Read Caroline’s Opel Frontera review for everything you need to know about Opel’s new compact SUV ahead of its arrival in Ireland in 2025.
The Opel Frontera made its name in the 1990s as a rugged SUV for the German car brand. Now Opel has revived the name for its newest SUV.
The new Frontera is a friendly-looking compact SUV that will be available as a petrol hybrid or as a full battery electric vehicle. Five seat versions are standard but in time Opel will offer a seven seat option, which will boost its appeal in the Irish market among family buyers.
Caroline was in Majorca with Opel Ireland to drive it.
Design
The new Frontera is a substantial car. In length, it fits between the Opel Mokka and the newly launched Grandland. It’s the more rugged, spacious sibling to the Mokka with chunky, boxy styling that’s on trend, but also means it has a highly practical interior. It effectively replaces the Opel Crossland, which was quite ordinary. The same cannot be said of the new Frontera, which is brimming with attitude from the get go.
The Frontera is built on a new platform from parent company Stellantis Group that will underpin more budget-friendly models going forward like the new Citroen E-C3, C3 Aircross and Fiat Grande Panda. But the Opel DNA is strong in this one. It has the bold ‘Vizor’ face that has helped to revive the brand over the last few years with striking black panel connecting sharp LED lighting now found across the Opel range.
Simplicity is key to the Frontera with launch models including just the Frontera Edition and Frontera GS. The GS is more polished with 17-inch alloy wheels and the blitz logo finished in black. The Edition model shown to us at the launch is likely to feature in Ireland as the entry level SC trim. It’s not to be sniffed at and the 16-inch white-painted steel wheels are enviably cool.
There will be six colours. A white or black contrasting roof is also available.
Opel Frontera Interior
The Frontera is positioned as a more budget model within the Opel range and should be priced as such. So the cabin is quite plain and sparse on soft touch materials. But the plastics and trims used give it a robust feel and it avoids looking cheap and nasty. The fabric seats are also a saviour with their finish and good comfort levels.
All versions will come with a full digital driver display and a 10-inch touchscreen is also available though it may not be standard on the very entry level trim in Ireland – that’s yet to be confirmed. There are physical buttons for the ventilation and heating. The cabin is simple and easy to interact with. The passenger seat has no height adjustment so anyone travelling with you might miss this feature.
While Irish specs are yet to be confirmed, available features include automatic climate control, parking camera, wireless smartphone charging, Apple CarPlay/Android Auto and plenty of USB-C points.
Practicality
The Frontera feels really spacious in the back, particularly when it comes to legroom. It still is quite a narrow car in line with most B-SUVs, but the outer rear seats are very accommodating and come with Isofix child seat fixtures. It sits on a longer wheelbase than the Crossland and feels considerably more spacious than the Mokka. The rear seats also split fold 60:40.
The boxy shape also gives it generous boot space, all 460 litres of it, which is bigger than both the Mokka and Astra though a little way off the new Dacia Duster. There’s also a movable boot floor that can be used to create a flat loading sill or let down to enjoy all the space.
A seven seater option is on the way too, which will really boost the appeal of the Frontera.
Driving the Frontera
The Frontera is offered with choice of hybrid or electric. The hybrid is the same as what’s used in other Opels like the Grandland and Corsa Hybrid and based around a 1.2-litre petrol engine. It seems to suit the Frontera better than any of them. Yes it whirrs and purrs at low speeds but when cruising it’s very quiet and refined. Relatively smooth to drive too with its electrified six speed automatic transmission. It can post some good efficiency figures, as low as 5.2 litres per 100 km.
It’s not a very heavy car, weighing less than 1500kg, even the Frontera Electric. This helps the efficiency of the vehicle. Built on the Stellantis Group’s ‘Smart Car’ platform, the Frontera might be lightweight in the grand scheme of things, but the extra heft of the Frontera Electric gives it an even more planted feel through bends. It’s fun to drive with Opel engineers focused on tweaks to improve body control. The steering is not overly light either so it feels tighter and more composed than a Duster.
The Frontera Electric uses a 44kWh LFP battery, chosen to make the car more affordable and for its durability. At launch, it will be offered with a range in the region of 305 kilometres. Though in time Opel will add a version that can go in the region of 400 kilometres between battery charges. DC fast charging up to 100kW is also included. Not exceptional but will allow a 20-80% charge in 26 minutes.
Really it’s a runabout car or one for short commutes. It’s not one to pound up and down the motorway every day. That’s why the Frontera Electric will be suitable for many, even in its most basic form.
Both the hybrid and the electric are very comfortable and smooth riding so it’s a relaxing car to drive. The hybrid is a tad more lively to drive, offered in both 100 and 136hp variants. The Frontera Electric’s 113hp motor powers the front wheels but it’s the slowest of the range with 0-100 in a leisurely 12.1 seconds.
Opel Frontera Pricing
There’s no confirmation of price yet for the Irish market but we expect it to be keenly priced and offer better value for money than the more style-focused Mokka.
Verdict
The Opel Frontera is one to watch. The market needs practical, spacious family cars so badly right now. Being nice to look at, comfortable and fun to drive is a bonus. But the Frontera has all this, with a tonne of attitude and charming amounts of space and practicality in its boxy shape. The hybrid and electric versions are both viable options too, though the petrol hybrid feels a bit more lively and appealing overall based on this first drive. It’s hard to give the Frontera a definitive verdict without pricing, but if it’s priced well Opel will have a great car to offer in 2025.
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Written by Caroline Kidd
Founder and Editor of Changing Lanes, Juror for Irish Car of the Year
Opel Frontera Electric Video Review
Watch a video review from the launch in Majorca. I take a closer look at the new Frontera Electric and take it for a drive in the mountains to check out its performance.
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