First Impressions: Opel Zafira Life

There was a time not that long ago when the MPV market was a lot bigger than it is today and the Opel Zafira was fast becoming a contender in the best-selling MPV in Mzansi. But the rise of the SUV shrunk that MPV demand, causing the most recent Zafira size to be retired, after 3 generations since 1994. That left a gap in the Opel range for a spacious family car that can carry more than five people.

Now that gap has been filled by a new kind of MPV, the new Opel Zafira Life.

The Zafira Life comes in two flavours and features a seven-seat layout as standard, while an eight seat is available as well. Opel also offers an optional premium seat upgrade for the middle row, which replaces the three-seat bench with a pair of swivelling captain’s chairs and a folding table.

The Opel Zafira Life’s overall shape is somewhat familiar, because it’s a sister model to the van-based Citroen SpaceTourer and Peugeot Traveller people carriers. These are not available in Mzansi. The main difference is the Opel-ified front end of the Zafira Life, with a rounded look and a distinctive design that seems to be the result of blending the rounded front of the Citroen with the grille of the Peugeot. It’s a neat look, but aside from the Opel badges, it’s the only difference between the Zafira Life and its sister machines.

It’s a similar story under the skin, where you’ll find the Stellantis 2.0 diesel. Developing 110kW of power and 370 Nm of torque mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission.

The cabin is lifted wholesale from Stellantis models, too. There are two trim levels called Edition (which is geared towards the private hire and mobility conversion markets) and Elegant, the latter of which we drove at launch here. The Elegant model is very well equipped, with heated leather seats, panoramic glass, a rear camera, touchscreen infotainment with navigation, head-up display, and tinted windows all part of the spec list.

The remarkable thing about the Zafira Life is that its van roots create loads of space for passengers and luggage inside, while the sliding side doors mean access is simple, even the tightest spots. There’s also the option of power opening and closing doors for added convenience.

The high-set seats mean you get an SUV-style view of the road ahead, while the assorted driver aids help you to position and manoeuvre the car, and a secondary mirror allows you to keep an eye on the back seats if you need to. The seats in the rear slide back and forth on runners and can even be removed completely, although they are very heavy, and you’ll need somewhere to store them if you want to use the Zafira Life’s full boot capacity.

There’s a huge tailgate at the back, although it raises and lowers fairly easily on its gas struts. If you want quick access to the boot, there’s also separate opening tailgate glass, which allows you to put lighter items in without opening the back completely.

All this practicality is great, but don’t go thinking that the Zafira Life’s roots mean it’s van-like to drive. On the contrary, it has a very car-like feel about the way it drives, with a nimbleness that you won’t find in any other non-Stellantis van-based MPV. The steering is light and quick to respond, while the handling balance is reasonable.

Pricing for the Opel Zafira Life Edition is R749 900 while the Zafira Life Elegance is set at R869 900.

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Papi Mabele

Papi Mabele has a marketing background, he is a digital marketing expert with extensive experience in launching and building global brands in the emerging markets. Papi is also an avid tech writer, enthusiast and all round tech junkie. As a freelance writer and analyst he has been numerously published in Popular Mechanics (SA), GQ South Africa, Premier Magazine, Driven Magazine, Bloem News, Courant, The Weekly, Enthooze Magazine and PiE magazine amongst others.