The Vauxhall Zafira Tourer is a decent enough tow car, but it’s not good enough to challenge the best cars in this weight division.
Relatively soft suspension gives a comfortable ride, but it means the Vauxhall isn’t as precise and controlled when towing as it could be. Sharp steering inputs unsettle the car, and it takes a while to recover. Pushed really hard in our lane-change test, the Zafira Tourer lost control of the caravan on the third and fastest run.
At 60mph it feels stable, although most drivers found the Vauxhall noticeably less secure at 70mph. Data from the Al-Ko ATC system showed the caravan moving around when slowing from high speeds.
In the hill-start test, the electronic parking brake held car and caravan still on the 1-in-6 slope. However, it took plenty of revs and clutch slip to pull to the top.
There’s space for seven inside, and with the third row lowered into the floor to leave five seats, we found more than enough room for our typical load of caravan holiday luggage.
With a price tag of less than £26,000, the Vauxhall Zafira Tourer is very good value. What Car?‘s research suggests the actual transaction price will be a lot lower if you haggle. Running costs should be reasonable: the car achieves 57.7mpg on the combined cycle.