Vauxhall Zafira Tourer

[DavenGill1]

My Hubby is looking at replacing our car and is interested in the Zafira Tourer, he has done all his research and seems to be all good. I however have some minor concerns regarding this, the fact that the car only has a max towing weight of 1500kg depending on which model. We are looking at 2.0CDTI 165bhp which is the only model with the 1500kg towing capacity.

1. Has anyone towed with this vehicle and if so how does it perform.
2. Will it make any difference towing due to the fact that our caravan is 1458kg loaded that the vehicle will be towing at almost its max weight all the time.
3. Why have Vauxhall given the car such a low towing weight when the car weighs 2430kg.

My husband has the correct licence to pull the caravan but any help would help ease my mind as if this is the correct car for us.

Many thanks

Gill

 

[WoodlandsCamper]

I think you have your Zafira weight wrong, not 2430 kg but about 1685 kg. Were you looking at gross weight not kerb weight?

 

[ProfJohnL]

My Hubby is looking at replacing our car and is interested in the Zafira Tourer, he has done all his research and seems to be all good. I however have some minor concerns regarding this, the fact that the car only has a max towing weight of 1500kg depending on which model. We are looking at 2.0CDTI 165bhp which is the only model with the 1500kg towing capacity.

1. Has anyone towed with this vehicle and if so how does it perform.
2. Will it make any difference towing due to the fact that our caravan is 1458kg loaded that the vehicle will be towing at almost its max weight all the time.
3. Why have Vauxhall given the car such a low towing weight when the car weighs 2430kg.

My husband has the correct licence to pull the caravan but any help would help ease my mind as if this is the correct car for us.

Many thanks

Gill

Hello Gill,

We don't have enough detail to answer all your questions, we need year and exact model of car, but in general the bigger/heavier a trailer is the more difficult it is to tow and it has an increased risk of towing instability. You should always aim to keep the trailer as light as possible compared to the tow vehicle. The industry suggests novice towers should not exceed 85% of the unladen weight of the car, and only as you gain experience should you consider having a trailer closer to the cars unladen weight.. This only guidance and whilst it offers no safety or legal guarantees and has no legal authority it certainly good sense.

Every car manufacture has to assess their vehicles capability to tow a trailer against a set of particular conditions. Based on the results of those tests they will set a maximum permitted towed load weight. For various reasons you cannot assume that a heavy car will also have the capability to tow a heavy trailer, you have to observe the manufacturers stated specifications. Even near identical models from the same manufacture can have very different max towed weight limits, so its important to have the correct details. Differences such as choice of engine can make a big difference. Ironically the early model of Zafira had a very unusual problem, the 2.0 litre deisel engine which in other models had a healthy tow limit, in the Zafira it had one of the lowest limits due to an issue with engine cooling under heavy load.

 

[DavenGill1]

Hi Woodland Camper, yes the kerb weight is 1733kg I was looking at the gross weight.

I am asking for peoples opinions on this as it will be a big expense if this car would be good for towing our caravan or do we continue with our search. I understand it is an individual opinion and that the final one is ours.

 

[WoodlandsCamper]

With that figure you're looking at about 84% towing ratio, so OK on paper.

 

[colin-yorkshire]

With that figure you're looking at about 84% towing ratio, so OK on paper.

hi Gill, I agree with WC sounds about ideal. on my travels I have seen Zafira's towing some quite large vans and dont seem to have any issues. the roof line is quite high, power to weight ratio is good. and if the Zafira's smaller brother the Meriva is anything to go by should be excelent as a tow car.