Vauxhall Zafira Tourer1.6 CDTi review (2013 onward

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Vauxhall Zafira Tourer 1.6 CDTi: summary

New all-aluminium 1.6-litre turbodiesel motor gives great claimed efficiency and superb smooth-driving performance in Vauxhall's Zafira Tourer MPV.

What:Vauxhall Zafira Tourer 1.6 CDTi 

Where: Vienna, Austria 
Date:August 2013
Price:from £23,175 
Available: on sale now, deliveries begin September 2013 
Key rivals:Ford Galaxy, SEAT Alhambra, Volkswagen Sharan

We like: new diesel refinement, decent performance, looks, flexible seating

We don’t like:dashboard still too button-heavy, shift action can baulk on occasion

Vauxhall is launching a 13-strong engine offensive from 2013, set to last for the next three years – and alongside a new family of petrol engines, key to its penetration of the market is this new 1.6-litre CDTi turbodiesel.

Debuting in the firm’s seven-seat Zafira Tourer MPV, it’s an important unit for the brand, as diesel sales account for 70% of all Zafira Tourers sold.

In a first for Vauxhall it’s made entirely of aluminium, with 136hp it's powerful, and returning a claimed 68.9mpg with 109g/km CO2 here, it's remarkably efficient, too.

It's a very relaxed and deceptively swift cruise                                                    

This is why we’re really here: to assess the firm’s all-new 1.6-litre turbodiesel engine, its performance, efficiency and refinement.

On that first count, it’s rather good: 136hp is a strong output and enough to whisk the seven-seat Zafira Tourer from 0-60mph in 10.4 seconds, while in-gear acceleration is also strong thanks to 236lb ftof pulling power.

This is a big car but it steers accurately and feels rather agile given its sheer dimensions and mass

It doesn’t actually feel as quick as it is, but that’s a positive. It’s mainly because the turbo’s boost comes in gently at around 1,500rpm and ramps up to that maximum torque figure at 2,000rpm.

Add to that refinement levels to rival premium executive saloons, thanks to ‘sound engineering’ features such as multiple injection pulses for the fuelling and acoustic cladding for the engine, and it makes for a very relaxed and deceptively swift cruiser for a car weighing 1,626kg.

The revised six-speed manual gearbox is relatively sweet, too. The shift action is light – well weighted to the rest of the powertrain – but can baulk on occasion. That said, it’s on a par with rivals, thanks to ratios spaced to make the most of the new motor and a long top gear for efficient motorway cruising. 

It’ll be sold alongside versions of the existing 2.0 diesel, but with this power and efficiency for £23,175 (available in Tech Line, Exclusiv and SE trim only) on paper it’s bound to be a popular choice. But is this new engine enough to boost mid-life sales of Vauxhall’s rather attractive-looking people carrier?