THE Vauxhall Antara is a great, family friendly urban 4x4 with plenty of off-road capability when needed.

The first engines were not very efficient but a facelift in 2011 brought fresh looks and much improved power units and gearboxes.

There are 2.0-litre and 2.2 diesels with 147, 163 or 184bhp and earlier models were available with a 2.4 petrol but it was a little thirsty.

Performance is good or very good in all, with decent mid-range urge. Early diesels were a bit noisy but once on the move, I didn't notice.

There are both two and four wheel drive configurations and if you don't need the off-road capability, the two-wheel-drive versions give improved economy.

Later models have either six-speed manual or automatic gearboxes and both work very well with the engines.

In the four-wheel-drive models, power goes to the front wheels most of the time, with the rears only coming into play when extra traction is needed.

Vauxhall has been very generous with standard equipment ever since the SUV was launched. It comes with stability control, six airbags, air conditioning, electric windows all round, CD stereo and MP3 connection. SE trim adds climate control in place of air con, leather and Bluetooth.