Vauxhall Antara facelift (2010) first official pics

Vauxhall's Antara has had a mid-life crisis. Sorry, we mean facelift. There's a new look - and a £3000 price cut.

Yes, the newly fettled 2011 Antara goes on sale in December 2010 and it's nearly £3k cheaper than the previous model, with prices starting at £19,995 for a 2.2 CDTi model.

The grille has lost the pronounced Vauxhall V-shape and been replaced with a more subtle straight front grille which displays the new Griffin logo (just like on the revised Corsa unveiled earlier this week).

The Antara's foglights are now chrome-finished and new 19in alloys have been added as standard to SE models. Hill assist and an electric parking brake are new too.

All the new models meet Euro-5 standards, says Vauxhall, and the line-up offers reduced fuel consumption and emissions too.

The 2.2 CDTI turbodiesel is new, boasting variable camshaft phasing to optimise torque and performance while reducing fuel consumption and CO2.

The turbodiesel comes in two variants: the 161bhp is available in front-wheel drive with a six-speed transmission, while the 4wd one uses a manual or six-speed auto gearbox. If you plump for the 182bhp one, it's 4wd only and you can still choose between manual or auto.

Vauxhall says the chassis has been reworked too. The Antara reacts automatically to its environment, using front-wheel drive most of the time to save fuel. In slippery conditions it switches to all four wheels for optimum traction.

The cabin's spruced up too, enhanced by fresh graphics and lighting, plus extra storage.
 

By Sarah-Jayne Harrison