A major difference between the Antara and the Captiva is that though it is possible to buy the Chevrolet with a choice of front-wheel drive and five seats, the Opel comes with AWD and is available as just a seven-seater only.

Opel sees the Antara as a more upmarket vehicle than the Captiva although both are General Motors products built at the former Daewoo factory now owned by GM. The Antara uses instruments from the Astra estate and the interior is well laid out. The driver gets a good high position and rear seat passengers get good room.

The exterior gets a strong sporty look and there is excellent ground clearance for those who want to go off road.

The Antara comes in three trim levels with the top Elite level getting bluetooth phone connection. All versions get Electronic Stability Control as standard . . . a good safety feature . . .Hydraulic Brake Assist, Active Rollover Protection and a Descent Control System. The diesel option gets self-levelling rear suspensions too.

Power comes from a 2.3-litre 138bhp petrol engine or from the more economical 2-litre 150 bhp CDTi turbo-diesel.

However, the petrol model comes with manual transmission only and prices start at 37,370, while the the diesel version . . .which has the choice of manual or automatic transmission . . . has prices starting at 41,350 rising to 52,645.

Opel expects to sell between 450 and 500 units in a full calendar year.