Opel describe their new Frontera as an SUV. But last week I was parked outside a shop and one the staff remarked: “Is that your green jeep outside”. Up to that point I had never thought of the Frontera as a Jeep.
The word Jeep is loosely used by the public, but only the original Jeep company, who like Opel are also distributed in Ireland by the Gowan group, can use that phrase.
It sure was an attractive motor whether you want to call it a Jeep or SUV. My test model came in Khaki Green with a black roof and that colour combination certainly catches the eye.
Some people get excited when they hear that a car company is bringing back and old favourite; sometimes they are happy, sometimes not. Not many were happy with the new Ford Capri, but the new Opel Frontera seems to have worked for Opel with a big uptake in sales in the first quarter of the year.
Now that is welcome news for Opel, who have struggled a bit in recent years. The halcyon days of the late eighties when Opel sponsored the Irish soccer team that qualified for a major soccer tournament for the first time, were featured in many recent videos as we went very close to qualify for another World Cup. Now Opel has switched their sponsorship to Rugby with male and female brand ambassadors.
The original version of the Fronter5a was launched in 1989 and was on sale in Ireland from 1991. The first version shared it underpinnings with the Isuzu Amigo/Rodeo and Honda Passport, while the new model was created under the Stellantis group. It has the same platform as the Citroen C3 which is also part of the Stellantis group.
I drove a five-seat Hybrid version. It’s also available as a seven-seater Hybrid and in full electric mode. It’s a very frugal motor. When I picked the car up on Monday morning the range with a full tank of petrol on board said 685km. And I didn’t have to check last week to see how much the price of petrol had risen at the pumps.
In the first few days I thought there was a bit of extra road noise, but maybe that was due to the fact that for the previous few weeks I had been driving fully electric models. At the Irish launch last December, Opel said they are committed to the switch to electric and that every 5th Opel off the assembly line in Russelsheim will be full EV.
Colour is really important when choosing a new car, and I thought the Khaki Green was discreet and attractive also. The black roofline certainly gives the car an overall classy look. The pictures of the car that you see here are Canyon Orange.
In contrast, the interior is a bit dark, but there are some white strips on the seats to brighten the décor and the roofline is also white. But you do get a few touches of hard plastic. The dash is clutter-free, and you get a few physical buttons. I probably would have liked old-fashioned button for the radio, but the slave controls on the steering wheel worked well.
The rear doors open very wide and boot space is decent at 460 litres. That space will rise to 1,594 litres if you let down the back seat. And you get a wipeable black mat in that boot.
I saw a comment on some web page asking if the Frontera had a Wet Belt. The answer was no, which is good news as those Wet Belts are expensive to replace.
Prices for the five-seater Hybrid version start at €27,995, while the GS Hybrid 145hp version I drove will cost you €33,095. Road tax is €190. Prices for the EV version starts at €24,606 rising to €28,534 in GS trim.
I really like the high driving position, and I think it would be a good car for a first-time buyer or maybe and old-timer like myself!
