Opel Antara 2006 model. The fashion for SUVs-crossovers swept the European car market in the late 1980-ies. Many car companies began a race to create a machine of this type, and only Adam Opel AG has gone the other way. We should remind readers that at the time, but her part of the concern General Motors has also included the Japanese firm Isuzu, who had considerable experience of creating a four-wheel drive multipurpose vehicles. In 1989, Isuzu launched the Rodeo four-wheel drive—this car is called Opel Frontera and began to produce in 1991, the English company of General Motors.
The car though had a very urban look, but at its core it was still a traditional rural SUV with a frame body, a reduction gear in the transmission and is rigidly connected front axle.
Market introduction of the Opel Frontera occurred in a period when other European brands has just launched the production of such machines that allowed us to fully enjoy the laurels of a discoverer. New jeep produced by the company Opel 13 years—from 1991 to 2004, during this period, it sold 285,000 cars.
In 2005, the company presented at the Frankfurt motor show concept car new crossover (so was called the city four-wheel drive vehicles with the appearance of the jeep) under the name Antara GTS, which is trekhgornyy car with a clear rapid silhouette, strongly inclined windscreen, with a spectacular roof with two longitudinal transparent Windows, door handles, recessed flush with the surface of the body and sliding when approaching the car of the driver with an electronic key FOB…
Immediately it should be noted that the production of the Opel Antara, released in 2006, has little in common with the eponymous exhibition exhibit designers sometimes create extreme design, able to shock and thus to interest a potential buyer. But in the production machine starts with a more conservative appearance that satisfies not only extreme, but also the mass market, which was successfully demonstrated by the designers under the guidance of chief style of firm Opel Brian Nesbit and chief designer Chris Pina.
Serial Opel Antara is a five-door wagon all-wheel drive with a monocoque body, which has 37 percent of structural elements made of high strength steel. In particular, such a material is made of the front subframe and front doors, providing enhanced occupant protection during an impact. The special crushable elements at the front and rear of the car to avoid serious consequences in collisions at low speeds. To protect against corrosion, a number of elements of the body have galvanic coating. The fuel tank is located ahead of the rear axle—this area is most protected when rear-end collisions.
The concept car is all-wheel drive car-crossover exhibited at the Frankfurt motor show 2005 under the working title Opel Antara GTS
The base engine is an inline four-cylinder engine with a working volume of 2.4 liters capacity of 140 horsepower, with cast iron block and aluminum 16-valve head with two camshaft and balancing shafts (motor this, by the way, is in Australia at the Holden plant of the company). Available also versions with a 150-horsepower turbodiesel with a displacement of 2.0 l with aluminium cylinder head, equipped with a Common Rail injection system with 1600 bar pressure, and with a gasoline V-shaped six-cylinder engine with a displacement of 3.2 liters with a power of 227 HP In 2007 it is planned to release a less powerful 127-horsepower turbodiesel, which will be of interest to Russian buyers—it is less sensitive to the quality of diesel fuel.
The first two engines are equipped with five-speed manual transmission (as an option can be set to automatic five-speed transmission). Petrol V-twin engine is available exclusively with an automatic transmission with a manual shift transmission.
The geometric scheme of the car Opel Antara
Chassis of Opel Antara:
1 —McPherson strut front suspension; 2—cardan shaft; 3—rear subframe; 4—rear shock absorber; 5—reverse gear clutch connecting the rear axle; 6—the steering mechanism
The front part of the vehicle interior
The trunk of the car Opel Antara—its capacity is from 370 to 1,420 litres
As an option, buyers can be offered to Flex-Fix— built-in rear pull-out bumper rack Bicycle carrier
All-wheel drive Opel Antara — a typical crossover that is well behaved only on the highway and on a fairly smooth dirt road
In normal road conditions, the Opel Antara is a front-wheel drive car, however, to overcome moderate off-road it is equipped with automatic plug-wheel drive rear axle. The latter kicks in with an electro-hydraulic clutch-controlled intelligent all-wheel drive system—Intelligent Torque Controlled Coupling (ITCC). The clutch is in the rear of the gearbox—team electronics when the front wheels begin to slip, built-in electromagnet with a two-second delay clamps package of “wet” friction clutches, connecting thereby to the work of the rear axle.
It should be noted that such a method of torque distribution between the drive axles recently used increasingly, replacing the scheme with permanent all-wheel drive and centre differential—this applies, in particular, on the domestic “Field” and the Japanese Тоуоtа RAV4. The fact that the system TSS has less mass and is easily reprogrammed in accordance with the requirements of the customer and the manufacturer.
Despite the rear axle plug, high traffic crossover is no different — no wonder more recently, the unflattering called parquet jeeps. The lot of them—and dry asphalt primer. By the way, on rough roads Are Antara behaves very confidently—energy suspension makes it easy to “swallow” the bumps and hollows.
Both the front and the rear suspension — coil springs, independent, collected on a stretcher. Front—type McPherson, rear—four-link. Brakes—front and rear—disc, ventilated. Steering — rack and pinion, with power steering. By the way, power steering is a variable-performance—at high speeds the steering becomes more “heavy” for the driver, on low also gets a nice “lightness”.
Technical characteristics of the car Opel Antara
In standard crossover includes a complete set of modern electronic systems, including intelligent all-wheel drive with traction control system and rollover protection. The machine is also equipped with Central locking with remote control, air conditioning with filter against pollen, electric Windows, external mirrors with electric and heated. Passive safety system includes front and side airbags, inflatable curtains for head protection for driver and front passenger and three-point seat belts limiting effort in all five seats.
In complete Edition car equipped with 17-inch wheels, electronic climate control, heated front seats and automatic light control. In the version of Cosmo be 18-inch wheels, leather steering wheel and selector knob a / t leather seats, onboard computer, Parking sensors and cruise control, and rain sensor on the windshield insulated glass.
The machine is sold in Europe at a price of $28 000 to $40 000, from Russian dealers at the time of log prices has not yet been determined.
I. EVSTRATOV
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