So what carries up to seven people in relative comfort and goes like the clappers? The Opel Zafira OPC, of course...
It's simply wicked what Opel has done to its popular people-hauler. Back in 2001 we tested the Zafira and praised it for its flexible seating system and lively two-litre engine but back then we didn't envisage a 177kW turbocharged version that zaps the Zafira to a claimed top speed of 231km/h and from 0-100km/h in a claimed 7.8sec.
We put the Zafira OPC through its paces on a track at Gerotek, west of Pretoria, and clocked 8.2 to 100 but that still puts the MPV in the 'performance' category. Like I said, wicked...
An earlier OPC that appeared in 2005 had 147kW on tap but the current model's 177kW overshadows this.
So what's under the bonnet? The same two-litre, quad-valve turbo engine that powers the Astra OPC is what. Opel says it's the world's fastest production compact MPV. Those of you who remember WesBank Modified racing in the late 1980's and early 1990's might recall the sound of Terry Moss's ferocious Audi turbo changing gears, the engine howling and the wastegate whistling. This Zafira is close.
However, the flip side of this thoroughbred performance is that it comes at a price: R301 060 it significantly more expensive than its rivals.
The Zafira OPC comes with a mind-blowing array of acronyms to help keep that long MPV body on the road at speed. We're talking ESP (stability control), TC (traction control), UCL (understeer control logic), ABS, brake 'assist' and CDC (continuous damping control). They all work together under a system called IDS that networks all driving dynamics into one interactive system.
Sounds complicated but translates into a vehicle that handles surprisingly well for its size. It displays some body lean under hard cornering yet remains predictable with benign understeer. It stays poised on most surfaces but doesn't enjoy severe corrugations.
Then again, not many vehicles do.
The steering provides sufficient feedback and is an improvement on the previous generation but the brake pedal is a bit soggy under hard braking.
Although it carries an OPC badge, the go-fast bling is restrained; a deep front spoiler is part of the front bumper, as are recessed fog lights. A 15mm lower ride, six-spoked 18" alloy rims, a rear roof spoiler and twin tailpipes tell you this no normal Zafira.
LOTS OF PAMPER FACTOR
Those familiar with the Astra will feel quite at home in a Zafira, although the racing touch of the Astra is maintained with leather Recaro front seats, a three-spoked leather-clad steering wheel and gear shifter though the seats are supportive but narrow. Blue OPC dials with red pointers, drilled metal pedals, OPC carpets and OPC sill plates distinguish it from its slower brethren.
The Zafira has an abundance of pamper features with power windows and mirrors, aircon with a pollen filter, and a radio/CD player with seven speakers that is attached to controls on the steering wheel.
The trump card for the Zafira, perhaps, is its flexibility and ability to morph from a streamlined minibus carrying seven people into a load-carrying, one-seat van. It's called the Flex7 seating system and has three rows of seats arranged 2-3-2. The rearmost seats fold flat into the boot floor when extra cargo space is needed at the press of a button - .release the locking mechanism, push the head restraint and flip the seat over into its recess.
ADRENALIN RUSH
With two people in the second row of seats, a through-loading hatch can be used to accommodate long objects; with seven occupants, however, luggage space is minimal - the solution is a trailer.
Maximum load volume is 1700 litres. Text source: Star Motoring
VERDICT
Space, practicality and the adrenalin rush engendered by the OPC badge set this SUV high on the want-to-have rather than need-to-have scale.