Electric means the Vizor grille has no intake. Image: Opel
Having showcased the commercial versions last month, Opel has taken the covers off of the facelift Combo MPV and the people-carrying version of the Vivaro, the Zafira Life, both in electric-only guises.
Still known internally as the Combo E, the MPV equivalent of the Corsa gets the same Vizor and Compass grille as the Combo Cargo, along with a new front bumper resplendent with inverted L-shaped faux air inlets on the flanks, and the first-time option of the Matrix IntelliLux LED headlights.
Similarly, the Combo offers two wheelbase lengths, though in place of the Combo Cargo’s flat floor, five-seats in the 4.4 metre long L1 and seven-seats in the L2 that stretches 4.7 metres in overall length.
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According to Opel, boot space varies from 775-litres in the L1, to 4 000-litres in the L2 with the second and third rows folded down.
As for the interior itself, the steering wheel from the Astra and Corsa has been made standard, along with the new 10-inch digital instrument cluster and 10-inch touchscreen infotainment system with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto on certain trim levels.
New, or updated on the safety front, is a 180-degree rear-view camera system, Adaptive Cruise Control, Lane Keep Assist, Driver Attention Alert, Forward Collision Warning, Autonomous Emergency Braking and Traffic Sign Recognition.
Likely to be joined at a later stage by the same petrol and diesel engine options as the Combo Cargo, up front, the Combo, now renamed from Combo-e to Combo Electric, carries over the 50-kWh lithium-ion battery pack delivering 100kW/260Nm to the front wheels.
Supporting DC charging up to 100 kW, the Combo Electric comes fitted as standard with an 11 kW on-board charger, though making use of the mentioned fast charger will see waiting time drop to 30 minutes from 0-80%. The claimed range is 330 km.
Sitting above the Combo, the Zafira Life receives the same exterior update and interior alterations, but unsurprisingly, with more space, plus the option of a panoramic glass roof for the first time.
Measuring 4.9 metres long, the standard wheelbase L1 offers seating for five, while the one that is 5.3 metres long can accommodate up to nine.
Depending on the seats, space ranges from as little as 1 500-litres to 4 900-litres in the L2 when packed to the roof.
Now also called Zafira Life Electric, with the same selection of turbodiesel engines as the Vivaro set to be offered later in certain markets, the same 50-kWh battery pack as the Combo drives the front wheels whilst delivering the same outputs of 100kW/260Nm.
As an option, Opel has made the bigger 75-kWh battery from the Vivaro available, but without any apparent gains in power and torque.
Also supporting DC charging up to 100 kW, and furnished with three driving modes; Eco, Normal and Power, the Zafira Life Electric boasts the same 11 kW charger as its siblings, but with a range of up to 350 km in the case of models fitted with the latter battery.
Using the fast charger will require a waiting time of 38 minutes from 0-80% in the 50-kWh, and 45 minutes in the 75-kWh variant.
On-sale next year with order books soon to open on the Old Continent, neither have so far been confirmed for South Africa as replacement for the current diesel engine only equivalents.
Should an announcement be made though, expect the facelift Zafira Life and Combo to arrive sometime next year, again only with oil-burning powerplants, likely to be unchanged from those currently in use.
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