This car it's a very powerfull car for this job! I like it & i suggest that car with close eyes!
Had mine 7 years no problems pulls like a train a bit thirsty but it is a combined weight of over 3 and a half tonnes surprises some people when they try to pass you
I have to say we are delighted with this combo. The 2.2 engine is a long stroke unit with plenty of low down grunt. Perfect for tugging this outfit. It is reassuring to have self leveling suspension, trailer assist. Short rear overhangs, a boot that has space for a full size spare and huge door mirrors perfect for mounting towing mirrors.
When driving I can maintain 60 in 6th on most motorway inclines. 5th maintains 60 quite easily. Shes a thirsty car on the whole but I can forgive that on the basis she does everything else so well. The weight does not help with mpg but does for a very stable outfit. 85kg nose weight is perfect for us even though our lunar is nose heavy. Roof Rails are perfect for the roof box too to keep weight down in the caravan. It has a cig lighter socket in the boot which is perfect for adjusting the tyre pressures. Ours feels like it would pull a house down, and tows the Lunar quite comfortably indeed. I would avoid 4wd and auto, sadly they are not robust and expensive to repair. Much better with the 2wd manual. We love ours and would happily tow a larger caravan. I would.also recommend buying as new as possible, build quality did get better on newer models.
Update: We have been so impressed with our Antara as a tow vehicle that we have up graded our caravan to a 2019 Quattro DD dealer special with a MTPLM of 1678, again the car tows seamingly effortlessly, I appreciate I have ATC fitted to our new van and twin axels but still I cannot express enough just how stable, sure footed and powerfull this outfit is, Ok I tend to carry most of the weight in the car, two kids two adults, awning, large cooler box of food and wine and most of our clothes in the roof box and not forgetting 3 adult mtbs and a childs mtb so we are a heavy set up but the Antara with self levelling suspension copes confidently. Ive had a few tow cars in my past and was worried at first with the Antara as lets be honest even Vauxhall discountinued it but we made a decision and up to now we have had no issues so happy with our decision.
First trip out with are new to us Antara se auto (184bhp) fully loaded with roof box, bikes on tow bar rack and 6 berth caravan with all the things needed for a family of four to sunny cornwall. The car was a replacement for our 2006 santa fe which I thought would be hard to beat, the Antara beat the santa fe in ALL area's which was a real surprise. The Antara is such a comfortable powerful car the 7 hour journey was a breeze, my only critisim is that the fuel tank could be a little bigger but I knew this prior to the trip so planned a garage stop away from the motorway network so as not to get ripped off with motorway prices. We never experienced any snaking and 90% of the time the car was in 6th gear on the motorways and only really noticed gear changes when dealing with the cornish country roads, on the whole this car is a very capable towcar and we are planning many more touring trips which will now include Europe as we are so confident in our outfit. BRILLIANT
First time out over the weekend to test our new (to us) tow car. Wow! Fantastic the Antara pulls with ease and has more than enough power. Its stable and really steady. We replaced a Discovery 2 Td5 for the Antara and was a little worried how it would preform.In all honesty it out performs the Discovery by a country mile. Economy is on a par with the disco. Would highly recommend the Antara as a well priced used tow car. Fantastic!!!
We have been towing since 1982, have to say the Antara is the best towcar we have had. We have had it for 3 years, it has been trouble free apart from an issue with the parking brake which was soon resolved. It is very stable when towing, easy to drive with cruise control engaged. It is ok fuel wise as far as I am concerned, somewhere between 25-30 towing, 39ish solo. We would buy another but vauxhall are not selling any more so we will have to look elsewhere when we decide to change. Hope it is as good as the Antara!
Having towed with Kia's in the past I was worried about towing with an Antara as they don't seem to be a very popular car and very few to be seen on the road. As soon as I started towing my Adria Altea Tamar 6 berth my worries were unfounded, what a fantastic tow car. The towing experience was as good if not better than the Kia Sorento, fuel performance isn't brilliant but nothing is when you are towing. A full tank of fuel cost £60 and I managed about 250-300 towing miles. When not towing the Antara is a bit 'Tanky' but you get used to it and the towing performance far outways the non towing faults..
The fuel economy of the Antara is woeful. Just returned from holiday towing the Lunar (super caravan); got 24,5 mpg on the 70 mile journey in very good conditions. This is actually not bad compared to what I usually get ie around 22. The difference is probably down to the diesel particulate filter that is particularly bad on the Antara. It triggers its self clean phase every 300 miles or so and uses bucketfuls of fuel when doing so. This would be a quite good car if only the DPF was not so seriously crap. As it is, fuel economy is poor. I get around 34 mpg when I am not towing; but again, not if the DPF activates. The Vauxhall dealership is of no help at all. The official fuel consumption figures of 50.4 mpg (extra urban) are a cruel joke!
The Antara performs very well and in fact you hardly know the van is there. The van is the maximum width you can legally tow with anything other than a transit van or similar and even with the extra width it follows the Antara perfectly.
Tows like a dream. No problems whatsoever but you have to remember that you are towing a caravan and it is easy to forget. Average 24 mpg on country roads and hills. Not tried the motorway on cruise control. Only had this car for a short time but so far pleased with the fuel consumption. 70mph average 37 mpg. I can live with that. Would recommend.
great tow car we are new to towing and it easily pulled the van it is so quiet and very comfortable we had no problems at all with any aspect of towing and we will probably upgrade to a larger van in a couple of years and we think it will easily tow something bigger.
This combo works very well. Once on the motorway set cruise control away you go.
We live in hilly South Wales and have never had a problem. The car is very comfortable which makes the journey stress free. I don't understand why people don't get on with this car. Believe me it tows like a dream.
We bought the Antara last February and have travelled from Rochdale to Cornwall, Skegness, and a few local trips within 50 miles of home and enjoyed every minute towing with the Antara reasonable mpg bags of power fabulous tow vehicle
Very pleased with the van, and the Antara 2.2 SE Nav pulls well
Very pleased with both.
swapped my santa fe 2litre for this antara loads more power extra 50bhp and more miles to the gallon and cheaper car tax saved over £250 insurance a extra 12 pounds
bought this new last year suposed to be good on fuel what a load of rubbish claimed 44 mpg total lies by vauxhall to sell cars,, does 20 mpg towing caravan and 30 when not... its a noisy bit of junk that goes thru a dpf regeneration every 200 miles therfor using more fuel sold it got a peugeot 4007 2.2 hdi 160 bhp switchable 4x4 drives like a car and tows every bit as good as the antara maybe even better returns 40 mpg solo and 28 towing and has not regenerated the dpf yet ive had it now for a 6 months my advice try other cars first before buying an antara !!!
Had 6 4x4in the past. The antara I bought new in June is brilliant towing best ever well pleased with it
Got the new Antara 2.2 2wd. in March this year.Towed the van to Somerset in May, and just returned from a 2000 mile trip touring Southern France with the van. Great Tow Car.!!!. Had a peugeot 4007 4wd before but this 2wd Antara coped easily.as previously stated. MPG not bad considering size of van.Very comfortable to drive and extreemly quiete. Very pleased.
Took the Antara (2013) Manual and Bailey 504 to North cornwall and Back A great tow car a distance of 240 miles each way MPG going down 30.2 and return journey30.1 In general very pleased with the car purchased new 2013
I have just done my first journey . I had a Hyundia Santa Fe on a 58 plate before. I found that the Antara was even better at towing than the Santa Fe, like other reviews it doesn't feel like you have got a caravan on the back.
I averaged 23 mpg which was slightly less than the Hyundia which I got 25-26 mpg towing.I was doing a steady 60mph and didn't have to change gear once. When you look at this it means I used to get an extra 20 - 30 miles on a full tank (great) If I was overly concerned about mpg I wouldn't buy a 4x4 and I certainly would tow a caravan.
What a great tow car. Towed with a 2002 Cherokee before, the difference, even though the Cherokee was capable of more, wouldn't tow at more then 50mph because of stability issues. Soft suspension set up I suspect was the problem. With the Antara, set the cruise at 60mph and leave it there.
Good looking, Comfy, well equipped and Stable towing, What more do you want in a tow car.
Not long returned from holiday in Germany. arrived at site after 10 hr drive feeling relaxed, car handled towing our van really well,felt in control all the time.fuel return not too bad considering it is a thirsty beast when not towing.I did Crewe to Dover 24mpg @ 55 mph .
In my honest opinion I would rate it as high as our old Sorrento xt
The only downside is the se nav version comes with 19 inch alloys and low profile tyres which make the ride abit harsh at times.
but every car has its good and bad points.all in all a good all rounder with loads of boot space too.
I'm only the passenger but I can say what a brilliant ride. In the past I have been bounced around by the caravan on the back. My husband took a lot of persuading to go back to towing but he wishes we'd found the car and done it a lot sooner. As per mpg, we have around 3 000 miles on the car (rarely use it other than towing as I walk to work) and towing we get about 28mg. We did manage 30mpg on one trip but there were no hills and no head wind. As per solo I had to take son to university, 200 mile round trip and managed 49mpg. Bit miffed when the DPF kicked in and I didn't make 50mpg!!!!
Had the Antara for 18 months and cant fault it when towing. The Bessacarr is a lot heavier than our old outfit but the car copes very well and always feels secure
The Antara tows the Compass with no effort you need to watch the 60mph limit ,as very easy to exceed, not affected by cross winds .
great tow car, pulls up the hills no problem at all,
a little thirsty but i don't think 27 mpg is bad for a 300 mile trip to Cornwall from the midlands. I think as the car runs in the mpg is getting slightly better. Comfortable car and we got it at a good price new. Very happy :-)
We picked up the 2013 Antara three days before heading to France for 17 days. We coverd 1800 miles of faultless towing. Pulls like a train !
this outfit is quite a good match but nowhere near as good as the sorento 2.5 diesel we get 32 mpg solo and 25 mpg towing and that is driving grandad style vauxhall claim 44mpg combined for this model thats why i bought it what a CON and i am not the only one to complain check out some of the forums so if you want a good towcar and reasonable economy dont buy an antara 2.2 diesel 4x4 ...buy a kia sorenro 2.5 wish i hadnt sold it now
We have towed twice now with this outfit and have been impressed how it handles even in very strong winds it seemed to cope quiet well.At 50 mph we were in top gear and it came along well,ideal for France where the speed limit is 50 mph when towing.Both have stability control so always kept in a straight line.Also the antara has self levelling suspension and doesn't sit down at all when the elddis is attached.All in all very pleased with this outfit.
with the Antara 2.2 2wd is brill with my coachman amara 450/2 it tows effortlessly, very pleased with car and van, fuel consuption is not bad, better on longer journeys, but keep revs done to a mimimum
we've just bought a new antara 2.2 4x4 to pull our Elddis Crusader Super Storm I have not towed it yet but after reading the reviews I am pleased with what i.ve read I will come back and write a full review thank you all
Antara 2.2 diesel and Bailey Pageant Moselle.... We have found the package to be just great with overall good performance. The economy is good for the power and weight, and gives us far more confidence in the journey's.
2 WD is fine (as Dave's review).... we too are well pleased with our choice.... it is super without the van too :)
Good match will pull all day, very stable with all the stability control on the vehcile and caravan. Cruise control will allow you to change gear without disengaging so really easy cruising in France. Suspension self-levels so no problems loading or unloading at ferry ports. Only down-side is the DPF (deisel particle filter) that regenerates regularly at 500 mile intervals and it does the MPG no good. All in all plenty of power and good stopping, make sure you use cruise control or watch your speedo as you can easily find yourself over the speed limit.
Towing my Amara 530/4 with the Antara 2.2 cdti (4wd] is a dream . It sits behind with no movements or buffeting from overtaking vehs. Very pleased with the set up.
purchased the new 2012 antara manual 2.2 diesel 163 bhp 2 wheel drive .fantastic ,over the moon ,the best tow car ive ever owned .fuel consumption good. power always there,dont need 4 wheel drive with traction control nd stability control . if u r thunking of buying a new car ,test drive the antara , superb
Had the Antara Se since March and what a car, faultless towing no problem up hill. Average 23-25 depending on roads. With its 1965 kerb weight will pull most caravans and also with self leveling suspension gives nice level driving unlike The Honda CRV and Freelander who I regulary see dragging the rear end down the road. Recommend to any one.
We've recently up-graded to a Coachman 545 vip, we still tow with the Antara, one of the few vehicles which will tow the Coachman, and the car performed really well. When we went down to Cornwall it blatted down the whole way,(rain) no problem! the 'van has got ATC which is a bonus, but still a great tow car. Highly recommended!!!
We've just bought a new 2012 Antara (184hp) auto and a 2011 Eldiss Avandte 540. This was my first time towing a caravan and the Eldiss is quite long and heavy. The antara pulled like a dream. I did not have to correct any steering even when travelling on dual carraigeway at 60mph. I did feel a little push and pull and I'm not sure if that's normal or not but it did not affect my driving experience.
Overall very happy
recently brought the new antara had some worries as changed from a sorento but hey its brill.. not as beefy as the sorento but a lovely drive very comfy and towed with no problems at all, using 6th gear was a pleasure on the motorway and the caravan behaved itself perfect, encountered a few hills in wales ! but even so the antara was not phased by them. all in all a great towcar and pounds cheaper than the new sorento..im sold...
Our new tow car is the Vauxhall / Opel Antara which is an excellent combination. Excellent power in reserve and great overall characteristics. Tow car an unusual but practical low cost choice.
The new 2.2d antara pulls my abbey aventura very easy. hills are no problem and also taking over the odd lorry at ease. The fuel comsumpsion towing the caravan is roughly the same as round the doors without the van on (50-60 miles for the £10 diesel) hope this helps.
We just goit a 2.0cdti SE, the following day we towed down to Perranporth. What an excellant towcar! we had a Vectra 1.9cdti before, but the Antara was/is great!
The Antara is a brilliant tow car.Last towcar was Vectra 150 bhp Estate. The Antara has much more power average towing 23 mpg. Have been caravaning in France and Spain for last two years power and comfort excellent.
This car tows very well ,from pulling away to top gear,can`t fault it ,soooooperb towing machine
Brilliant Tow machine, we had a smaller caravan towed by a nissian quashqai , no power, but the antara is probably the best car ive drove, fuel economy 22 mpg
I bought this car to replace a VW Touraeg 2.5 . This car pulls great and is very stable. I averaged 22.6 mpg towing and 38 solo, I only had to drop to 4th once on a motorway to overtake and with the cruise on steady as a rock. Im very impressed
Towed for appx 16 yrs mostly with large 4x4 vehicles. For power comfort and economy im impressed, The Antara tows like a dream.
The Antara is a fantastic tow car and you can hardly tell that you have the Bailey Champagne behind you. We take a lot of kit but this does not affect the Antaras performance. While the automatic gearbox makes towing effortless it also drops the mpg down to 19 to the gallon which is a bit on the thirsty side.
Great towing vehicle coped very well on all roads drove from the Highlands to Land's End this summer but can be a bit thirsty if your not careful very stable combination a big difference from my 1.8 vectra.
Found the vauxhall Antara a perfect tow car for the Avondale Osprey, travelled around Cornwall on some pretty steep hills and the car coped very well. The car has self levelling suspension and coped well with the awning, bbq and golf glubs in the car. The automatic gearbox has the ability to use manually which was very usefull to be able to drop down a gear on the steeper hills
I bought the Antara Diesel in May 2008. Previously I towed with a Vectra 150 bhp Estate. The Antara tows superbly. We camped in France this summer and towed for about 800 miles. The weight and gearing were ideal for towing safely at 60mph, which on many roads is in 5 th gear and using cruise control. My family enjoy the ride and comfort the Antara delivers.
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