The Vauxhall Zafira Tourer scores points for being an attractive MPV with a very flexible seven-seat interior. It's also refined and pleasant to drive, making it a worthy rival to the Ford S-MAX.

Expert rating: 4.0

Pros
• Attractive exterior design
• Comfortable to drive
• Incredible interior flexibility

Cons
• 1.8-litre petrol is inefficient
• No option of sliding rear doors
• Lack of boot space in seven-seat layout

1. Exterior: 4/5
Vauxhall's design team has done an excellent job of making this MPV attractive and purposeful. At the front there are distinctive 'Boomerang' headlights, while a flush-fitting rear window and lights add to the sleek appearance.

2. Interior: 3/5
The Tourer's dashboard has well-placed switches and is generally attractive, while an aluminium central rail is a neat touch on top trim levels. The rail has three layers for storage, cup holders and an armrest, which can be slid back and forth independently or removed altogether. Red strips of ambient lighting dotted around the cabin emit a relaxing glow at night.

3. Practicality: 5/5
The middle seats are now three individual items, which slide backwards and forwards, recline through four positions and fold away. SE and Elite trim levels get a 'Lounge' configuration which turns the middle seat into a large armrest and sees the outer middle seats move backwards and inwards. The result is a four-seater with limo-like rear space. The rearmost two seats flip up out of the boot floor and with all rear seats folded there's a huge 1,860 litres of space, shrinking to 710 litres with five seats in place. It's an exceptional package, and a FlexFix bike carrier is available, which slides out of the rear bumper and can carry either two or four bikes, weighing up to 20kg each. The bike carrier tilts backwards to allow access to the boot, even when fully loaded.

4. Ride and handling: 4/5
The Zafira Tourer has has an impressively smooth ride, despite our test car riding on huge 19-inch alloy wheels, and remains hushed at higher speeds. Its steering is a little less involving than the Ford S-Max's, but its grip and stability gets close - the Zafira Tourer providing plenty of poise over challenging roads. Thanks to its long wheelbase it's also pretty unflappable on the motorway. We found the standard suspension to be a good compromise, but FlexRide is also available, offering an adjustment between Tour (the best ride comfort), standard and Sport (the best handling) modes.

5. Performance: 4/5
The 2-litre CDTi offers 110, 130 or 165bhp, mated to a six-speed manual gearbox. Choose petrol and the entry-level model is a 1.8-litre with 140bhp and a five-speed manual gearbox, while a more advanced 1.4-litre turbo is available - also with 140bhp, but a six-speed manual gearbox is standard, an auto 'box is an option. The most powerful diesel is pleasantly quiet and offers good acceleration from low revs (0-60mph in 9.1 seconds). It's also the only diesel in the line-up available with an automatic gearbox.

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6. Running costs: 4/5
The ecoFLEX CDTi 130 offers CO2 emissions of just 119g/km and fuel economy of 63mpg. All three power outputs of non-ecoFLEX diesel Tourers average 54.3mpg and emit 137g/km of CO2. The 1.8-litre petrol consumes 39.2mpg and emits 169g/km, while the 1.4 turbo manages 42.2mog and 158g/km as standard or 44.8mpg and 148g/km if fitted with stop and start technology.

7. Reliability: 4/5
As with all Vauxhalls, the Zafira Tourer has spent thousands of hours being tested to destruction during its development, which seems to have paid off as the Tourer feels well-built, with an interior tough enough to withstand family life.

8. Safety: 4/5
Anti-lock brakes, electronic stability programme and airbags are standard across the range. Optional safety equipment includes Vauxhall's Front Camera System, which provides Following Distance Indication, Forward Collision Alert, Traffic Sign Recognition and High-beam Assist (where Adaptive Front Lighting is fitted).

9. Equipment: 3/5
There are five trim levels: ES, Exclusiv, SRi, SE and Elite. ES gets Flex7 seating, rear power outlet, DAB digital radio, CD stereo with seven speakers, cruise control and 16 or 17-inch steel wheels. Exclusiv adds 17-inch alloy wheels, air-con, front fog lights, central armrest, ambient lighting, front and rear electric windows, USB connection and black roof rails. SRi has 18-inch alloys, sports suspension, alarm, front and rear parking sensors, leather steering wheel, sports seats, sports pedals and tinted rear windows. SE is more luxurious and has chrome trim, aluminium console rails, electric parking brake, enhanced ambient lighting and 17-inch alloys. The range-topping Elite has leather upholstery and a panoramic windscreen with glass sunroof.

10. Why buy? 5/5
Cohesive design, inside and out, makes the Zafira Tourer a compelling choice. The vast number of possible seating layouts allows for almost every situation, and changing between them doesn't require a body builder's physique.