New Vauxhall Frontera Coming Soon: Specs, price and release info

Vauxhall has revived the Frontera name, bringing it back as a mid-sized family crossover sitting between the Mokka and the forthcoming – which has grown significantly. It's part of a plan by Vauxhall to put some clear ground between its crossover range, which at the moment all seem quite similar in size and style. The new Frontera will effectively replace the current Crossland and be available as a fully electric car or a petrol-electric hybrid. It takes some inspiration from the original by being quite simple and functional, focused on value-for-money and space.
• The Frontera will simplify Vauxhall’s existing SUV and comes alongside the new Grandland, also due this year • A “rugged interpretation” of Vauxhall’s brand values, with space for five and in interior that's relatively basic; a seven-seater version will also be coming • Hybrid based around two versions of the same 1.2-litre petrol engine, with ‘mild’ assistance and option of 100 horsepower or 136 horsepower • Full electric version available with two different batteries delivering 186 miles of range for the smaller one and up to 248 miles for the larger alternative • Vauxhall hasn’t confirmed UK pricing yet but over in Germany and under the Opel badge the Frontera will start at just 24,000 euros for the hybrid and 29,000 euros for the electric; we’d hope the latter would be £30,000 or less here • It's set to arrive by September 2024

The design basically follows the blueprint of all modern Vauxhalls, especially at the front. A smooth vizor grille is flanked by LEDs that look like little axes. The bonnet has more creases than a student’s t-shirt, and around the side, yet more creases – most notably above the pronounced wheel arches and underneath the ‘floating’ shark-fin c-pillar. It gets a contrasting-coloured roof too. Around the back they’ve done that thing where they space the letters out, because apparently that tells your brain that a car is “premium”. The split tail lights are a nice touch, with the top ones flowing into the C-pillar for a sense of width. And to make it look 'rugged', in homage to the last Frontera, it gets this massive lower plastic section, two-tone. For those not ready to go fully electric the hybrid offers a small electric boost to the 1.2-litre petrol engine for improved efficiency, with two power options. The all-electric version will, meanwhile, be available in standard and long-range form. Depending on which you go for you’ll be able to choose your new Frontera from Vauxhall’s established Design, GS and Ultimate trim levels.

Simple is a design theme that resonates in the cabin, which Vauxhall says has “a clear focus on the essentials”. That could be a euphemism for “cheap”, right? It’s not all soft-touch plastics and stitched leather, of course, but it shouldn’t feel built down to a price. Twin 10-inch angled screens dominate the vibe, which look great and will be fairly easy to operate - but there are still buttons and toggles for the important stuff like air-con and heated seats. Steering wheel controls are standard, and all Fronteras will get wireless connectivity for Apple Carplay and Android Auto, and wireless charging. This will be a well-equipped car, and feel a step up from a Dacia.
It has the same seats as the Grandland, certified by the German campaign for back comfort and designed specifically for long motorway journeys. There's a little gap running down the middle of the base, for instance, designed to take pressure off your tailbone. And there’s loads of storage. Deep door bins, big central storage area, a sizeable glovebox, sturdy cup holders, and a rubberised shelf - so unless you put a Malteser on there, your small objects are unlikely to roll around. Boot space is proper impressive, too. At 460 litres, it's 110 litres bigger than a Mokka’s, and 40 more than the Vauxhall Astra’s. And in fact, with the rear seats folded, the 1,600-litre loading hole is 315 more than the Astra’s. That’ll be the height of the thing. Plus, you can get roof rails on this that’ll hold 200kg – enough for a roof tent if you intend to take up Vauxhall’s promise of outdoorsy lifestyle cred. A seven-seat version will also be joining the range at some point, though we’re not sure if this will be on both models or just the hybrid.

The full electric version has a 113-horsepower motor driving the front wheels, with 100kW fast charging on suitably powerful public power points and 186 miles of range by official stats for the standard battery; a long-range version with official 248 miles will also be available. At the time of writing exact details for the hybrid version are a little less clear, but reading between the lines we’d say it sounds like a ’mild’ system combining an electric motor with a 1.2-litre petrol engine for a combined output of 100 horsepower or 136 horsepower depending on which one you go for. No word yet on efficiency figures but both will feature an automatic gearbox and, in Vauxhall’s words, “fuel consumption and CO2 emissions are significantly lower compared to a conventionally powered model.” We’ll call it and say that will equate to diesel-like mpg numbers, with no need to plug in.

Vauxhall is full of phrases like “affordable mobility” and “being offered at an attractive price” to reinforce Vauxhall’s reputation as a value brand. UK prices will be announced in the summer but Vauxhall does say the Frontera is the first part of a big plan to make its electric cars much more affordable. A German market price starting at 24,000 euros for the hybrid and 29,000 euros for the electric model has us hopeful earlier projections of around £30,000 sound about right. Underpinning this plan, quite literally, is the Frontera’s new ‘smart cart platform’, designed to be cheap to make and shared with the forthcoming Citroen e-C3. That goes on sale in Summer 2024 and it’s expected to cost around £24,000 – 12 thousand pounds cheaper than a Mokka electric!

Having refreshed its Corsa and added full electric versions of its Astra hatch and estate to the range Vauxhall is next turning its attention to the Grandland, a new version of which is also coming this year.