Opel Zafira Reviews

The German maker opens its doors on September 1 with just three cars but admits local buyers will eventually be spoiled for choice.

With the brand getting ready to launch in Australia, it might eventually make it here next year to compete in a growing segment. Opel Mokka is the first German entrant in the growing sub-compact SUV segment. It's a good looking five seater with innovative technologies and an upmarket feel — a bit like a like a distilled version of larger SUV. Mokka can be specified with front or on demand all wheel drive  Power is provided by three engines. All manual transmissions are equipped with fuel saving start/stop system. The petrol engines are an 85 kW, 1.6-litre, naturally-aspirated unit as well as a 103 kW,1.4-litre Turbo with 200Nm.  The turbodiesel is a 93 kW, 1.7-litre CDTI with 300Nm. Both the 1.4 Turbo and the 1.7 CDTI are available with either with six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission. Mokka introduces a string of driver assistance systems based on the Opel Eye front camera system, as well as a rear view camera. The seating that has been certified by AGR — the German healthy back organisation. Mokka also offers a fully integrated, latest generation Flex-Fix bicycle carrier that is exclusive to Opel. The vehicle is designed for people with active lifestyles. Standard features that enhance the driving experience across all Mokka versions include the stability control, hill start assist and hill descent control. The Advanced Adaptive Forward Lighting which increases driving safety includes high beam assist. The new generation Opel Eye front camera is also available. It gives the driver access to several functions including lane departure warning and traffic sign recognition.  

GM's Opel brand launches here next week. We get an exclusive first drive of the range-topping Insignia sedan. There’s a new badge in town and it plans to lay down the law in the mid-size segment.The Opel logo may not be familiar but the cars are no strangers to local roads. In the past they've worn Holden emblems and earned a big following. The Astra we all know. Some might not know that Barina used to be an Opel Corsa.All is about to change with the launch of the German-based brand here. Carsguide has sampled an exclusive pre-production drive of the company's range-topping sedan -- and we like it.Unlike the small car class, price isn't the major buying factor in the mid-size segment. Opel has aimed for the high ground, specifying the Insignia sedan and wagon with enough standard gear to shame most of its competition.Opel's claim to fame in Australia will be German build quality wrapped around Asian car makers' spec levels. Opel isn't claiming to be a prestige brand, so it pits itself against the best of the European mass-market rivals.That means the Volkswagen Passat and Ford's Mondeo are directly in the beam of Insignia's xenon headlamps. The Accord Euro is in the mix as well -- age hasn't wearied the mid-size Honda and its dynamics are still among the best in the class.Pricing hasn't been set but Carsguide expects the base sedan to start about $39,000 -- or right on Passat money. The up-spec Select variant is likely to be about $45,000. They share a 2.0-litre turbo petrol engine -- a turbo diesel of the same displacement will probably be $2000 more -- and the wagon is similarly expected to be a $2000 premium over the sedan.Standard gear on the top model tested by Carsguide includes 19-inch alloys, seven-speaker sound system, dual-zone climate control, seven-inch infotainment display, satnav and automatic lights and wipers.The seats are heated and cooled and are the only production car pews officially approved by the German chiropractic association to help your back -- although there is only electric assistance for lumbar support and vertical adjustment.This is the 2009 European Car of the Year and for very good reason. The engine is crisp, the transmission smooth and there are enough software tweaks to satisfy first-adopter technophiles. European cars have the option of all-wheel drive and that is expected to appear here in the performance OPC model -- if and when Opel Australia announces we're getting the halo variant.A “FlexRide'' adaptive damping system will be an option. The system can be manually adjusted from sport to tour, or left in auto to map its own settings based on the driver and car's behaviour. Not that there's anything wrong with the basic package.The sweeping roofline on the Insignia sedan almost entitles it to four-door coupe status but rear headroom is better than those vehicles. A boot lip spoiler will be standard on Aussie models but was missing from our pre-production drive and the cluttered centre console on our test car will be simplified with an infotainment controller between the front seats.The wraparound look that extends to the doors is slick, unlike the controls on the steering column stalks, which suffer from the fact they're shared with the unloved Holden Epica. But that is one of the few areas where the Opel shows its age as a 2008 model, along with the lack of stowage options for the junk most people pack into a car these days.The upside is that the 500-litre boot should satisfy most owners' haulage needs and there's always the wagon for those wanting greater load capacity.Euro NCAP says the Insignia is a five-star car for safety. All variants have six airbags, electronic stability and traction control linked to the ABS and four-way active headrests, along with seat belt reminders for both front occupants.The biggest criticism of the car from the crash-testing group was for its pedestrian safety -- the sheep who invite disaster by ignoring road rules while walking with buds in their ears might want to stroll in front of something else. Like a bicycle.The Insignia's date with a television camera meant Carsguide couldn't push its dynamics to the limit. Something about paint chips not looking good in the launch commercial. As it transpired, we didn't need to -- the chassis and suspension are right up there with those of the Passat and Mondeo at anything approaching highway speeds.The ride is consistent with Euro-built cars in that it trades initial damping over minor bumps for more suppleness as the pace or severity of the hit increases. There's a touch of play in the steering straight on, but the feel and weight improve as more lock is applied. The brakes are great -- repeated emergency stops didn't faze them -- and acceleration is class-leading at 7.8 seconds from rest to 100km/h.The Insignia ticks most of the boxes -- excluding the non-electric front seats -- for mid-sized buyers. It drives better than most cars in the class, looks good and has an upmarket interior feel. Let the battle commence.

Two long-time Australian favourites, Astra and Corsa - think Barina - are back for business as Opel sets up shop down under. There are actually three models in the Opel start-up crew for September 1, but it's the Astra that is doing the heavy lifting with the baby Corsa as the price leader and the larger Insignia aimed at families.All three feel Germanically strong and solid, based on a 'speed dating' introduction drive today in rural NSW, but it's the price and value that will be crucial as Opel positions itself against Volkswagen in Australia. "The countdown is over. Our arrival in Australia will be something special," says Bill Mott, managing director for Opel Australia.He admits that Opel is getting a head start with the Astra, which was a long-term winner as a Holden, but says the car's following could also cause problems."This Astra is both a real help to us but, as a new brand, an issue that we've got to address. We have to tell the truth and tell the truth well. The truth is that Astra was here and it was always an Opel," he says.We cannot reveal the pricing details yet, but the early impression is pretty good. Especially since Opel picked some truly awful roads that are never going to flatter any car.The Corsa is chunky and solid - although the cabin quality is more like a superseded Korean baby - with the driving feel that will impress people who might shop it against a VW Polo. The seats are a bit bench-like and the dash is dated, but it's still a car that is nice enough to drive.The Insignia is roomy, comfortable and nice to drive. It's also well equipped, but goes up against a huge range of mid-sized rivals from the VW Passat to the Ford Mondeo and the Skoda Superb, a long-term Carsguide favourite.Which brings us to the Astra, which comes as a five-door hatch, five-door wagon and great looking GTC coupe. They will turn heads and also drive well, although we can quibble about details like the overly-firm suspension in a wagon running 18-inch wheels.The headliner is the GTC 1.6 turbo, complete with magnetically-adjustable suspension similar to the system used by HSV, and it will be a solid rival to the Golf GTi. it's not nearly as brisk, but it has a good chassis and nice touches including an adult-sized rear seat.So the first signs are promising, although there is a long way to go and a lot that is still to be discovered. 

The Astra is back. But don't go looking at your Holden dealer for the long-time small-car favourite. This time around, everything but the name has changed as the Astra spearheads a downunder drive by Opel of Germany.Opel always did the Astra, but now it's reclaimed its prize child and is using an impressive new GTC coupe - and a reasonable $23,990 starting price for a five-door hatch - to headline for a three-model lineup that is intended to grow rapidly in a planned challenge to Volkswagen for European bragging rights in Australia.The Astra is joined by the baby Corsa - once the Holden Barina - and the family-sized Insignia, previewed already by Carsguide and available as both a sedan and a wagon called the Sports Tourer.So this is not a just a showroom launch for the Astra, even though it's the key, but a brand launch for Opel. To put the new Opels into focus, they are not pitched back against Holden but up against Volkswagen and Peugeot and some of the upscale Japanese brands. At least, that's the thinking by the Opel planners who have set up 17 dealers around Australia for the start of sales on September 1.The key message from Opel is that the brand is German, led by design, and has similar strengths to Volkswagen. How buyers will react, especially as there are more than 50 different brands in Australia in 2012, is a very big question, but Opel Australia's boss, Bill Mott, is - as you'd expect - confident."The countdown is over. "Customer choices are changing. We believe we have a product and a brand suited to this changing market," says Mott. He promises a growing range and an expanding dealer network, but says Astra is the key. "We're entering in segments which are ... headed for further growth. I think it would be considerably tougher without Astra," he says."This Astra is both a real help to us but, as a new brand, an issue that we've got to address. We have to tell the truth and tell the truth well. The truth is that Astra was here and it was always an Opel."Holden dumped the Astra because it could get cheaper baby cars from Daewoo in Korea, but Opel is doing all it can to build good value into its cars. "I'm confident we have done our homework," says Mott. It's been helped massively by the strength of the Australia dollar, which means the bottom line for an Astra is reasonable but not outstanding.So it runs from $23,990 for the five-door 1.4-litre petrol turbo. That's not great when you can get a similarly-sized Toyota Corolla for less than $20,000, but it's right in the heartland for European small cars and looks good enough against the cheapest Golf at $21,990 with less power and - Opel says - less standard equipment. The mainstream bodies are the five-door hatch and Sports Tourer wagon, while the run up the range goes to the 2-litre turbo diesel from $27,990 and the 1.6-litre turbo petrol from $28,990.An automatic gearbox is a predictable $2000 extra and there are a variety of trim levels and option packs. But the headliner is the GTC coupe, priced from $28,990 with a 1.4 turbo or $34,90 with the punchier GTC. "We really believe the Astra GTC is a unique animal. It's an attainable dream car."Opel has always done great engineering work, getting the basics right on the chassis and moving up from there. There is nothing revolutionary about the Astra package, but the various engines make solid power and torque, there are six-speed manual and automatic gearboxes - auto only in the Sports Tourer - Watts-link rear suspension and things like bi-Xenon lamps, alloys wheels and even an electric boot release and a system that flips the back seat flat in the wagon.Extra equipment includes a premium centre console and even special ergonomic sports seats, as well as an adaptive lighting system with cornering lights and auto dipping. And the GTC?The chassis is tweaked with the usual sports settings, but there is also a HiPerStrut front suspension for better grip and feedback, optional magnetically-controlled Flexride dampers - similar to those used on some HSV Commodores - and 18-inch alloys, electric power steering and more. All Astras come with Bluetooth connectivity.This is a key for Opel, which wants its cars to stand out in traffic. Australian-born Nils Loeb, who heads exterior design at Opel, is special guest at the press preview of the cars and talks passionately about the company's philosophy. "We are the emotional German brand," he says. The cars definitely look good, and the GTC really stands out even against good lookers like the Renault Megane, but it's the attention to detail that is most impressive.The dashboards are more than just flat plastic panels, the switches look and feel good, and Loeb admits Opel chooses bigger wheels for its cars "Because they look good".Six airbags in all models. All cars have five-star EuroNCAP scores. Enough said.Good, but not great. That's the bottom line. Starting at the bottom, the basic Astra hatch feels rock-solid and responsive. The 1.4-litre engine is nothing special but the 1.6 has more than enough go for the job and promises fuel economy better than 8 litres/100km.Looking around, both the hatch and Sports Tourer have impressive design and finishing - way better than the Corsa, which is like an old-generation Korean in the cabin - from the dash layout to the seat comfort. Thankfully, Opel is staying old-school with push-button switches, not a fancy iDrive-style controller, and everything you need is included from solid aircon to the Bluetooth connectivity.The wagon is slightly more impressive than the hatch, thanks to good space in both the back seat and luggage area, and gives nothing away for driving enjoyment. But ... there is wind noise, the tyres rumble a lot on nasty surfaces in regional NSW, and the general feel of the car is not as plush or refined as a Golf. It's nice, for sure, but not any sort of a breakthrough.Which brings us to the GTC. The headliner coupe is seriously cool, and a real looker, yet somehow there seems to have more space in the back seat than in the hatch. The basic car gets along reasonably, not that it will matter to fashion-conscious buyers, but it's the 1.6 with FlexRide suspension that's the one to love.The switchable FlexRide also adjusts the steering and throttle response, taking the car from OK to keen and sharp in milliseconds. It has great grip and can easily cope with more power - as we'll eventually confirm once Opel Australia gets a go-ahead for the hotrod OPC model. The first impression of the Astra is much as expected, particularly after so many years on the books at Holden.The major change is more flair in the design, and a promise that fixed-price servicing will give buyers the confidence they need to commit to the cars.So good, and good enough, but we'll know more once we line the Astra up against the Golf and our current small-car favourite, the Toyota Corolla.

....just as the German brand tweaks its family-focussed Insignia models. The changes caught by Carparazzi are tiny, just work on the nose and tail, to give it the latest family look.

The baby Opel Adam, dubbed Junior in the lead-up to its showing in the UK this week, presents as a smaller Corsa with a similar Opel family face.It will be publicly shown at this year's Paris motor show in September and go on sale in Europe as a Vauxhall and Opel Adam. The timing clicks with the Australian launch of the Opel brand but, says Opel Australia's managing director Bill Mott, the Adam is a long, long way down the track."We are putting all our efforts into the Opel brand launch here,'' he says. "The Adam is not even under consideration - we're not even thinking about it yet.'' Opel will follow the Mini theme by offering Adam in a huge range of combinations of colour, materials, fittings and drivetrains. It will get a new-generation drivetrain including three "ecoFLEX'' four-cylinder petrol engines from the European launch.These are a 52kW 1.2-litre; and two 1.4-litres at 65kW and 75kW. All will be available with stop-start technology and will be mated to a five-speed manual gearbox.But this is a temporary fix as the model will later be available with a three-cylinder, direct-injection turbo-petrol engine mated to a six-speed manual gearbox.Adam is styled by Opel's vice-president of design, Mark Adams and his team in Europe. It is distinguished by a "floating'' roof that is visually disconnected from the body - achieved by using blacked-out pillars and contrasting body and roof colours.Overtones of other Opels include the body crease around the door handle (from the GTC); wing-shaped chrome grille bar (Astra) and the blade shape in the lower doors. It will be available in three trims from launch - JAM fashionable/colourful), GLAM (elegant/sophisticated) and SLAM (racy/sporty).It is promoted as a car that customers can make their own with almost unlimited visual combinations. Customers can even choose their headlining, including an LED-lit starlight roof trim. Also available is a sophisticated infotainment system designed to support new media sources, including Bluetooth, as well as connectivity for smartphones with Android or Apple iOS software.This enables access to internet-based applications, including GPS navigation. It uses a seven-inch, full-colour touch screen. Opel says Adam will break new ground in the A-segment by offering technology normally only found in higher-end cars.An example is the Advanced Park Assist II system, which automatically steers itself into a parking space with the driver only needing to control the brake, clutch and gears. The car is nearly 3.7m long, 1.72m wide and a 2311mm wheelbase but has a wide track. Its size equates to the Holden Barina Spark. 

Those two are among those believed to be among those appointed to sell their GM stabelmate, Opel, when it hits Australia in September.Instead, the German brand will be stocked by multi-brand dealers, some of which sell other European luxury brands. Carsguide believes 16 dealers have so far been appointed and that only two are Holden. However, Opel Australia spokeswoman Michelle Lang says they are "still in the process" of appointing dealers."You'll have to wait another three or four weeks for the full list," she says. "We currently have contracts coming back and the legal processes are under way. "All I can say is we are really pleased with the calibre of dealers." Lang says their target number of dealers is "only 16 or 17 in the first year". "We may be looking at that as time goes on, but they will be metropolitan dealers to begin with. "I can't comment on that (Holden dealers) yet. It's a bit premature at the moment. "Some dealers are multi-dealers that have other German brands." Even though it is part of the American GM stable, Opel is considered a German brand with German engineering and design and manufacture in European countries such as Belgium, Britain, Poland, Russia and, of course, Germany. The brand will launch in Australia with three model ranges - Corsa, Astra and Insignia. Carsguide believes the Corsa may start at under $20,000 to gain a foothold on the showroom floor, but Lang says she cannot confirm. "Your informants are telling you more than I can tell you," she says. The initial launch model line-up will consist of Corsa three- and five-door small hatch, the Astra five-door, Tourer (wagon) and GTC coupe, and the Insignia Sedan and Tourer.Astra was last sold in Australia by Holden in March 2010 when it was built in Belgium and replaced by the Korean-built Cruze. The Astra models coming to Australia will be built at GM's Vauxhall plant in England after workers at the Liverpool plant recently voted on cost savings that included operating 24 hours a day. Opel's hero car, the Astra GTC, recently won the design category of the 2012 Plus X Awards in Germany. It was one of eight awards for the German brand. 

Opel posted a massive a first-quarter loss of $256 million, and has unveiled a plan to reverse its downward slide, which saw sales sink 16 per cent so far this year in Europe, more than double the region's overall drop of 7 per cent.During an extraordinary all-employee meeting at Opel’s Ruesselheim HQ in Germany yesterday, CEO Karl-Friedrich Stracke outlined a 10-point plan to bring the carmaker back into the black.Among the key points was entering new markets like Australia – where Opel launches later this year -- and South America, while expanding in other markets. "We've already successfully introduced Opel to the market in Israel and we'll expand our activities in China, Russia and Turkey," Stracke said.Stracke also said Opel must continue to look at entering new vehicle fields such as the city car (where it has announced the Adam) and the sub-compact SUV (the Mokka). Opel will also consider more alliances, similar to the tie-up with Peugeot Citroen PSA, he said, reassuring the Ruesselsheim staff that any PSA joint projects outlined for France would be matched by others in Germany.General Motors' European unit, Opel/Vauxhall, is open to alliances beyond that with PSA/Peugeot-Citroen and could build a Chevrolet model to take up excess capacity and help it return to profit. In the bid to return to profit, Opel will also review production costs and possibly streamline processes to increase profit margins on every car that rolls off the line, he said.Part of the streamlining plan reinforced reports published by Carsguide last week suggesting that the Astra small car – which will be part of the Australian launch – will no longer be built in Germany. Stracke said the Astra would in future be built in two plants, rather than the current three, suggesting that Astra production at Ruesselheim will stop, leaving it built in the UK and Poland factories."Given the forecasted market volumes, it would not be viable to produce (the Astra) in more than two plants," Stracke said. Opel is also in talks with its GM parent about taking on some of the Chevrolet production currently coming out of Korea to improve capacity usage, he said. However he stressed the plan should not be seen as a cost-cutting plan, saying it was instead “rather a comprehensive plan to quickly improve profitability”. 

The urban hatch, previously known as Junior, is smaller than the Corsa and joins the Opel range in Europe in September. The name comes from founder of the company that takes his name. Adam Opel AG is celebrating its 150th anniversary of a business that started as a sewing machine maker. Opel says the name reflects its starting point and is simple to pronounce in all languages. The Adam is expected to use the Corsa drivetrain that includes a three petrol engines - 1-litre three-cylinder, and a 1.2-litre and 1.4-litre four-cylinder - and a 1.3-litre turbo-diesel. Transmissions include a six-speed manual and six-speed semi-automatic. The car isn't yet confirmed for Australia. Opel will first bed down its three-model launch in Australia with the Astra, Corsa and Indignia from September.