Opel Antara GTC: Global DNA

... continued from page 1 - The body color “Everglade Mica” features high portions of glimmering pigments, with contrasting dark bumpers and bottom body strip on the side to underline the rugged protection, just like the soles of sports shoes are no longer confined to under the shoe, as Antara's Designer Kurt Beyer puts it.

The front and rear underride protection has been cut from solid aluminium, just like the edge protection strip for the luggage area. The V-shaped radiator grill of brushed aluminium (which made its debut in similar form in the Insignia sedan study) is repeated in the tailgate, which is tapered downwards.

Like in the Insignia, the door handles retract flush with the body. They only slide out when the owner approaches the vehicle with an electronic transponder (for keyless access).

The front and rear lights consist of light-emitting diodes, which have a longer life and shorter response times than conventional lamps. At the front, the lamp units are smoothly integrated into the fenders, and at the rear, they highlight the transition from the side shoulder to the rear.

Above the heads of the passengers, two skylights invite light into the interior - an optional feature available with the new Zafira. The strip between them holds storage compartments. It ends in the pantographic hinge ("pantograph: device for copying a plan, etc on a different scale", Oxford dictionary), on which the tailgate is fixed to swing upwards and to the front. No need to take a step backwards when opening the tailgate, and even in tight parking spaces, access to the luggage compartment becomes easier.

Interior - Inside, leather and warm tones interplay with technical materials like carbon fiber (seat back), stainless steel and aluminium (cockpit). The interior is clearly split between the upper dark-brown part dominating the instrument panel and door liners, and the lower, lighter rest in beige.

The panoramic roof system is borrowed from the new Opel Zafira and has been further developed. The two large skylights give a pleasant atmosphere to travel in, with dark tinted glass to protect from excessive sunshine. The roof console, which runs along the center and extends over the whole length of the car interior, offers additional stowing space. Another storage facility for everyday utensils is the special leather bag that can be moved along a rail between the front and rear seats. It can also be taken along on a shopping or sightseeing trip.

Then comes the center console, extending well into the interior to accommodate, not only the compact gear lever of the Easytronic transmission, but also three large round ventilation nozzles and the controls for the infotainment system and air-condition. Side handles to hold on at the bottom of the center console remind you quickly that you are well indeed in an off-road concept vehicle.

The unusual material mix in the Antara GTC climaxes in the center console: The ventilation nozzles stand out from their glossy piano-black finish surrounds, and the gear lever is ringed by brushed stainless steel. Like the cockpit, the controls for the infotainment system and the air-condition are backlit in turquoise.

The instruments are also backlit in turquoise and are accommodated in an aluminium housing – a combination of structural strength and optical elegance. When off-road, displays in the two circular instruments keep the driver constantly informed of the gradient (up or down) and of the lateral angle of the Antara GTC.

The pedals are covered with non-slip rubber that has the same unusual profile as the Antara tires. Instead of a conventional carpet, the SUV study is fitted with stylish and resistant sisal.

Versatility - Anchored on mono-rails, the front seats look as if they are floating. With the EasyEntry system, they slide forward up to the instrument panel at the touch of a button to allow the passengers easier entry to the rear. A sensor device ensures that no-one is actually sitting on the seats during this operation.

The rear seats can be automatically folded away, raising the luggage volume to a generous 2,400 liters by the VDA standard. The luggage area is completely flat up to the front seats thanks to a moving double floor, the upper half of which is easily pushed to the front like a tray over the retracted back seats. Here, too, sisal is used as the lining material.

Development - The Antara GTC was designed at Opel's International Technical Development Center in Rüsselsheim, where it was also built by hand, to make it the first ready-to-drive study for a long time not to have originated from a specialized body manufacturer, but to have been fully developed and built in-house.

Even the extravagant front and rear headlamps with LED technology and the many aluminium and stainless steel components (including the underride protection, side vents for the engine and radiator grill struts) are "Made by Opel". The only exception are the tires, which were produced jointly with Dunlop.

So, if the next Frontera will be built in Korea, it still has a European design DNA from its Rüsselsheim conception on a fertile American platform called.... Theta, developped in cooperation with the Japanese partner Suzuki.            (Back to home page)