Right, we've put a couple of thousand miles on it so i thought i'd bump this with my views of the wagon.
Comfort, nice. Seats are softer than the zafira, nice for a long run but could do with something a bit firmer around town.
Visibility, average (typical van coverage really, can't see what is behind you, that's where the sensors come in.)
Seating flexibility is brilliant, we've taken one of the middle row seats out and juggled things around so there is a space on the passenger side that lets people using the back seats climb in and out using the sliding door rather than having to fold the middle row seats (which would be a pain as we've got two isofix child seats fitted.
Toys, the nav is "so so", uses full street names, but it can give a a list of choices if you just give it the first few letters. Has the usual range, eta, toll functions but also pulls the traffic announcements from the radio TA system and reads them out for you (gives the option to replot the route with diversions too)
Multichanger is the usual, only the HU cd slot supports MP3 playback, so i'm looking at swapping out the multichanger for something MP3 (usb, sd, hardrive, etc) Although that might change when i get the bluetooth sorted as then the phones can carry the music.
The aux water heater makes the can warm up very quickly indeed, our previous car could cover 2-3 miles before there was any detectable heat coming through the vents whereas now things are warming up in under a mile.
Fuel economy. Oh dear. This is where it all falls apart. The engine just isn't big enough for this car and needs to work it's ass off to get things rolling. A 2.0 diesel in a 1.7 ton automatic doesn't do it. The old dti in a zafira was pushing a 1.3 ton car and it went like a scalded cat is asked to do so (but automatic diesel people carrier standards obviously) but the C8 really does struggle to get things moving.
The fuel computer shows a healthy 9.4mpg as you pull away from the kerb or the traffic lights. Jumping up to between 18-25mpg once the mass of the car is rolling (unless you touch the throttle, then is back to 9-10mpg until you behave)
On a long run, amazing. Properly impressed. Went to Cardiff and back (around 300 miles) using the cruise and the estimated tank range was higher when we arrived than when we left Plymouth! Did the whole journey on just over a third of a tank. Fuel computer showed a happy 60+mpg all the way apart from a few of the bg hills where it needed a hammering.
Thinking a 2.5 or 3.0 lump would have been a better spec for a car of this size/weight.
At least now i know why most zafiras are driven like they are stolen and the C8 can be seen coasting everywhere with the driver crying at the sight of filling stations.
Missing the zafira tbh, wish they made a LWB version.
