Our flexible friend

A clever seating system and punchy performance should attract buyers to Holden's Zafira, writes DAVID LINKLATER.

Meet Holden's new mini people-mover, the seven-seat Zafira. Launched in New Zealand this week and characterised by the company as a "flexible wagon", the Zafira is essentially a high-riding Astra hatch with two extra chairs in the back.

The $38,990 price for the manual Zafira pitches it into the middle of the mini-MPV market.

Rivals include the $36,990 Citroen Xsara Picasso 1.8, $34,990 Renault Scenic 2.0 and $39,295 Nissan Tino 2.0 CVT. They're an innovative bunch. All pretty stylish looking, too, compared with the smart-but-staid Zafira.

Not to worry, because the Holden counters with a clever seating system called Flex7, and packs one of the biggest performance punches in the class.

The Zafira's seating is arranged in a 2-3-2 configuration. The middle row is a 60/40 split bench that slides forwards and backwards by up to 540mm, while the entire assembly can also be folded flat and secured against the front seatbacks.

Here's the clever bit: the two rearmost seats can be folded completely flat into the floor in a few seconds, leaving an uncompromised cargo space.

If you're wondering how seven people could possibly fit within the length of an Astra - they don't. The Zafira rides on a stretched platform and is 207mm longer overall than its more conventional hatchback sibling. The MacPherson strut front suspension is carried over, but the rear torsion tube has been rotated to assist with interior packaging.

Would an adult want to sit in the Zafira's third row? The rear chairs are fine for short distances, although comfort is compromised by a lack of footroom and access is a bit awkward. But those wanting a full-time seven-seater will be looking at bigger vehicles. Buyers in the mini-MPV market will delight in the Zafira's extra occasional seating and the ease with which the vehicle can be transformed from people-carrier to load-lugger.

With all seven seats in place the Zafira provides a predictably modest 150 litres of storage. As a five-seater it offers an additional 640 litres. With the second row stowed, more than 1700 litres of load area is available.

There are front and rear door storage bins, niches between the front seats and a pullout tray beneath the front passenger seat. Additional family-friendly details include six cup-holders, storage lockers with latched doors on each side of the cargo area, and a flat storage compartment located under the cargo floor.

Significantly, drivers will be just as delighted with the Zafira as the passengers. The Holden outmuscles its main rivals with a new 2.2-litre Ecotec engine producing 108kW at 5800 rpm and 203Nm at 4000 rpm.

The front-driver features a five-speed manual transmission as standard, with the $1000 option of a four-speed automatic fitted with a fuel-saving "neutral idle" function. Both manual and automatic models use a drive-by-wire throttle. There's also a 1.8-litre Zafira in Europe, but it's not an option for the hard-driving Kiwi market.

On the road you could make a strong argument for the Zafira being the best-handling mini-MPV on the market. The Astra-based underpinnings result in a rigid chassis, eager turn-in and a surefooted cornering stance. The three-spoke steering wheel is height and reach adjustable and the driver's seat is height adjustable.

The remote-control exterior mirrors are electrically heated and front windows are power-operated, with an express up/down function. Windshield wipers are road-speed sensitive with an intermittent function, and sweep timing of the tailgate window wiper/washer synchronises with the front.

Standard equipment includes driver and front-passenger airbags, anti-lock braking and traction control, air-conditioning, power steering, cruise control, remote central locking, CD player, front power windows and heated side mirrors.

The Zafira is certainly a winning formula in other parts of the world. First launched in Europe under the Opel and Vauxhall badges in 1999, more than 500,000 have been sold internationally.

Kiwi-market Zafiras are built at a greenfield plant in Rayong, Thailand. Holden claims that work done by its Asia Pacific Engineering (APE) group has toughed the Thai-built model for our conditions. The front suspension subframe and rear axle were retooled, while changes were made to the suspension calibration and tyres.

The air-conditioning system was modified for the harsh Australasian climate, and the car features a heat-reflective windshield which contains a layer of tinted metallic foil sandwiched between two layers of laminated glass. It has the capacity to reflect 58 per cent of solar energy compared with the 20 per cent reflected by a standard windshield.

Holden New Zealand's sales forecasts for the model are modest and reflect a market still coming to grips with the mini-MPV concept. The company expects to sell just 150 Zafiras during the first year.