Great Family Car (Vauxhall Zafira Life 1.6 5dr)

Member Name: emmakate06

Product:	Vauxhall Zafira Life 1.6 5dr
Date:	07/06/09 (81 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: 7 Seats

Disadvantages: Cannot pull rear seats forward whilst car chairs fitted

I bought this car on an 06 plate in December 2007 for £10995 with 10000 miles on the clock. I found this to be a good price since it was on average miles, excellent condition and only 8 months old. The decision to buy this car was prompted due to the new car seat laws. Having two children myself and due to the fact we often take our niece out we needed something that would accomodate 3 car seats which most cars now fail to do.
Exterior - The exterior of this vehicle is modern and I feel stylish too. It does not look bulky and oversized in appearance and could decieve people into thinking its actually just a large car. There is a nice shape to it and ours also has alloy wheels which I feel just finishes the car off. It is available in a variety of different colours with coordinating interior so is worth shopping around as interior styles can vary a lot depending on whether they were upgraded when purchased brand new.

Interior - Very comfortable, ours is a basic grey patterned cloth interior which is very warm and comfortable and easy to clean. I often find cloth better than leather as this can be too hot in the summer and very cold to sit on the winter. The front of the car feels quite airy and spacious which is great if on a long journey as you dont feel too cramped. The drivers seat and steering wheel is adjustable so can be adjusted to suit your needs. The controls by the steering wheel are easy to use and provides access to you windscreen wipers, indicators, horn, and stereo system. The noise from the indicators is not very loud so you may forget to switch them off at times if you often depend on a reminder. The horn is not very loud either and does have a kind of muffled sound. The switch for lights is located on the dash just to the right of the wheel. There are controls for the windows and mirrors also.
The second row of seats are comfortable too and all three seats feature an over the shoulder seatbelt rather than the middle just having a lap belt which is a good feature. 3 car seats can be accomodated at a push though would be too cramped for long journeys. We often put the two baby seats in the second row and our 7 year old likes to ride in the rear. However this can cause problems as leaves little room for prams, shopping and whatever else you may normally store in your boot. It does also mean that with the car seats fixed our son has to climb in through the boot. Not that he minds doing this but not very appropriate. This is because you have to bring the second row of seats forward which is not possible to do when there are car chairs involved unless your willing to keep taking them out.

The rear seats are easy to pull up and put away and when both are down there is ample storage space, plenty to accomodate a pram and shopping. There is also a boot cover which slides out to keep your belongings out of sight.
Gadgets - We searched high and low to find a model which had incorporated sat nav and dvd system though to no avail, so had to purchase these extra so they do not look nicely fitted and we have to put up with the sucker mark on the windscreen that the majority of sat nav systems leave. There is a cigarette lighter in the rear which is ideal for the kids dvd systems or to charge your phone and prevents wires dragging through the car.

Driving - I find this vehicle very easy to drive and very comfortable, It does feel slightly wide inside and it is hard to judge distances when parking forwards sometimes as I cant see past the bonnet (only 5'1) so often tend to just reverse park as very easy to see out of the large rear window. It is a very smooth drive and handy for school runs and for when you children want friends round after school. Not too sure on fuel consumption as I tend to just fill the tank as and when I need it and havent really noticed how often this is.
Overall I feel this is a great family car though would have enjoyed a few more gadgets and luxuries in it myself without having to purchase things extra. Few problems with seating arrangements though is suffice for our needs. I wouldnt really recommend to anyone with more than children as would be way too cramped with no storage either.

This is my own review which is also on Ciao.

Summary: Great Family Car at a good price.

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