Vauxhall Antara (07 on) - Review

Review by Dan Harrison on
Last Updated: 13 June 2011
The Antara is a five-seat 4x4 in the same mould as the Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V and is essentially the replacement for the long-running Frontera which stopped being sold in 2003. It's neat styling, decent equipment levels and modern cabin give it plenty of appeal but unfortunately the Antara lags behind other similar off roaders in too many key areas. The vague steering and wallowy handling do it few favours while the five-speed gearbox is poor. Elsewhere, the 2.0-litre CDTi diesel is noisy and crude which only adds to the feel that the Antara is dated before its time. In early 2011 the Antara was given a number of updates. The aesthetics were given minor updates with some exterior design refreshes as well as small changes to the interior. The more substantial changes included a tweaked chassis, new gearbox and cleaner and more efficient engines.
3 out of 5

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3 out of 5

Buying new

There 2.4-litre petrol is no longer offered - hardly surprising given that it was only ever offered in entry-level trim. That leaves the diesel which offers reasonable running costs and is available in Exclusiv or SE trim levels. The Antara hasn't been a popular model for Vauxhall so dealers are likely to have pretty generous discounts available. Don't let this put you off haggling even further though and aiming to get more money off.

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3 out of 5

Buying used

Vauxhall dealers will hold the best examples and sell them through Network Q - their Approved Used Scheme. The S trim was popular and has most of the equipment you'll find useful (such as climate control, electric windows and a chilled glovebox) without the bits and pieces on the SE that you may never get full use of. Nearly every car on the market will be a diesel. As few are sold new, the petrol is rare.

  • Boot/Load Space Vauxhall Antara (07 on)
  • Interior Vauxhall Antara (07 on)

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2.5 out of 5

Selling

Average-size off-roaders like this are popular with buyers. People who have opted for the petrol may find that's it's trickier to sell-on their car - buyers are put off by the lower fuel economy and base-level spec. Many buyers may not be aware of the name either, especially compared to well recognised models like the RAV4 and X-Trail. Good standard equipment levels and a roomy cabin are good selling points.