Car Statistics: Vauxhall - Antara Series 06 (3 stars)

Styling (3 stars)

It's still a handsome SUV, the Antara, these latest titivations changing it only in detail. The interior is attractively styled too, but beginning to date in places.

Handling (4 stars)

The Antara handles neatly enough for keen drivers to enjoy it on twisty roads. Accurate steering, well-contained roll and limited understeer all help, as does confidence-promoting stability. In treacherous conditions the all-wheel drive versions will feel more secure of course.

Comfort (3 stars)

The Antara is undoubtedly quieter thanks to extensive efforts to quell noise, vibration and harshness, and while the new diesels aren't standard setters for refinement, they rarely intrude excessively. The ride is firm on the revised suspension, but rarely uncomfortable.

Quality (3 stars)

The Antara should be a well-sorted car by now, and its quality of finish is undoubtedly sharper following its make-over, but the Nissan Qashqai, Ford Kuga and VW Tiguan are all better presented inside, as indeed are Vauxhall's latest models such as the Insignia, Astra and Meriva.

Performance (3 stars)

The front-drive 163bhp Antara delivers pretty brisk performance, as do the 184bhp all-wheel drive versions, but the awkward manual transmission can slow you down. For this reason, and its smoothness, the automatic makes quite a pleasing choice and in practice is barely any slower.

Roominess (4 stars)

There's plenty of space up front, room in the rear is more than adequate and the boot is fairly generous, if less so than some rivals manage with their seats up. Space for in-cabin oddments is good.

Costs (3 stars)

The Antara does not have the strongest residual values having had a less than stellar early sales career, and this revised version is unlikely to do much better. But servicing and maintenance costs are competitive.

Value (4 stars)

The Antara offers more for your money in terms of power outputs and equipment compared to its competitors - against this you must balance the likelihood of slightly poorer residual values, and a less impressive interior finish.

Stereo (3 stars)

The Antara's sat nav screen is well positioned, colourful and pretty clear, but it's not the easiest to programme. The stereo system sounds fine.