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THEY SAY YOU ARE WHAT YOU DRIVE. YOU SHOULD MEET THE ANTARA
There's a little bit of the rebel in all of us. It reveals itself in all kinds of ways - what we wear, where we live and increasingly in the style of car we drive. It's a strong instinct to stand out from the crowd that has inspired the bold styling of the new Vauxhall Antara. Words by Sue Baker, pictures by Vauxhall Image Library.
This new Sport Utility Vehicle from Vauxhall has plenty of muscle under its taut curves. Conceived as a practical, everyday car, it also combines an exciting drive with a mix of good looks and versatility. A kind of automotive Jonny Wilkinson!
Bold looks are enhanced by stylish details like the clean-cut five-spoke alloy wheels, silver-effect roof rails, wheel arch protectors and protective skid plates. And its height gives it an elevated, 'command' seating position with a longer-range view over other traffic.
While being more than capable of dealing with anything the average driver expects of a 4x4, the Antara is unapologetically more fun and fashionable than rustic mud-plugger. It has an all-in-one monocoque body construction and a transverse engine that is set sideways across the car in line with the front axle. These guarantee a spacious interior ensuring Antara feels roomy.
Antara's cabin is upmarket and premium too. Stylish seats are sportily contoured and the large instruments are easy to read. Controls are grouped around the steering wheel and on an elegant centre console. SE models boast leather upholstery trim.
Only fractionally larger than an Astra estate, it feels perfectly at home zipping about on urban streets. Intelligent four-wheel- drive system is standard on all models - E, S and SE.
This system reacts to changing road conditions and automatically switches between two-and four-wheel drive as conditions demand, with the benefit of better fuel economy.
The four-wheel drive system is completely integrated with the Antara's Anti-lock Braking System and ESP. Its ABS is the latest generation, with many additional features to help you maintain control in tricky conditions. Add sports suspension to the mix and you've got an unrivalled drive.
You can have petrol or diesel engines, both with plenty of punch. The choice will be between a 2.4-litre 16v 140PS four-cylinder petrol unit, or a highly fuel-efficient 2.0-litre common-rail CDTI turbo diesel, producing 150PS. Both choices come with a five-speed manual gearbox as standard. Rare for this class, a five-speed automatic transmission is also available on the 2.0 CDTI diesel.
