Back in October of 2011, the European New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) submitted an Opel Zafira Tourer to its battery of crash tests to determine the safety worthiness of the Delta platform-based family MPV. As is the case with almost all new Opel/Vauxhall and Chevrolet models, the Zafira earned a maximum five stars overall and very reputable scores in each subsection of the evaluation:
| Adult occupant: | 94% |
| Child occupant: | 83% |
| Pedestrian: | 53% |
| Safety assist: | 86% |
| Overall score: | 5 stars (of 5) |
The safety organization had the following comments about the safety of adult occupants in the vehicle: “The passenger compartment remained stable in the frontal impact. Dummy readings for the passenger indicated good protection of all body areas. There were no structures in the facia which might present a hazard to the knees or femurs, and protection of this body area was rated as good for both driver and front passenger. In the side impact, all body regions were well protected but; in the pole impact, dummy readings of rib compression indicated marginal chest protection. The front seat and head restraints provided good protection against whiplash injuries in a rear-end collision.”
Euro NCAP notes that “The passenger airbag can be disabled to allow a rearward-facing child restraint to be used in that seating position, and clear information was provided to the driver regarding the status of the airbag so the system was rewarded. Permanently attached labels on the sun visor clearly warn of the dangers of using a rearward facing child seat in that position without first disabling the airbag. In the frontal impact, forward movement of the 3 year dummy, sat in a forward facing restraint, was not excessive and, in the side impact, both child dummies were contained within the protective shells of their restraints, minimizing the risk of dangerous head contacts.”
Unfortunately, the Zafira Tourer doesn’t offer good protection for adult pedestrians, as Euro NCAP notes: “Most of the areas likely to be struck by an adult pedestrian’s head offered poor protection but for small adults and children protection was mostly good. The protection offered to the hip and pelvic areas was poor in all areas tested. The bumper offered predominantly good protection to pedestrians’ legs but some areas were marginal or poor.”
The Zafira Tourer’s Electronic Stability Control “is standard and met Euro NCAP’s requirements. Speed limitation devices are only available as an option. There is a seatbelt reminder system for the driver, passenger and rear seats, all of which met Euro NCAP’s requirements.”
Specifically, NCAP tested a left-hand-drive Opel Zafira Tourer equipped with the 2.0 liter diesel CDTI in the Enjoy trim level, with the crash results applying to all Zafira Tourers of the specification.
As a reminder, the frontal impact test takes place at 64 Km/h (40 MPH) with 40 percent of the width of the car striking a deformable barrier. In the side impact, a mobile deformable barrier impacts the driver’s door at 50 km/h (31 MPH), while the pole test involves the car being propelled sideways at 29km/h (18 MPH) into a rigid pole.
Feel free to download the full PDF of the test results here.
The Zafira Tourer looks as solid as they come in these tests. To that end, we’re still trying to figure out why GM is allowing PSA Peugeot-Citroen to develop the next-gen Zafira, as the model seen here isn’t only beautiful, utilitarian, and safe, but it also adds scale to the Delta platform. But perhaps there’s more to the decision than the very obvious.
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The first generation Zafira was developed by Porsche:D However, MPVs are more and more unpopular in Europe, because of the demographic. I know some families with one or two children who choosed a SUV or a wagon over an MPV, because they don´t need so much space. This is why the Zafira Tourer does not have the Flex 7 system standard anymore. I still hope that the next Zafira will be developed by Opel or at least Peugeot will use a lot of Opel/GM parts for the Zafira, so that it still looks like an Opel.
As far as I know the cooperation isn't about the full car but platforms and perhaps some other compnents you will not really see. I don't think that the cooperation-based cars by Peugeot, Citroen and Opel will look very familar. Each of them will have their own design. PSA is well-known for developing very light and efficient platforms. The current Opel/GM-platforms are too heavy because they have to fulfill global requirements. The new platforms will be instead developed for Europe, so I think this isn't bad at all. But I wonder how this will match with the Opel-Buick strategy...Will Buick also use these Opel/PSA-platforms or will they construct their own cars?
How certain are you about the "alliance" not sharing platforms?
According to an October 24, 2012 statement from GM/Opel, the alliance will focus on four main vehicle projects, including:
1. A joint program for a compact-class Multi-Purpose Van for Opel/Vauxhall and a compact-class Crossover Utility Vehicle for the Peugeot brand
2. A joint Multi-Purpose Vehicle program for the small car segment for Opel/Vauxhall and the Citroen brand
3. An upgraded low CO2 small car segment platform to feed Opel/Vauxhall’s and PSA’s next generation of cars in Europe and other regions
4. A joint program for mid-size cars for Opel/Vauxhall and the Peugeot and Citroen brands
The original article is here:
http://gmauthority.com/blog/2012/10/gm-psa-peugeot-citroen-officially-define-4-common-vehicle-projects/
While said vehicle projects don't necessarily have to represent platform sharing, it seems that it's the only way in which the partnership can result in any real fiscal benefit to both parties.
Since last year, item #4 (midsize cars) seems to have been removed from the plan:
http://gmauthority.com/blog/2013/01/opel-to-use-upcoming-psa-platform-for-small-vehicles/
So in effect, the partnership will tangibly result in Peugeot-based C- and B-Segment MPVs along with a jointly-developed low-emissions B-segment vehicle.
Given the decreasing popularity of MPVs, GM's decision to discontinue internal development of those vehicles somewhat makes sense, even thought the Meriva and Zafira are excellent, in my opinion. But I can't say that the decision about the B-segment car makes sense. After all, the Gamma platform is already very good, and G2XX (next-gen Gamma) will prove to be even lighter and stiffer than the current one.
The more I think about this cooperation, the less it makes sense. Perhaps GM's efforts would be better focused on growing Opel/Vauxhall and Chevrolet sales in the region and increasing scale that way. Instead, it seems that GM/Opel are losing engineering prowess in giving up MPV development (and probably manufacturing) to Peugeot.
I hope I understood you right. (my English isn't perfect ;))
"How certain are you about the “alliance” not sharing platforms?"
In my original post, I didn't want to say that. I wanted to say that developing platforms together doesn't mean that PSA and Opel cars will all look the same or that Opel's quality will suffer. Sharing platforms doesn't necessarily mean that all components will also be shared. (i.e. the current Opel Corsa, which is still a good car, shares its platform with the Fiat (Grande) Punto but you don't really see or feel that.)
"The more I think about this cooperation, the less it makes sense."
Since after I've read here about the expand product sharing between Opel and Buick I have the same doubts. So I have to agree with you. If Opel and Buick will really become a "hybrid global brand" the alliance with PSA could be needless and complicate the cooperation between Buick and Opel. So in german news I've read that also the next Astra will use a common PSA-Opel platform. How does this fit to the Buick strategy concerning a possible next Verano? I don't know! A cooperation with PSA could make sense concerning small cars like the Corsa, Adam and Agila which I think doesn't fit to the Buick lineup. In the end it depends on how many cars Opel and Buick will really share. So I suppose that Buick won't have these PSA-Opel MPVs because they will be especially developed for Europe and not fulfill the requirements of North-America.
Or how do you think of the possibility that Buick could also use cars based on these PSA platforms?
Yupp, good point about Buick.
I think it all comes down to this: whose platforms (GM's or PSA's) will the alliance vehicles use? If it's GM's next-gen architectures (which are expected to be very extremely light weight), then GM will be in a position of power and have the ability to step away from the alliance at any time, since it will be using its own technology (platforms). On the other hand, if it's PSA's platforms, then GM not only loses the engineering and R&D prowess, but also the ability to globalize these vehicles.
Granted, some of the vehicles planned by the alliance won't be global to begin with (MPVs). But at the crux of the matter is the next-gen Astra, which -- from all I've heard -- will continue to use the global Delta platform, albeit significantly updated (for lighter weight, flexibility, structural integrity, etc.). Of course, there are also reports that the car will use a PSA platform.
If the next Astra does, indeed, use a PSA platform that was "modified" for Opel/GM, then GM will no longer have the global scale advantage that it enjoys today with the Delta, and is building in for its successor (D2XX).
I think that's the part we really need to clear up: will the vehicles that are the result of the alliance use GM or PSA platforms, a combination of both, or develop new ones? I don't think we'll know the answer to that question any time soon.
Hope the PSA involvement isn't too apparent I'd hate to see quality, build quality & general standards drop. Guessing as PSA is sharing cost (hopefully not badge engineering) the MPV market is smaller now.
Today Opel officially announced that the next gen Opel Zafira will be developed and built in Rüsselsheim, Germany. So there will be now badged-engineered "PSA-Zafira". But beside of that there is no statement concerning a common platform.
Coul only find a German article:
http://www.autozeitung.de/auto-neuheiten/opel-zafira-2015-ruesselsheim-produktion-entwicklung-psa-peugeot-citroen-gn-401137
Hmmm... I believe we already knew about the 2015 Zafira production being moved to Germany:
http://gmauthority.com/blog/2013/05/opel-zafira-tourer-production-to-remain-in-germany/
Does that article say/add something different?