I've had my Antara for six months now, and it seems like the right time to report how I've got on to the forum.
I picked the car up at the end of March so it was a 13 plate, but a 2012 build. I had thought about waiting for the new updated model, but didn't want to take the risk of the car not being available at the end of March. On first sight I was a bit startled by the size of the car. Although I'd had a test drive before ordering, I was still a bit surprised at the presence of the car.
I'm never going to be a high mileage driver, 20K to 25K is about my maximum over three years. There are two reasons for the low mileage. One is I'm retired and don't have the daily slog to work and secondly I'm disabled and there is a limit on how long I can drive for in any one session. So almost all of my driving is on "A" roads and smaller country roads and single track roads which are winding and can be hilly. I will go off road sometimes, but not really rough terrain. The nearest motorway is about 150 miles away, so not likely every to travel on that.
Having set my scene, I can confidently report that the Antara has performed without fault on all the road surfaces I have driven on. I found the driving position to be perfect with great all round visibility. The seats are very comfortable and I get no back pain when I drive a longer journey.
The car is very well equipped, but I dislike the sat nav. It's in a terrible position and it's awkward to program. I use a portable Garmin unit when I'm going somewhere I need help with directions. There are certainly things I would have liked to have been included. Such as a memory function for the electric seats, auto folding mirrors when you lock the car and a decent armrest in the back seat for example. But I realise you can't always have every little thing you want and still have an affordable car.
I didn't care for the tyres which were supplied with the car. I felt they were harsh and didn't give me confidence in the car in poor conditions. So I replaced them with a set of Dunlop All Seasons tyres and the difference in driving comfort and sure-footedness was apparent as soon as I drove out of the tyre fitter's yard. I also bought a full size steel wheel and tyre to replace the tube of gunk.
I know there has been much discussion about the DPF where a few people just have not been able to get to grips with it or have had a fault. But I am happy to say I have not had any problem with it. I get a regen about every 520 miles and it passes quickly with very little effect on my long term MPG. Speaking of which, I get an average of about 31 mpg + or - 1 over about 5500 miles. This is about the same as I got with the Volvo XC70 I had before the Antara. Considering the car I have, and what I carry in it, I'm content with that figure and would expect it might improve a little over the next couple of years.
I've had no faults with the car since I got it. I did have a very bad knocking sound from somewhere in the back of the car, but that turned out to be the seatbelt buckle banking against the side of the car. I'm not naive enough to think the car is the best in the world or will never have any faults, but so far the car has behaved wonderfully and I have no complaints.
I've had many happy hours visiting some of my favourite places in the Antara. See the Gallery sections for some examples of my travels. I hope to have many more. The Antara is certainly a wonderful car for touring in the highlands and I'm glad I decided to go for this car rather than one of the other cars on my shortlist.
Happy motoring.
Edited by: Inchindown 
