Vauxhall Antara

When the new Vauxhall Antara pulled up outside my house, I was really impressed with its looks. It has a coupe like side view, which compromises head room a little for rear passengers but it is one of the most stylish four by fours on the market. Its side gills, slight roof spoiler, chrome roof bars and lots of other chrome trim are very attractive.

But looks aren’t everything! Climbing into the interior with top of the range trim, I was disappointed at the quality of the rather plasticky looking dashboard. It does have some very stylish chrome trim, around the bottom of the steering wheel, the chrome circled air vents, angular chrome door handles and a handbrake which has a fixed twin near to the front passenger seat.

There is a commanding view of the road ahead and I found the seats are very comfortable and supportive with a long thigh base. For motorway journeys the Antara SE which costs £26,320 otr., provides all the necessary creature comforts. Standard features on the SE trim include air conditioning, DVD 100 stereo radio/six disc CD autochanger with MP3 capability and a satellite navigation system with colour monitor. Xenon headlights throw a strong beam for good visibility when night driving and there is an anti dazzle rear view mirror.

The parking distance sensors are extra sensitive and on several occasions I risked switching them off because their constants high and low beeps were extremely irritating when I was trying to concentrate.

Little extras like heated seats, cruise control and a cooled glovebox are useful and generally there are lots of features which I like and loads of storage spaces. The seats flip down to give a flat loading area which will hold loads of cargo. It has very good off road systems even on the standard S trim, such as intelligent four wheel drive, electronic stability programme with traction control and a descent control system.

However, the majority of people who buy the Vauxhall Antara will drive it on urban roads where in my experience; it can be a real danger. I road tested the 2 litre diesel engine only and the petrol powerplant may be entirely different. On several occasions, when I needed the power to take off from a roundabout after slowing down but not stopping, my foot pressed the accelerator to the floor and it was totally gutless. After a couple of heart stopping seconds watching a car hurtle round the roundabout towards me, the Antara would suddenly lurch forward as if catapulted, again taking me completely by surprise. This turbo lag makes it a very unpredictable and nerve racking drive.

It is quiet enough once on the move and will achieve 37.2mpg with combined use and has very low CO2 emissions of 198g/km.

Despite its unsafe diesel performance the Antara has a plethora of airbags, which might come in handy! It also has an anti lock braking system.

I found it a little unwieldy on occasions when driving and cornering and I found the steering wheel is rather large.

The Vauxhall Antara is attractive and stylish and it is a very comfortable car to drive in. However, the diesel engine has dangerously no guts, but before condemning the new four by four, it would be worth road testing the petrol engine.

Facts at a Glance
Model: Vauxhall Antara
Price: £26,320
Engine: 2 litre diesel
Performance: 0-60mph in 11.1 seconds and on to a top speed of 111mph
Combined fuel consumption:37.2mpg
CO2 emissions: 198g/km

By Sue Cooke