Vauxhall Antara 2.0 TDi (2007) CAR review

A Vauxhall 4x4 is all well and good, but aren’t they a bit late to the party?

Ignoring all the environemtal isssues for a moment, Luton is indeed very late to the segment – if you discount the Frontera. Toyota launched the Rav4 back in the early 1990s, and the compact 4x4 sector has grown phenomenally since. The Japanese (Toyota, Honda, and Nissan) have dominated the sector and only now are the Europeans catching up. Vauxhall is one of the first out of the blocks with the new Anatara, co-developed with the Chevrolet Captiva in South Korea. Credit where it's due though; Vauxhall is ahead of other European 4x4s entrants. We've seen official pictures of the VW Tiguan, driven the Peugeot and Citroen twins in this month's CAR Magazine, and we’ll soon have the Renault Koleos and Ford Kuga.

It looks a bit dull compared with the Captiva...

It depends who you ask. Vauxhall previewed the car as the Antara GTC concept at Frankfurt in September 2005 - it was a swoopy three-door crossover with a dash of style. The production Antara is a fairly boxy, blander five-door, with none of the cheeky looks of the Corsa or imposing elegance of the forthcoming Vectra. And it's got the scourge of modern design, fake side vents on the flanks. To these eyes, the sister Chevrolet Captiva is much smarter on the outside, better resolved. If this isn't your cup of tea, you can always investigate get the chunky Irmscher styling kit...