Vauxhall might have arrived late at the soft roader party, and is using a Korean Chevrolet design to try and cash in on the craze. The Antara is an overtly road-biased SUV that hopes to shrug off the appalling memories of the Frontera and replace them with something more stylish and sophisticated.
The Antara isn't intended to leave the comfortable environs of the tarmac too often, although it will mess about in the mud quite happily if you want it to, but it certainly feels more at home on the road. Whilst it lacks the prowess of some of the leaders in the group, it is entirely dependable when cornering with plenty of grip.
The looks could charitably be described as inoffensively bland, showcasing the British manufacturer's current corporate look. The only crime that can really be laid at the Antara's door is that it looks a bit boring, and inevitably similar to the Vauxhall's sister car, the Chevrolet Captiva SUV.
The interior is where the Antara does score some points, though - the construction is absolutely solid and the whole car has a good quality feel to it. Passenger space is about the class average, as is the boot - the Antara doesn't break any ground here. There is an impressively high level of standard equipment on offer with the car too, so the Vauxhall soon shrugs off any comparisons with its budget brand sibling.
There is only one engine available with the Antara, but thankfully it is a good one. The economical 2.0-litre turbodiesel gives a solid if unremarkable performance and is never too intrusive. In fact, the whole car is impressively refined, the only complaint being the amount of wind noise as you creep past the national speed limit on the motorway.
There is no revolution here - the compact SUV segment is already well established and Vauxhall took its time in getting involved. The Antara is a perfectly fair effort, but it lacks any real pull for people that have already entered the segment and drive a rival. Maybe it can convert some old Vectra drivers.