No need for sporty suspension

Oct 13 2008 Peter Hayward

I AM not a lover of sports suspension in most vehicles. It more often than not lowers the tone of the driving experience by leaving a niggly, jittery ride that can be a real pain.

And models with the same engine and without the modified suspension corner just as well and ride much, much better.

A recent example is the Vauxhall Zafira SRi, which comes with sports suspension even in diesel form.

A lovely car in most ways, with 150bhp from a 1.9 turbo, but the ride is really quite harsh over rougher surfaces.

The suspension does give marvellous cornering ability but I would rather have had more comfort for more of the time.

The diesel engine is one of the quietest, the six speed gearbox is a delight and the clutch is fairly light.

And the car even comes with a sport mode that sharpens throttle and steering response at the touch of a button.

Interior

Inside there are seven seats, with the rear two folding easily down into the floor, and plenty of seat and steering column adjustment to suit absolutely anyone.

But with the two children-only folding seats in place, the boot is quite small.

FAST FACTS

Vauxhall Zafira SRi 1.9 CDTi (150)

Price : £20,880

Mechanical : 150bhp, 1,910cc, 4cyl diesel engine driving the front wheels via 6spd manual gearbox

Max speed : 126mph

0-62mph : 9.7 secs

Combined mpg : 46.3

Insurance group : 9

CO2 emissions : 167g/km

BiK rating : 23%

Warranty : 3yrs/ 60,000 miles, 6yrs anti-rust

Marks : 8/10

Main rival : Citroen Picasso