Zafira GSI, Info please chaps.
Discussion
Hi everyone, I currently have an '02 Octavia VRS which is great, I have had it 2.5 years now and fancy a change. Criteria is it's replacement has to be a family car, has to be a bit different from the run of the mill and has to be nicely specced and fairly nippy when needs be. I stumbled accross these whilst browsing the classifieds and would love a bit of PH knowledge on them, over to you guys!
VRSAndy said:
Hi everyone, I currently have an '02 Octavia VRS which is great, I have had it 2.5 years now and fancy a change. Criteria is it's replacement has to be a family car, has to be a bit different from the run of the mill and has to be nicely specced and fairly nippy when needs be. I stumbled accross these whilst browsing the classifieds and would love a bit of PH knowledge on them, over to you guys!
This is just personal preference, but do you really need the extra space of the zaf over the octavia? I'm not much of an MPV fan to begin with, and wouldnt want to be found dead in a vauxhaul.Surely there are various non run of the mill estates which can fill the shoes of the octavia? We've had a fair bit of talk about W8 passats for instance, dull on the outside, but very interesting engine etc..
I need a large boot hatchback due to having a dog with another one on the way, the Octavia has a huge boot which is perfect but the cabin is starting to feel too small in the back. I've looked into estates but can't find any that tick all the boxes with most of them being a bit ordinary. I chose the Skoda over the equivalent Audi or Volkswagen as it was slightly left field and under the radar of most people hence the thoughts of the Zafira for the same reason.
E.T.A i'm open to suggestions though, come on guys tempt me.
E.T.A i'm open to suggestions though, come on guys tempt me.
It's not very PH but since I've just bought one all be it the 3.2 V6, if you considered the Zafira have a look at the Signum the later ones used the 2.8l turbo V6 engine with 250bhp on tap. I can vouch they are huge in the back, I'm 6'4" and can have plenty of room even when the drivers seat is fully back. Rear seats fold fully flat and when they're up the boot is plenty big enough for my lab. You could also spec a fridge where the middle seat would be in the back with power points etc too.
Mines comfortable, practical, has reasonable performace and for me was a bargain.
Mines comfortable, practical, has reasonable performace and for me was a bargain.
Zafiras are shocking to drive. Once you drive one, I suspect your idea might change. Sadly, not many manufacturers thought performance and MPV went together. Mazda do a 5 Sport but it won't set any roads on fire. Ford do the S-Max but not sure if that's in budget. I think you need some fast estate.
Pentoman said:
Contrary to above I recall Zafira getting great reviews to drive, the GSI in particular. All depends what you view as a good drive I suppose.
Only tried one, and recall it wasn't bad to drive. Better than the Subaru Forester I was swapping it with.
http://www.evo.co.uk/carreviews/evolongtermtests/35706/vauxhall_zafira_gsi.htmlOnly tried one, and recall it wasn't bad to drive. Better than the Subaru Forester I was swapping it with.
LuS1fer said:
Zafiras are shocking to drive. Once you drive one, I suspect your idea might change. Sadly, not many manufacturers thought performance and MPV went together. Mazda do a 5 Sport but it won't set any roads on fire. Ford do the S-Max but not sure if that's in budget. I think you need some fast estate.
I am very much biting my tounge trying not to shout (r)s4, affraid they arent really all that left-field, being audi and all.LuS1fer said:
Hmm. Autocar it was that rated it a bit better. Still, doesn't sound that bad for a tall 7 seater. It's all relative I guess.It depends how you get your kicks, I suppose. I once had an Astra 16v GTE which I found immensely frustrating to drive despite its power and speed. Only car I've eevr had which I had to sell as I disliked it so much. I'd much rather drive something you can wring the neck of because less power doesn't mean less speed if you've got a good chassis under you.
Ah but the rs4 IS the rarer choice, which is what I like. Just to try and give you an Idea of a few past cars and what i'm looking for at the minute , first car was a Fiat cinqucento sporting, but as they were pretty common to see in normal spec I had to have the abarth model, next up I fancied a phase 1 106 but thought the xsi was too normal so bought the rallye version, next up I fancied a Polo GTI but kept seeing them everywhere so bought the Lupo GTI instead. I don't mind 'normal' cars, it just has to be the none obvious model.
This would be my choice over the Vauxhall:
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2012...
Very much a sleeper and 220bhp for the thrills. I'm sure this could be notched up and tuned with a mild remap too
IIRC it's a detuned version of the Focus ST engine (happy to be corrected though).
ETA - I think the Zafi GSI's are a great alternative to the run of the mill MPV, but for soemthing under the radar, I don't think it is. I see plenty of them about, mostly in that nice bright blie colour and they certainly don't go under the radar!
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2012...
Very much a sleeper and 220bhp for the thrills. I'm sure this could be notched up and tuned with a mild remap too
IIRC it's a detuned version of the Focus ST engine (happy to be corrected though).
ETA - I think the Zafi GSI's are a great alternative to the run of the mill MPV, but for soemthing under the radar, I don't think it is. I see plenty of them about, mostly in that nice bright blie colour and they certainly don't go under the radar!
Edited by Mikeyplum on Friday 24th August 09:32
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