though.

General Comments:

Windscreen wipers do not swipe far enough on the drivers side - coupled with the wide door pillar, this leaves a large blind spot in rain.

The center seat of the middle row should have a 3-point seat belt instead of just a lap strap.

An appalling alarm sounds when the keys are in the ignition and the drivers door is open.

The front fog lights should have (cheap) plastic protective covers.

Mediocre fuel economy at just under 40 miles per gallon.

The flexible seating is great - load your car, go visit granny, offload luggage and now you have room for the grandparents (and children).

Rear parking sensors as standard would be a good idea.

The drivers armrest is stupid - when it is down, you cannot access the hand brake, moving the gear stick is awkward, and it is not long enough to comfortably rest an elbow on.

The steering wheel mounted audio controls are positioned such that you must move your hands from the 10-to-2 position to use them.

You cannot stop / start the radio from the steering wheel mounted audio controls.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 7th May, 2002

11th Sep 2003, 03:17

Couldn't agree more re the arm rest in the middle of the two front seats.

Who designed this? I think they couldn't solve the problem and therefore just lived with it.

It is very uncomfortable to change gear / set handbrake with the arm rest down.

23rd Nov 2004, 12:20

I agree about the blind spot which the window wipers and "A" pillar creates. I feel this is a real problem in the design of the car, and I just wondered how many people feel they are affected by this?

12th May 2006, 14:45

I agree with the comments being made. I thought it was just me. Does anyone know what the realistic mileage a 1.8 Zafira will do before major problems occur.

2000 Vauxhall Zafira Elegance 2.0 Dti from UK and Ireland

Summary:

A very clever design which has been very poorly executed

Faults:

Arm reset came loose.

Door restraining arm came works loose.

Piece of metal fell out of driver's mirror in first week.

Drivers door locked itself open and could not be closed.

There must be an elastic band in the throttle linkage because the accelerator response is unpredictable.

Engine management system very poor - has gone into 'limp home mode' three times.

Seat material fine if you enjoy vacuuming the interior on a weekly basis.

General Comments:

Unbeatable for flexibility.

Good miles per gallon for size and capacity.

Good driving position, but poor visibility due to huge pillars.

Wipers (on my model) very poor sweeping pattern for right hand drive.

Fantastically clever design, just a shame they ran out of money to actually build it properly.

Dealer service unremarkable.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 16th April, 2002

21st Mar 2003, 12:42

I have a 1999 1.8 elegance and was surprised to see that your car has similar traits and problems to mine.

I too wondered if the wrong wiper blades had been fitted as there is such a large missed area through the sweep. I am wondering if 2" longer blades could be used and Vauxhall have just been economical.

As to the engine management, there does seem to be an odd delay on initial acceleration. A little disconcerting til I got used to it. I did have the local dealer check it once! An ignition module was replaced under warranty as the car would not tick over.

I run classic cars usually, but family forced a new car. I am surprised that some things are no different from old cars eg the acceleration delay. Like having a carburettor!

Still love the flexibility of the car though. Grandma and Grandad can join us at a drop of a hat!

Darren Checksfield.