FirstDrive: Opel Antara 2.0 CDTi EleganceThe Opel Antara SUV has finally arrived on Europe's shores - Conor Twomeytook it for a test drive.
It wasn't that long ago we used to scoff at the Americans with their insatiable appetite for fuel-guzzling SUVs, and pat ourselves on the back for being so frugal and environmentally aware. Lately, though, America has wisely decided to embrace fuel-sipping compact (and even the sub-compact) cars while we Europeans are inexplicably snapping up SUVs as if our lives depend on them.
Toyota and Honda, for example, are selling the Yaris and Jazz to willing American customers and we're buying up all the Rav4s and CR-Vs we can get our hands on, for no logical reason whatsoever. The other car companies have noticed this trend, too, and are about to flood the market with me-too SUVs - Nissan's books are already filled with orders for their new Qashqai, while VW is about to launch the new Golf-based Tiguan and Ford is planning a Focus-based Kuga by year's end.
Opel has got out of the blocks ahead of its main rivals, however, with its all-new Antara, a strapping new soft-roader designed to appeal to those "empty-nesters" who want to take advantage of their new-found freedom by, it seems, driving around in something a bit taller than their old car.
I'm sorry, but I really don't see the point of these soft-roaders. For the price of a small SUV you could have a really big car, which will ride better, handle better, burn less fuel and spew less pollution into the air, but nobody seems to care about all that.
If, however, you simply have to have a soft-roader, then the Opel Antara certainly measures up to the competition in terms of looks and presence.
It is chunky, reasonably well-proportioned, and comes with 17-inch alloy wheels as standard, so that even the most basic car looks decent. Inside, there's a lot of off-the-shelf switchgear, most of which works well (with the exception of the too-big steering wheel) and the seats are reasonably comfortable, if lacking in lateral support.
Space isn't bad either, as you'd expect from something this size, but as a package it's really quite unremarkable. The Chevrolet Captiva, with which the Antara shares its platform, at least offers seven-seat versatility. The Opel makes do with five average sized seats, a large boot and bicycle carrying system that's really quite, useful . . . if you run a bike shop.
Opel told us that compared to the Captiva, the Antara would be a lot sportier to drive, and that did indeed prove to be the case. The Antara's steering is sharper and it rolls less in corners while still riding well and cruising with reasonable serenity, but compared to the average family saloon, it's a cumbersome lump which, again, makes me wonder why people love these things so much.
Our test car was fitted with a 2-litre turbo-diesel engine that pumps out a healthy 150bhp and 320Nm (rendering the 2.4 petrol with 140bhp and 220Nm somewhat superfluous) and which made a decent fist of dragging all 1,805kg of Antara around. All are fitted with an on-demand 4WD system which only sends power to the rear wheels when traction is lost at the front, which means the majority of the time the Antara is carrying a lot of unused and hefty four-wheel drive hardware around.
Unlike its Captiva sibling, however, no two-wheel drive version is offered so I'm afraid you're stuck with it whether you need it or not, and you're also stuck with one of the least co-operative manual gearboxes we have encountered in a long, long time. Not only is the throw long, rubbery and vague, it also gets quite stroppy if you try to hurry it and sometimes refuses to let you take a gear at all.
At least Opel has kitted the Antara out well. Even the basic Elegance models get ESP, hill-descent control, air conditioning, 17-inch alloy wheels, an alarm, front foglights, six airbags, a leather steering wheel and a self-levelling rear suspension.
The Design model adds climate control, fancier seat trim, heated seats, cruise control, 18-inch alloy wheels, rear privacy glass and automatic lights and wipers, while the top Elite model packs in leather trim, parking sensors, satellite navigation, Bluetooth and Xenon headlamps.
Prices start at a rather steep €37,350, though, with the basic diesel model weighing in at a whopping €41,350. Yes, you do get a lot of metal and an awful lot of equipment, but I'm not really convinced you're getting an awful lot of car for that money. It really doesn't do anything that hasn't been done before, and for that reason it's difficult to get excited by it.
Unless, of course, all you're looking for is something to get the curtains twitching. In that case the Opel Antara will do fine.
Factfile:
Engine:2-litre, four-cylinder turbo-diesel; 150hp @ 4,000 rpm; 320Nm @ 2,000 rpm
Gearbox:Five-speed manual
0-100 km/h: 10.8 seconds
Top speed:180 km/h
Economy:7.6L/100km (combined)
CO2:198g/km
Weight:1,805kg
Price:€41,350
Standard equipment:ESP, hill-descent control, air conditioning, 17" alloy wheels, remote locking, alarm, front foglights, six airbags, a leather steering wheel, self-levelling rear suspension