[Antarius]

With the worsening negativitysurrounding the Antaracoming from professional circles, it got me wondering what visitors to our forum must think about our mental state when we have all committed considerable sums of money to the purchase of the car.
Let's be fair, I can't think of another car that has been so lambasted and criticized in professionalquartersonly for it to beso supported by its owners.

It truly is an unique situation fueled by a trulyunique car.

So what is it about the Antara that causes owners to ignore the general media and do their own thing ?

Build quality, trim level, fuel economy or just plain old value for moneycould be offered as just a few of the reasons but................

What was it for you ?

 

[8342mat]

I guess for me the question is
"why did I buy another ?"

There was nothing wrong with my previous one, when I sold it at three years old and 35000 miles on the clock.
Trouble free and a more than competent tow car.

I looked around for months for a replacement, from Kia Sorento, Hyundai Santa Fe, Freelander, Kuga, even three year old Discoveries.
All had something in common that being an SUV 4x4 style vehicle.

Not being the smallest of chaps I needed a larger vehicle for comfort and ease of getting in and out.
A kerb weight around the two tonne mark, diesel and automatic and a 4x4 system.

Nothing ticked all my boxes like the Antara.

Simple things like a centre arm rest, meant spending extra £1k's for the higher spec Freelander for example.
£400+ road tax for the Discovery and so the list went on.

For me I knew that the Antara needed the 2.2 engine and six speed auto to make it a better car, so once this came around I as very interested.
Having owned one I knew the faults and the bad press, but my experience told me different.

Good discounts, five years interest free credit, and the warranty, made it a no brainer.

The car I liked got better, by addressing the faults I had identified.

That was it for me.


MatEdited by: 8342mat

 

[Inchindown]

As some of you will know, I get my car through the Motability scheme. I'm what used to be called a War Pensioner, and I can give up part of my pension to get a car from Motability.

Given that background, the only cars I can get are those listed in the Motability catalogue. The list of AWD cars is pretty limited, both in brands and trim levels. This is due to a cap in the prices of cars available through the scheme.

So when my lease was coming up for renewal, I listed all of the automatic AWD cars that had electrically folding wing mirrors that were available from Motability.

I eliminated the ones that were not available in my area, plus a couple I just didn't want to look at, and was left with a shortlist of 8 cars.

Antara, VW Tiguan, Qashqai, BMW X1, Ford Kuga, Grand Vitara, CRV, Sportage,

I made a brief list of key features which would allow me to compare all of these cars and set about arranging test drives for 5 of them. I eliminated the Suzuki when looking at in the show room. Just didn't like the feel of the car, plus it was a petrol engine with a very poor MPG. I also eliminated the Ford Kuga and the CRV because both cars were in the process of being replaced by new models, and there was no guarantee that either would be available at the time I had to put my order in with Motability.

So I arranged test drives for the remaining five and had a question and answer session with the salesman on my comparison questions. Obviously I also looked online and in various forums to see how the different cars were rated and what were the main discussion points on each of the models.

So having done all that, I then had to assess what I'd learned.

Having done all that, I still couldn't eliminate emotion creeping in to the process.

The Sportage was out because I didn't feel comfortable in the drivers seat and I didn't like the shape of the bonnet area of the car.

The BMW was out due to not really liking the shape of the car and the pedals were very awkward to use. Not a good thing for a person has a seriously bad leg.

The Qashqai was the next to fall. On the test drive it felt cheap on the inside and didn't make me feel this was the car for me.

So that left the Tiguan and the Antara. I have to say the Tiguan was slightly better driving experience than the Antara. It was certainhly comfortable enough for me and by duff leg.

So why did I end up choosing the Antara?.

Well I have a history with the local VX dealer and I trust them. But the biggest reason was the level of trim on the Antara compared to all the others. If I wanted to match the Tiguan trim to the Antara I would have had to spend around £5K on optional extras. Let me tell you, VW options are not cheap.

So while the Tiguan had a slight advantage on the quality of the driving experience, that was outweighed by the cost of buying options to bring the VW upto a level of trim that I would feel comfortable with.

So was I right to choose the Antara? Only time will tell. Whatever happens, it will be with for the next 3 years - assuming I live that long.

Having had the Antara for the enormously long time of 3 days, I can definitely say I'm happy so far. It's fast, comfortable, feels safe, has a great driving position and I'm getting better than 30 MPG straight out of the box.

In light of the stuff I went through to choose the Antara, I'm content I've made a good decision. No one can tell how the car will perform over time or if there are some nasty mechanical surprises waiting round the corner, but for now I'm happy I made the right choice.Edited by: Inchindown

 

[Antarius]

While out and about this morning with my wife, I was approached by a husband and wife team who were interested in my thoughts on the Antara. At present they have an Insignia and are currently looking for another car that will comfortably pull their caravan.

They admitted to having a problem in as far as they are ardent Vauxhall fans and would prefer to stay with a Vauxhall model with the Antara being their preferred option but are being put off by the online massacre of the Antara by the British media.

They explained that when they visited the Vauxhall dealership, staff in the franchise had only good things to say about the Antara (naturally) but whenever they visited other non Vauxhall dealerships, the salespeople were only too glad to show them the online reviews, citing the authors as being highly respected and learned people, who's opinions should be heeded.

I tried to explain the great divide between these online reviews and those offered by Antara owners and pointed out that they were at different sides of the spectrum.

I suggested this forum as being a place to read honest thoughts and reviews on the car and even "name dropped" a few of you as being highly respected and learned in your own rights. I passed on my feelings in that regard, compiled in the short time that I have been an Antara owner.

Amazingly when I told them that the major "fault" was the fuel consumption and offered mpg figures, they said that that was not an issue as their current Insignia only managed about 25mpg about town and mid thirties in a longer run and those figures were without their caravan attached.

This was the fourth time in three days that someone has just approached me and asked about the merits of the Antara but on each of those occasions they have all cited the slaughter of the car as being a massive hurdle that they need to overcome.

You would think that GM Motors must realize what is going on and try to promote the Antara in a more positive light, rather than leave it to the online vultures who have picked away at it with such fortitude, that there is nothing left to consume.

It is really sad !

 

[HoneyMonster]

Another War pensioner here and Caravanner.

Was after something that could tow close to 1700Kg, 4x4 for muddy fields and a proper automatic preferable over a dual clutch wannabee.
Heated seats for me are a great relief when driving as have them on all year to help me.
I looked at choices and was down to final 3 being Hyundai IX35, VW tiguan and Antara.
To get the others up to same spec as Antara was going to cost thousands more, which i would not have saved in fuel over the 3 year period so to me it was no contest Antara won.

 

[Antarius]

Another War pensioner here and Caravanner.

Was after something that could tow close to 1700Kg, 4x4 for muddy fields and a proper automatic preferable over a dual clutch wannabee.
Heated seats for me are a great relief when driving as have them on all year to help me.
I looked at choices and was down to final 3 being Hyundai IX35, VW tiguan and Antara.
To get the others up to same spec as Antara was going to cost thousands more, which i would not have saved in fuel over the 3 year period so to me it was no contest Antara won.

Afternoon Iain


No matter whether we purchased our Antara as a private buyer or selected the Antara through the Motability scheme, I really do think that your observations about "the value for money" on the Antara, has to be one of the main reasons why we own our Antara or are waiting for the delivery of it.

 

[Spantara]

For me it was the car that chose me and not the other way around. I was simply out in a friend's Antara one day and the car showed me all its best sides. It was definately flirting with me and I fell hook, line and sinker.
We all know the advantages of the Antara. I was simply bowled over by them and went out next day and bought one. Simple as that

Edited by: Spantara

 

[rpdavic]

I think the Antara chose us too! We were out shopping one day and saw the Antara (and it's sister the Captiva) sitting on the forecourt. We just thought that we would look a little closer and next thing we knew we were sitting in one! We really liked the way the car looked and the amount of kit offered (price seemed good and chance to pay for car without a balloon payment really was appealing) we took it for a test drive (and the Captiva) and felt the car felt smooth. We weren't silly though and went about testing the competition. Dacia Duster was plain really rough, I didn't like the ix35, wife hated the sportage, neither of us liked the qashqai. CRV, Rav 4 and Freelander we both felt did not excite enough to match price tag. We were tempted by a Ford Kuga but again it was a lot more than the Antara. In the end we were happy with our choice. The Antara does what it says on the tin. It is such a shame that it does get a real bashing from the motoring press. And in my opinion is not pushed by GM who seem to have more time for the captiva.

 

[Off Road Doc]

Why the Antara?.............It took me 4 months of looking and testing a replacement SUV for my RAV 4 T180. Now the RAV4 was top spec, every extra you could think of, fantastic in the snow, great going up dirt tracks etc when we were away mountain biking and hill walking. I tested them all,Kuga....felt like I was driving a focus, no SUV feel about it
Jeep Compass......for a big car you sit far too low and every time I changed gear I my left knee would hit the trim under the dash.
Sportage.....have to admit nice drive but too small, and some of the finish could have been better ( in the demo anyway)
Qashqai........got in it and never even took it out on the road !!
BMW X3...this was a 2 yr old used.........over priced, not many extras and with its wide tyres did not give the assurance inwet mud and trails as SUV should give..(Surprisingly no snow in September!!)

There were a few others but it came down to 2......Another Rav4 or the Antara. To be honest I never gave the Antara much thought until a friend had offered me a drive in his, I was impressed, so much I went down for a test drive in one. Call me old fashioned but I like an SUV to look like an SUV, the chunky look. I had seen pics of the the new RAV 4 and to be honest it did not appeal to me, it had lost identity just looking like the "Style" SUV, like an over sized estate car.

I did contemplate on another RAV4, existing model but newer, but the price for a 2yr old was what I would be paying for a new Antara.

So it was a no brainer, the Antara wins on looks, (chunky SUV), value for money ( the spec level together with the price and the warranty) the drive (comfortable and 4x4 when I need it ) and more importantly the wife liked it !!!

I opted for the Exclusive over the SE because of the tyre size, at the time of deciding 19 inch tyres were only available locally by ordering, I had enough of that with RAV as it had runflats.

Am I happy with the Antara? yes Iam . We have had it since October and it has done everything that has been asked of it, there is no fanfare, blowing whistles with it, it just gets on with its job !!....It does what it says on the tin so to speak. This is where the problem lays with the Antara, it doesnt shout loud, it doesnt scream look at me see what I can do......as already mentined maybe that is a failing of the GM advertising.

As for the knockers of the Antara?........Through experience you cannot test drive a SUV over an hour or so at a dealers or any other garage, It has to be test driven like how you want to use it, most people will test the Antara like they would be driving an Astra, Focus etc, just round town, the school run etc.
For you guys that have spent your hard earned cash on the Antara and is your first SUV, get out there and get up in the hills and use the Antara for what it is. Only the knockers are missing out !!

 

[Pudsey]

Great post Doc. This will be my first SUV, and I am really looking forward to getting out on the highland roads and giving it a good test!

 

[gregc]

I chose my antara after looking at loads of different 4x4's I have to admit if money had not been a driving factor I would of got myself a discovery but for wat I can afford to pay each month I had a a set target price of 12k aggred finance to spend on a car so the hunt was on, I wanted a 4x4 due to living in a very little village that likes to get snowed in and even with winter tyres on my zafira i had loads of problems on the contry roads near me, the plan was origionally to change the zafira in the summer but due to a major ecu fault i have decided to change it now whilst the car is still running.
I looked at loads of different 4x4's in my budget even considering a 4x4 insignia, but as said above the specification on Antara's is great, and test driving a VW Tiguan I really liked how it drove but the spec was so basic, after looking on autotrader again for the millionth time I saw the antara that i'm getting in sheffield, I did the usuall thing of looked at the reviews and looked at the forums, from what I have seen the faults that people talk about on the antara are nothing new for vauxall.

The DPF fault keeps coming up and yes if you drive short trips it will cause you problems, best thing to do if you think your car needs a regen is drive on the motorway at 60-70 ant 3-4k rpm for4 - 5 milesand that cleans it very quickly.

fuel economy, you dont by a 2ton 4x4 and expect good fuel econemy if you want good fuel economy by a bllodysmart diesel, granted it could be better and I think with the newer engined 2.2's it is.

trim creacking, stop being fussy its a vauxhall not aBMW or Merc that you have, yes some of the trim parts are going to creak get some silicon spray and spraywere the creak is problem solved.

we hav all gotAntaras for different reasons I chose mine because I like Vauxhalls, it has a great spec and it drove really nice

 

[novus]

Very simple for me. Have had Vauxhall for a long time now and wanted an suv...Antara it is then.

Im happy enough after 5 days

 

[dekka]

Got my motor on 1st march done nearly 4k now it hasnt put a foot wrong. Had seen the antara around but to be honest thought they would be out of my price range but was amazed at the deal and the trade in. Considering i only went out to price some snow tyres cameback with a new car, bought mine then read the reviews ( NOT VERY BRIGHT I KNOW) and nearly changed my mind, how pleased am I didnt, its built well has s good spec and is great to drive. As for the reviews I wonder have they actually been in the car. Having traded a quashqai for the antara which gets rave reviews cost a small fortune and isnt four wheel drive the vauxhall is a much better motor even though we loved the nissan. The bottom line is the best reviews are by the end user and thank god for sites like these as I would missed out s great car and excellent package from the dealer

 

[Inchindown]

Got my motor on 1st march done nearly 4k now it hasnt put a foot wrong. Had seen the antara around but to be honest thought they would be out of my price range but was amazed at the deal and the trade in. Considering i only went out to price some snow tyres cameback with a new car, bought mine then read the reviews ( NOT VERY BRIGHT I KNOW) and nearly changed my mind, how pleased am I didnt, its built well has s good spec and is great to drive. As for the reviews I wonder have they actually been in the car. Having traded a quashqai for the antara which gets rave reviews cost a small fortune and isnt four wheel drive the vauxhall is a much better motor even though we loved the nissan. The bottom line is the best reviews are by the end user and thank god for sites like these as I would missed out s great car and excellent package from the dealer

Good to hear you are having a good time with your Antara. I know what you mean about weird reviews. I wrote to Whatcar to ask for an explanation of why they give the Antara a one star rating.

Here's how the conversation went.

Me to Whatcar.

"I was reading your review of the Antara, and couldn't really
work out why it has a one star rating. Every category in the full review is
rated at three or four stars.<?: prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" />



So my question is how do you get from three and four stars
for individual attributes to an overall one star rating. It just doesn't seem
to be logical.


This is especially puzzling as the user reviews seem to put
the overall score at 4 stars.


Thank you for your time."
Whatcar to me."Hello Mr Inchindown,

When the Antara was launched, it was a three-star car, but
it now feels incredibly dated compared with newer rivals - its ride comfort,
refinement, emissions and quality are all amongst the worst in the class.

This means it is now impossible for us to recommend the
Antara, which is why we downgraded it to one star. Unfortunately, due to a
technical fault, the star ratings for individual areas reverted to their
previous settings. This has now been corrected and I apologise for any
confusing caused.Please feel free to contact me again if I can be or any
further assistance."
Me to Whatcar."I have to say I'm a little surprised and disappointed with your
reply.

I simply can't accept your view the Antara is among the worst in
its class.

I have just purchased a new Antara SE Nav 184 Auto this month.
Before ordering, I did extensive research and had test drives with eight
different cars and the Antara was by far the best driving experience and the
standard trim level was superior to the standard offerings from all the other
cars.

The cars I tested were as follows.
Vauxhall AntaraVW TiguanNissan QashqaiHyundai IX35BWX X1Kia SportageFor KugaHonda CRV

My own experience as an owner, albeit a short one, is that
Antara is certainly no one star car. It is powerful, fast, comfortable and
stable on the road. It is good in the snow and is no worse on fuel economy than
the Volvo it replaced.
I'm afraid when I see reviews like yours, which are so far off
the mark on the Antara, I find it hard to take any of your other reviews
seriously. It makes me wonder if you have simply got a downer on all things
Vauxhall.
Thank you for your time."
Whatcar to me.
"Hello Mr Inchindown,



We stand by our comments, and will have to agree to disagree
about the Antara's merits relative to rivals, but I'm pleased to hear that you
are happy with your car.



I would, however, like to make the point that we most
certainly don't have a downer on all things Vauxhall. When the current Corsa
was launched we gave it our overall Car of the Year award, while the Ampera won
our Green Car of the Year award a couple of years ago. It's just a pity some of
the other models in Vauxhall's range weren't developed to such high standard"
Gave upafter that as it was like talking to a brick wall. I really don't know where these reviewers get their reviews from. It makes you wonder if they just make them up in the office.

 

[wilma08]

Well i just got mine on the 9th May and i love it we have the Captiva and i loved that to, why you may ask, i did not (husband) purchase another Captiva because the price difference for the same car, The Antara has all the toys you can expect from a car, otherwise the spect is great for the price, it drives really good i would say a little firmer than the Captiva, you also get a good responce through the stearing thus it does not wonder when driving at speed around bends on the motorway or country roads as many SUV's do. The seats are comfortable although i am quite a large lady you feel secure, the hight or vue within the cabin is really good as the seat goes higher than the Captiva as i am short 5ft 3inch. But the disadvantage is i would have liked bigger mirrors, as the Capitva' are bigger, getting back to the looks i like the shape and curves of the car, the grill and the chrome a girl likes bling

you might say that the MPH are low but so aremanySUV'sAll thethitherones just did not hold myinterest as this one did. Plus both cars have 5 star Euro Mcapsafetyfeatures thatarerelevantwhen i am looking for a new carto all
I feel it is wrong that GM has not promotedthese cars as otherdealers do

Is it because the small economical cars and business cars aretherebread and butter.

 

[Antarius]

Inchindown, like you I am baffled by these so called "professional" reviews. Granted the Antara is not a 5 star performer but hey, what car is ?

The one thing that really annoys me and I'm sorry if I continue to "play the same tune" but I would just love for these companies such as Which, to identify which cars they are comparing the Antara too.


For comparisons sake, I believe that the Antara is being placed in the same group as the Hyundai ix35, Mitsubishi ASX, Ford Kuga, Mazda CX5, Nissan Qashqai, KIA Sportage and Peugeot 3008 to name but a few, which is really unfortunate as none of these cars have the characteristics of the Antara.


In my humble opinion there is only one car that is comparable to the Antara and that is the Chevrolet Captiva.










Edited by: Antarius

 

[Johnny Boy]

We got ours on Motability, my son is autistic, after our current 3 year period with a Nissan Qashqai came to an end.

The Nissan to be fair was excellent if slightly under powered being a 1.5 diesel, hence my first reason in that I wanted at least a 2 litre sized engine.


Also a SUV/4X4 type suits our needs, my wife has an occasional back complaint and we just found the more upright rear seating better for her needs, as opposed to a more acute angle that you get on a standard saloon car.


We also really liked the look of the car, having been taken by the looks of the Captiva.

Edited by: Johnny Boy

 

[smino]

Well why buy anything else. my previous car was a volvo v70 2.5tdi 2000. this car was impecable but did have some faults. but had all the goodies. leather,all electrix, and most of all 40+ mpg. last year i was contemplating on buying another car,but could not find anything as good in car and mpg.so i was going to buy another newer version. then on my travels i passed a vx dealer and in the front was a demo antara. As this caught my eye i ventured in to have a look. then i was smitten, but the mpg was lower. After a few weeks things changed and i had no reason the travel 3500/5000 mile a week. so i went back and this time a newer version with 2.2 and 6 speed had been brought about.
Where do i sign? i said. i can live with the lower mileage but not without the extras that you get with the se nav 183 auto,that some make want a second mortgage for.

very impressed with mine. just cant wait to get my tow bar fitted on friday.then i can go with the caravan.

 

[2Dogs]

Very simple for me. The price for the spec it came with. I have a SE Nav 184 and to be honest apart from a better reversing light can't think of anything else I would want from a car.

 

[wilma08]

Very simple for me. The price for the spec it came with. I have a SE Nav 184 and to be honest apart from a better reversing light can't think of anything else I would want from a car.

what kind of dogs have you got, just being nosy i have a Rottweiler x GSD next to my kids and cars i love dogs.wilma