Vauxhall Antara Exclusiv 2.2 CDTi 5dr Car Review - March 2012

The dash is well designed, very functional and easy to use. The driving position is high, with good adjustment on the steering wheel, offering a commanding forward view of the road. Visibility all round is good.

The Antara comes with a choice of 165bhp or 181bhp 2.2-litre diesel engines. The 165bhp version fitted in this Antara Exclusiv is smooth and has plenty of pulling power, producing 258lb-ft of torque low down in the rev range. It will do 0-62mph in 9.9 seconds and has a top speed of 117mph. Fuel economy is a decent 44.8mpg, which is not bad for a medium family 4X4.

The six-speed manual gearbox fitted as standard feels a bit vague at times and it requires some slick changes low down. Top gear works hard at high revs and it becomes noticeable at motorway cruising speeds.

Most owners use their Antara in the city, and it handles well in that environment. It’s quite compact in size, which means it’s easy to manoeuvre and park. It rides comfortably and it's impressive over smooth roads with self-levelling suspension which comes as standard.

However, over bumpy surfaces, the Antara can bounce around a bit and isn’t so composed. On faster open roads, it has plenty grip and the suspension keeps body roll acceptable. The ride may be a bit firm for some, but it’s surprisingly agile and well composed. The steering, although it doesn’t provide a lot of feedback, is nice and responsive to small changes.

It’s not as refined as it could be, or as some of its rivals. The diesel engine can clatter a bit when warming up and it can get noisy at motorway cruising speeds. Wind noise is also evident at speed.

The Antara’s exterior has clean flowing lines and it looks every inch the smart suburban 4X4. The interior is certainly well designed, pleasing on the eye, and has the look of a much more expensive car.

The Antara Exclusiv is well equipped and comes with power steering, central locking, alloy wheels, air conditioning, electric door mirrors, electric front windows, alarm, immobiliser and CD+MP3 connectivity fitted as standard. Vauxhall also offer metallic paint (£495); and Bluetooth and satellite navigation (£1,100) as optional extras.

With space for five passengers and its fold-flat rear seats, the Antara Exclusiv is a very practical car. Its tall design means that headroom is excellent, and there's plenty of rear legroom too. The rear has enough space for three adults.

Boot space is a reasonable 420-litres without moving any seats, and it can be boosted to 1,420-litres with the rear seats folded flat. However, it still doesn’t provide as much space as the Nissan X-Trail or the Captiva from Chevrolet. If you’re a keen mountain biker, then the optional integral bike rack which pulls out from the rear bumper will interest you.

EuroNCAP have not yet crash-tested the Vauxhall Antara, however the Chevrolet Captiva, on which the Antara is based, scored four-stars for adult occupant safety and three-stars for child occupant safety. Standard safety equipment includes electronic stability control, ABS with cornering brake control; front, side and curtain airbags and ISOfix child seat mounting points.

Anti-theft measures include an alarm and engine immobiliser.

Build quality appears to be excellent, as you’d expect, since the Antara is built in the same factory as the Chevrolet Captiva, which has a good reputation for reliability.

The Antara comes covered by Vauxhall’s 100,000 mile warranty and with regular service intervals of 20,000 miles.

The Vauxhall Antara Exclusiv 2.2 CDTi five-door represents good value for money. It’s well equipped, has a good engine and is competitively priced at £19,995. Running costs are not cheap, but on a par with others in its class: insurance is in group 25, its CO2 emissions of 167g/km put it in VED band H for Road Tax, and average fuel economy is a decent 44.8mpg.

The Anatara has not been one of the most popular cars for Vauxhall so if you’re buying new – haggle for a good discount. As a used buy, the best ones will be available through Vauxhall’s Network Q approved used car scheme.

Off-roaders like the Anatara are becoming more popular nowadays, but most people look for diesels and avoid low spec cars. The Antara is not as well known as the Rav4 and X-Trail but it has a good level of equipment and a roomy cabin which should help you to sell it on.