Opel Frontera SUV is practical and stylish
This is a high, boxy-shaped vehicle, which makes it easy to get in and out while also providing good all-around visibility.
Opel’s practical Frontera SUV will appeal to families seeking a spacious and good value-for-money family car, and who will appreciate the option of five or seven seats, and the choice of fully electric or petrol hybrid powertrains. Frontera sits between Opel’s Mokka and larger Grandland in the brand’s SUV line-up.
This is a high, boxy-shaped vehicle, which makes it easy to get in and out while also providing good all-around visibility.
My review car, in the top grade, was in a new shade of Khaki Green with a contrasting black roof (there are five other options), roof rails, high gloss black door mirrors, rear privacy glass, 17-inch diamond cut alloy wheels, LED tail lamps and rear LED fog lamps. The new Opel Blitz emblem is displayed in the centre of the front face, but it actually blends into the black background. The Frontera name certainly stands out in black lettering on the tailgate. Prominent wheel arches add to the car’s ‘off-road’ look - but this is not a full off-roader.
Doors open wide to provide easy access to both front and rear seats, and this is particularly good for a parent trying to fit a baby or child seat.
I was surprised to have a traditional key to insert into the ignition lock, which I would like to be backlit at night.
The dash is well laid out, and the cockpit is driver-focused. The 10-inch touchscreen digital display, angled towards the driver, comes with Opel Connect, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and is linked to the same-size driver’s information cluster. There are physical controls for the single-zone climate control, seat heaters and for volume.
Sublimely comfy front seats were designed to relieve pressure on the tailbone to ensure comfort on long journeys. The driver’s seat has six-way manual adjustments, the co-driver’s four-way adjustments, but no lumbar support control.
A flexible strap around the centre console area is designed to hold larger items like tablets or small laptops and keep them securely in place. Other storage areas are an open shelf above the small glovebox, big front door bins, good rear ones, and a good area below the front armrest, which can slide back and forth.
The central console includes a wireless phone charging pad, two C-type USBs, a pair of cupholders, the familiar Stellantis lever-type automatic transmission, and an electric parking brake.
My car had a really good reversing camera and blind spot monitors, which should be standard in every car.
Rear passengers enjoy plenty of head and legroom, but have quite a high tunnel to contend with. There are integrated smartphone pockets in the back rests of the front seats, two more C-type USBs, and storage pockets on front seat backs. The middle seat back is fixed, so there are no rear cupholders. The rear bench seat splits 60:40.
A high-opening tailgate is manually operated, revealing boot space of a very decent 460 litres, expandable to a whopping 1,600 litres with back seats folded down, and 370 litres in the seven-seater. A second floor allows additional versatility for families, and there’s a fitted rubber mat that you can remove for cleaning purposes. No spare, just a tyre puncture repair kit. You can order a spare wheel from your dealer as an optional extra.
Buyers have a choice of two 1.2, 3-cylinder petrol hybrid engines of 100ps and 136ps, paired with a six-speed automatic transmission. Maximum torque varies from 205Nm to 230Nm, respectively, and 0-100km/h times are 11 seconds and eight seconds.
The claimed fuel return is from 5.2 to 5.5 litres/100km (WLTP-rated), depending on the specific trim and seating configuration. Over my days with the car, the trip computer registered an average of 6.2 L/100kms.
Frontera has a long list of standard equipment and a big array of safety features, including automatic emergency braking, driver drowsiness alert, forward collision alert and Hill start assist. All grades have a child safety lock/auto door locking. The entry-level SC trim has a 10-inch info display plus a smartphone station, rear parking sensors, 16-inch steel wheels, and manual climate control.
Elegance grade adds navigation, rear view camera, wireless phone charger, heated front seats/steering wheel/windscreen, automatic climate control, and larger alloy wheels.
The top GS grade offers seven seats and adds park pilot front and rear, power folding/adjustable outside rear view mirrors, and an electrochromatic rear view mirror.
I found the hybrid version provided plenty of oomph for everyday use and handled competently on all types of roads; the steering was quite light, which aids manoeuvring on city streets, but I’d have preferred it to be heavier.
Drive modes are Sport, Normal and Eco. Normal was perfectly adequate for everyday driving. I could turn off the annoying over-speed warnings via a button on the lower dash.
Frontera comes with a five-year unlimited mileage warranty as standard. The car has not yet been tested by Euro NCAP.
PRICES: The hybrid is priced from €33,095 to €34,595 plus delivery charges. BEV prices are from €24,606 to €31,165 (price inclusive of SEAI grant and VRT rebate).
