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Opel/Vauxhall will put its new 2012 Zafira Tourer medium minivan on sale in the third quarter in Europe together with its smaller current Opel Zafira model. The Tourer, which is a third-generation variant of the Zafira, will have its production debut in September at the IAA in Frankfurt. The company said that this model will offer premium quality just like its Insignia midsized vehicles. It will compete with other minivan units like the Renault Scenic, Ford C-Max and Volkswagen Touran, and will have a redesigned variant of the Flex7 seating system that is available in the Zafira.

Instead of having a bench in the middle row of seats, the new model will now have three individual seats, which can be folded and moved back and forth, accordingt o Autonews. In any of the five different seat configurations, the Tourer now provides 710 liters load volume, which is 65 liters more than the current model. Another option available with be the Flexride adjustable suspension, which can adapt automatically to driving and road conditions. It will offer the vehicle owners a choice of sport, standard or tour driving settings.

In addition, the Tourer will be available with two variants of gasoline 1.4-liter turbocharged engines and three 2.0-liter common-rail turbocharged diesel engines. The company’s new start-stop innovation will be offered with the diesel and gasoline powertrains. Both models will be manufactured at Opel's Bochum plant in Germany. The current Zafira is priced at 20,995 euros in Germany. The company stated that prices for the Tourer will be revealed at the Frankfurt auto show, when it will begin taking orders for the vehicle. [via - 4wheelsnews]