Opel Zafira: history, nicknames and how to spot one

At a glance

81–237 hpPower

7.8–17 s0–100 km/h

160–231 km/hTop speed

133–400 N·mTorque

1,317–1,685 kgWeight

The coral arc spans the family, from its mildest version to its wildest.^{2,3,4,6,10,13}

Engine: A/B: 1.6–2.2 L I4s; Tourer: 1.4–2.0 L I4s; petrol, diesel, CNG/LPG⁴
Layout: Front engine, front-wheel drive⁴
Gearbox: 5/6-speed manual; B: 4/6-speed automatic or 5-speed Easytronic^4,7
Built at: Bochum, Germany (A/B/C); Rüsselsheim, Germany (C); Gliwice, Poland (B)⁴
Units built: First generation: about 1.4 million built by February 2005⁷

The story

Made for buyers needing more space than an Astra wagon without moving up to a Sintra, the Zafira spanned three generations from 1999 to 2019. The original's Flex7 system seated seven without making owners lift chairs out.^1,3,4

GenerationsBefore and afterMilestones^1,4,20,21

Show the numbers

Year	What happened
1996–1999	Opel Sintra
1999–2005 (Europe)	Opel Zafira A (T98)
2005–2014	Opel Zafira B (A05)
2011–2019	Opel Zafira Tourer (C) (A11)
2019–	Opel Zafira Life
1999	Zafira A arrives, seats stay aboard
2001	OPC adds a 189 hp turbo
2003	A facelift and 197 hp for the OPC
2005	Zafira B grows, Flex7 evolves
2006	8:54.38 at the Nürburgring
2008	B facelift adds three new engines
2011	Tourer C arrives above Zafira Family
2016	Tourer loses its boomerang lamps
2019	Passenger-car Zafira production ends

1999
Zafira A arrives, seats stay aboard
The Astra G-based A seats seven with a floor-folding third row and wins the Golden Steering Wheel in its first sales year.^1,4
2001
OPC adds a 189 hp turbo
The A OPC pairs a 5-speed manual with 0–100 km/h in 8.2 seconds and 220 km/h, making it Europe's fastest minivan at launch.^4,5
2003
A facelift and 197 hp for the OPC
A split grille and revised rear lights freshen the A; the OPC's 2.0-liter turbo rises from 189 to 197 hp for model year 2003.^5,6
2005
Zafira B grows, Flex7 evolves
The B adds cabin space and offers IDSPlus adaptive dampers, AFL xenons and a glass roof with five bins. Flex7 gains a 40:20:40 middle row.^1,4,7,8
2006
8:54.38 at the Nürburgring
Manuel Reuter gives the Zafira OPC a compact-MPV lap record on the 20.8 km Nordschleife; its chassis includes IDSPlus damping and 321 mm front discs.^9,10
2008
B facelift adds three new engines
A 113 hp 1.6 replaces the 104 hp unit, joined by 108 hp and 123 hp 1.7 CDTI diesels; chrome trim and clear rear-light chambers mark the update.¹¹
2011
Tourer C arrives above Zafira Family
The Geneva concept becomes the bigger C Tourer with Flex7 Plus and three separate middle seats. The cheaper B stays until 2014; A/B sales top 2.2 million.^1,4
2016
Tourer loses its boomerang lamps
Opel drops Tourer from the name; the facelift replaces the boomerang lamps and brings a touchscreen dashboard.^4,12
2019
Passenger-car Zafira production ends
The C ends its run as the van-based Zafira Life takes over, closing the three-generation passenger-car line begun in 1999.⁴

Every generation

Opel Sintra1996–1999
T981999–2005 (Europe)
A052005–2014
A112011–2019
Opel Zafira Life2019–

Power over the years

From 81 hp to 237 hp in 6 years.

^{3,4,5,8,10,11,14,15,16}

Show the numbers

Year	Horsepower	Model
1999	81	2.0 DI X20DTL
2000	123	1.8 Z18XE
2001	189	A OPC Z20LET
2003	197	A OPC, model year 2003
2005	104	1.6 Twinport Z16XEP
2005	148	2.2 Direct Z22YH / 1.9 CDTI
2005	237	OPC 2.0 Turbo Z20LEH
2008	113	1.6 petrol update
2013	134	Tourer 1.6 CDTI B16DTH
2013	168	Tourer 1.6 SIDI Turbo
2013	192	Tourer 2.0 BiTurbo CDTI A20DTR
2014	197	Tourer 1.6 SIDI Turbo

Versions

10 versions worth knowing, with their power.

Standard

Zafira A Comfort / Elegance / Njoy / Executive

1999–2005
Standard

Zafira B Edition / Sport / Cosmo

2005–2011
Standard

Zafira Tourer Selection / Edition / Innovation

2012–2016
Standard

Vauxhall Tourer: Design, Energy, SRi, SE, Tech Line, Elite
Standard

Zafira B CNG / CNG Turbo / LPG ecoFLEX
Performance

Zafira A OPC / GSi Turbo

2001–2005

197 hp
Performance

Zafira B OPC / VXR

2005–2010

237 hp
Special

Zafira A Edition 2000 / Sportsline

2000–2002
Special

Zafira Tourer Active / STYLE / drive

2012–2016
Limited

Zafira B First Edition

2005

How to spot one

Look for

Standard Zafira A: unpainted side moldings wrap around the arches and across both bumpers.⁶
Zafira A: Astra G-like headlights have a distinct kink along their upper edge.⁶
Standard Zafira B: three wide, trapezoidal intakes span the front bumper.¹³
Zafira B: a chrome strip across the tailgate links the rear lights.¹³
Early Zafira Tourer: boomerang-shaped headlights define the front end.¹²

Year by year

2003
Zafira A gains a grille divided into two sections, a reshaped front bumper and revised taillight graphics.⁶
2005
Zafira B brings a longer, lower body and a roofline that slopes down toward the rear.^15,19
2008
Zafira B gets a broad chrome grille bar, chrome-look headlight housings and two clear chambers in the taillights.^11,15
2016
Tourer loses its boomerang headlights; a conventional front end, touchscreen center console and redesigned steering wheel arrive.¹²

Don’t confuse it with

Zafira
Subaru Traviq
Subaru Traviq
Zafira A twin sold in Japan: look for Subaru branding on the rebadged Opel body.^4,20

Against its rivals

Zafira vs VW Touran 2.0 TDI

Base price lower is better

Zafira26,095 €

VW Touran 2.0 TDI25,125 €
²²
Zafira vs Honda FR-V Comfort

Base price lower is better

Zafira26,095 €

Honda FR-V Comfort24,350 €
²²
Zafira vs Citroen Grand C4 Picasso e-HDi 115

Power

Zafira134 hp

Citroen Grand C4 Picasso e-HDi 115112 hp
²³

Prices

Value today $3.2K–$8.6K¹⁸

Price when newValue today

^{5,8,14,15,16,17}

Show the numbers

Year	Price	Amount	Detail
2002	Price when new	$26,649	Germany A OPC, approx. USD
2003	Price when new	$32,764	Germany A OPC, approx. USD
2004	Price when new	$34,887	Germany A OPC, approx. USD
2005	Price when new	$35,055	Germany A OPC, approx. USD
2005	Price when new	$24,788	Germany B base, approx. USD
2012	Price when new	$29,606	DE Tourer Selection, approx. USD
2012	Price when new	$32,315	DE Tourer Edition, approx. USD
2012	Price when new	$34,578	DE Tourer CDTI ecoFlex, approx. USD
2012	Price when new	$35,540	DE Tourer Sport, approx. USD
2012	Price when new	$37,217	DE Tourer Innovation, approx. USD
2026	Value today	$3,240–$8,640

The rest of the story is in the app

The full file tells why each version matters, the legend behind the car and what to check before buying one.

Versions
- Why each of the 10 versions matters
Legend
- 12 stories from its legend
- “8:54.38: a compact van's Nordschleife record”
- “9,696 km in 38 days on hydrogen”
Generations
- The story of each of the 5 generations
Market
- 5 things to check before buying one
- Where prices are heading, and why

Read the full file in SPOT

SPOT is free on iPhone. Full car files come with SPOT Plus.

Sources

Every fact on this page links to the source it rests on.

See all 30 sources

OPEL CELEBRA LOS 15 AÑOS DEL SISTEMA DE ASIENTOS FLEX7 clasicosalvolante.com
Vauxhall Zafira VXR | evo evo.co.uk
Vauxhall Zafira (1999 - 2005) used car review | RAC Drive rac.co.uk
Opel Zafira - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org
Ascona C Info Seite - Opel Zafira A OPC ascona-info.de
Opel Zafira A - Wikipedia it.wikipedia.org
Weltpremiere auf dem 75. Genfer Automobilsalon / Der neue Zafira: Die zweite ... | Presseportal presseportal.de
Der neue Zafira: Ausstattungsbereinigt günstiger als der Vorgänger | Presseportal presseportal.de
Rundenrekord des Zafira OPC auf der Nürburgring-Nordschleife | Presseportal presseportal.de
Weltpremiere auf dem 75. Automobilsalon in Genf / Der neue Zafira OPC: Exklusiver ... | Presseportal presseportal.de
Facelift Opel Zafira - AUTO BILD autobild.de
Vauxhall Zafira Tourer (2012 - 2018) review | Auto Express autoexpress.co.uk
Opel Zafira B - Wikipedia it.wikipedia.org
opel-infos.de opel-infos.de
opel-infos.de opel-infos.de
opel-infos.de opel-infos.de
Opel Zafira Tourer: Preise - AUTO BILD autobild.de
Opel Zafira A OPC (2001 – 2004), le premier monospace de sport, dès 3 000 € caradisiac.com
So gut wie der Vorgänger? - AUTO BILD autobild.de
Opel Zafira (1999). La contribution inattendue de Porsche au monospace - L'argus largus.fr
Opel Sintra - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org
Opel Zafira gegen VW Touran und Honda FR-V - AUTO BILD autobild.de
Citroen Grand C4 Picasso vs Vauxhall Zafira Tourer | Auto Express autoexpress.co.uk
Weiterer Härtetest erfolgreich bestanden: Gelungenes "Monte"-Debüt für ... | Presseportal presseportal.de
Vauxhall Zafira Tourer: More Details carsuk.net
IGCD.net - Internet Game Cars Database igcd.net
Vauxhall Zafira MPV (2005-2014) review | Carbuyer carbuyer.co.uk
Used Vauxhall Zafira review | Auto Express autoexpress.co.uk
Vauxhall Zafira Tourer (2016 - 2018) used car review | RAC Drive rac.co.uk
VE54 LVW | 2005 Vauxhall Zafira - Free History Check | UKCarData.co.uk ukcardata.co.uk

clasicosalvolante.com
evo.co.uk
rac.co.uk
en.wikipedia.org
ascona-info.de
it.wikipedia.org
presseportal.de
autobild.de
autoexpress.co.uk
opel-infos.de
caradisiac.com
largus.fr
carsuk.net
igcd.net

At a glance

The story

Zafira A arrives, seats stay aboard

OPC adds a 189 hp turbo

A facelift and 197 hp for the OPC

Zafira B grows, Flex7 evolves

8:54.38 at the Nürburgring

B facelift adds three new engines

Tourer C arrives above Zafira Family

Tourer loses its boomerang lamps

Passenger-car Zafira production ends

Every generation

Power over the years

Versions

Zafira A Comfort / Elegance / Njoy / Executive

Zafira B Edition / Sport / Cosmo

Zafira Tourer Selection / Edition / Innovation

Vauxhall Tourer: Design, Energy, SRi, SE, Tech Line, Elite

Zafira B CNG / CNG Turbo / LPG ecoFLEX

Zafira A OPC / GSi Turbo

Zafira B OPC / VXR

Zafira A Edition 2000 / Sportsline

Zafira Tourer Active / STYLE / drive

Zafira B First Edition

How to spot one

Look for

Year by year

Don’t confuse it with

Subaru Traviq

Against its rivals

Prices

The rest of the story is in the app

Versions

Legend

Generations

Market

Sources

Photo credits

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