Opel Frontera is proving popular in Ireland
The Opel Frontera is a good-looking, everyday car, not pretending to be anything else, and that’s part of its charm.
Eight months following its Irish launch last December, Opel’s new Frontera has become the brand’s best-selling passenger car ahead of the Corsa and flagship Grandland X, a remarkable achievement for a new car to market in a short time. Opel in Ireland is on a roll, having sold 2,726 units this year, which is over 30% more than in 2025.
The Frontera is attracting buyers looking for a mid-sized SUV, offering all-electric or hybrid power, a choice of five or seven seats (seven in the hybrid model), at an affordable price. Size-wise, it sits between the Mokka and larger Grandland in the brand’s SUV line-up. The Frontera name is a revival, having previously been a rugged-looking, ladder-frame utility 4x4 produced by Opel from 1991 to 2004.
It's a good-looking, everyday car, not pretending to be anything else, and that’s part of its charm. High, boxy, it's a practical motor with a spacious cabin and a good view of the road. My car looked cool in its Khaki Green exterior colour (€800 extra) that will appeal to adventurous types, with contrasting black roof and pillars, roof rails, high-gloss black door mirrors, 17-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels, LED headlights/tail lights, rear fog lamps, dark silver skid plates, and privacy glass.
The new black Opel Blitz emblem, in the centre of the car’s fascia, is lost as it blends into the black background, which is a shame. But the model’s name stands out in black lettering across the rear.
The cabin is welcoming with cheerfully patterned front seats that are comfortable. The driver’s seat has 6-way adjustments, the passenger's 4-way adjustments. The dash features a long unit for the 10-inch digital driver display, and same-sized colour touchscreen angled towards the driver. Infotainment, satellite navigation, Opel Connect, and phone pairing are managed here. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard, as is built-in navigation. There are physical controls directly below the large screen for key climate controls, and for heating the front seats and the steering wheel.
Current speed is shown large and centre top on the driver’s customisable instrument cluster along with remaining charge.
The 3-spoke flat-topped and bottomed steering wheel feels good to hand and features remote audio and voice recognition.
There’s a wireless phone charging pad on the centre console and two C-type USBs. The familiar Stellantis lever-type automatic transmission selector has an added ‘C’ mode setting which disengages energy regeneration.
Rear doors open wide and rear passengers enjoy decent head and leg space helped by the car’s high roof and long 2,670mm wheelbase. The middle seat is small. There are two small USBs and the low tunnel doesn’t interfere with foot space.
The tailgate is manually operated. Boot space of 460 litres is good for a car of this size (with an adjustable boot floor), and luggage space can be further expanded to 1,600 litres with all seats down. Charging cables can be stored below the floor. There’s a tyre puncture repair kit.
Trims are SC, Elegance, and GS – the latter being my review car. Standard safety items included a good rear-view camera, front and rear parking sensors, excellent blind-spot alerts on side mirrors, Hill Assist, Cruise Control, Automatic Emergency Braking, Lane Keep Assist, Forward Collision Alert, and safety child lock. Drive modes are Eco, Normal, and Sport.
Battery options are a standard 44kWh and a longer range 54kWk both powering a 113hp motor, and torque is 120Nm. The larger battery in my review car had a claimed 400km range. On collection, the screen showed the battery fully charged, with a possible 389km available, near enough to the claimed figure. After driving over all types of routes, the readout showed energy consumption of 19.2Wh/100km. Fast charging from 20% to 80% takes 30 minutes, or you can add 100km in 10 minutes to get you home.
I found the Frontera EV an easy and relaxing car to drive, rock solid on the road, and comfortable for all passengers. The steering was firm, which I prefer. From 0–100km/h takes around 13 seconds, not tyre-smoking but adequate for a family car. Road tax is €120. Surprisingly, the all-electric version of the Frontera comes in at a lower cost than the hybrid version.
Frontera has not yet been tested by Euro NCAP. The model carries a five-year unlimited mileage warranty.
PRICE: from €24,606 for the electric BEV, inclusive of SEAI grant and VRT rebate, and from €27,995 for the hybrid version.
Your local Opel dealer is Rochford Motors in Ballyhaunis.
