Opel Frontera First Drive
A reimagined Frontera is on the way and we have had a first drive!
The Frontera name from Opel will return to Irish roads in 2025 and we have been out to the Balearic Islands for an initial test drive. First of all, let's set a little context with the Frontera name. The original SUV launched in 1991 was a rugged 4x4 available in a short wheel base with a removable hardtop/soft-top option, or a long wheel base 5-door variant both of which, were suitable for off-road adventures. It was popular for its practicality and the fact that it blended utility with affordability in comparison to some of its more pricer rivals.
The Frontera came about through a joint partnership with Isuzu and now the current parent company of Opel, Stellantis have decided to bring the namesake back in a new partnership agreement. Sharing much of the same underpinnings as the new Citroen C3 Aircross the Frontera is not what we expected but it’s still very easy on the eye. Measuring 4,385mm long, 1,795mm wide and sitting 1,635mm tall it is a mid sized SUV of sizeable proportions and not far off the original Frontera LWB which, was 4,657mm in length.
Up front, the Opel wing signature sits proudly on the stylish vizor design grill flanked either side by three lighting blocks separated with body-coloured insets. The side profile looks modern with curves that compliment and rugged wheel arches for a solid look. Moving around to the rear, I half hoped the spare wheel would be tailgate mounted as a nod to the Frontera of old but modern design dictates that aerodynamic efficiency must prevail over nostalgia. Instead you get a clean tailgate with modern LED lights and no intrusions that might reduce drag coefficient numbers.
Inside it’s all very modern and minimalist with decent quality plastics and the patented Intelli-Seats first seen in the new Grandland. These have been specifically designed to relieve pressure on the tailbone area and they are super comfy! It’s a simple driver focused cabin with two 10-inch displays and a multi function steering wheel with all the necessities at your finger tips. Space is plentiful also with 23 litres of internal storage, plus 460 litres of boot space. In fact if you drop the rear seats you can avail of a whopping 1,600 litres of storage. Opel have suggested we will also see a 7-seater variant in the not so distant future!
With a turn of the good old traditional key, we set off first in the mild Hybrid to see how it performed over the mountains of Mallorca. Our test car had the 1.2 litre 136hpturbocharged petrol engine paired with a 28hp electric motor and an electrified six-speed dual clutch transmission. It pulled smooth and efficiently away from traffic lights and worked harmlessly with its battery to fill in power flat spots from the engine with electricity when needed. It’s quiet also which is nice considering some Hybrids tend to work the engine at high RPM too often to charge the on board battery. We were told the engineers in Rüsselsheim paid close attention to optimising body control in an effort to deliver typical Opel driving characteristics but to us, it simply felt surefooted and competent with little to no body roll.
Day two gave us an opportunity to spend time with the electric version which, has a 113hpelectric motor and offers a limited top speed of 140km/h. The 44kWh battery is not the largest in this class but it’s still good for up to 305km of range. Driving it felt different in the sense that you can feel the extra 170kg of weight through the corners but the power was adequate with that smooth linear delivery that electric vehicles are famed for. Our route was a mixture of mountains and motorway and energy usage of 17.6 kWh/100km was displayed on the dash after a few hours of testing. At this rate we never needed to avail of public charging facilities where the Frontera could have taken a 100kW DC fast-charging session to deliver 80% capacity, in just 26 minutes.
So where does the Frontera sit in the Opel range and what is it replacing? Well, it will effectively replace the current Crossland and sit firmly between Mokka and Grandland. A lower powered 100hp mild hybrid and long range 400km+ electric version will also join the lineup. Overall it’s an impressive vehicle but its success will be purely down to price. In this busy category there are plenty of offerings so Opel will have to hit the sweet spot with this one. The original Frontera faced criticism for average on-road handling, reliability issuescompared to rivals but despite these drawbacks, it still sold well. Today's world is a very different place and with impressive handling, a comfortable interior and stylish design, Opel could be on to something to the new Frontera.
