Opel would rather people forgot about the last SUV it built because the ‘Frontera’ was rubbish. ‘Antara’ is the latest offering from the GM firm and thankfully it’s not bad.
Antara is a sister car of Chevrolet’s Captiva, but unlike the Chevy the German manufacturer’s model does not come with the option of seating for seven. Antara has been on sale in Europe for some while and was launched in Ireland quite some time after Chevrolet launched the Captiva (see ‘Motors Archive’) so it has some catching up to do.
It’s not cheap either, with prices starting at €37,350 (2.4 litre petrol) and let’s remember the imminent arrival of the much talked about Ford Kuga SUV means that Antara is entering an increasingly competitive market with the likes of Freelander 2, CRV, Sportage & Santa Fe to name a few.
Antara looks good with a chunky exterior that is beefy enough to look rugged yet manages to avoid looking too angular. The high shoulder line makes for a solid look that is much loved by urbanites on the school run. Viewed head on, you could be forgiven for thinking it was a posh Zafira.
Inside the cabin is comfortable with all the usual Opel switchgear present including the frustrating stereo. My top spec automatic ‘Elite’ version (€52,645) has leather seats (heated up front) and the usual extras. The driving position is good but the ‘A’ pillar is quite large and can restrict vision particularly at junctions and tight bends. The boot is adequate but the load are is set high off the ground, so lifting anything heavy into the rear is a chore compared to say the functional Peugeot 4007, Citroen C-Crosser or Mitsubishi Outlander triplets.
On the road Antara feels sportier than it’s sister car and there is far less body-roll when cornering. Like most SUVs you can easily find the front wheels scrambling for grip on the twisty bits due to their higher centre of gravity when compared to regular cars. I could easily find myself putting excessive wear on the front tyres if I was to drive the car in any sort of spirited way.
My two-litre turbo-diesel test car pushes out 150bhp and can get from 0-100km/h in 12.8 seconds. Initial pick up is slow however. 320nm of pulling power does a good job of hauling the five-door machine around while returning reasonable fuel consumption for this type of vehicle (8.6 litres per 100 kilometres / 7.6 for manual versions).Like so many SUVs these day the four-wheel drive set up is electronic and controlled by the car’s ECU (electronic control unit or ‘brain’).
Antara is a good car but I can’t say I love it. The remarkable impact Nissan has made in Ireland with the ‘Qashqai’ SUV crossover (and it’s hatchback price tag) is making it harder and harder to justify any mid size SUV. Opel simply isn’t a posh enough brand to make BMW or Audi drivers want one while other firms from Korean and Japan offer excellent machines with proven residuals.
Michael Sheridan
