Testing the new Opel Frontera

DW (English)

The new Opel Frontera. This economical SUV ships with up to seven seats and plenty of cargo space, and is available as a mild hybrid or fully electric. A good family vehicle? REV puts it to the test.

Transcript

00:00In 1991, Opel brought a car into the market that should become rather successful.

00:15The name Frontera, a rather bulky off-road car that found a lot of friends around the

00:22globe.

00:23In 2004, the era ended and now, 20 years later, Opel brings back the name, the new Frontera.

00:30Welcome to Rev.

00:32As with most Opels today, the Frontera is available as both a hybrid and a purely electric

00:37car, which is what we're testing.

00:40Prices start at under €24,000.

00:43The general driving impression in the new Frontera is quite good.

00:48The amount of noise that gets into the interior is absolutely okay for that price segment.

00:55The suspension is good.

00:56It keeps most bumps away from the driver without being too soft and without the car leaning

01:03or rolling too much in curves.

01:11What's quite interesting and very different from most other electric cars, the Frontera

01:16Electric will have high recuperation as standard.

01:19And then, instead of having a B mode, the car will have a C mode, which stands for comfort,

01:26and that lowers the recuperation, thus making the car glide farther without decelerating

01:33too much.

01:39The Frontera Electric is driven by an 83-kilowatt, 113-horsepower electric engine, and that is

01:50as powerful as it sounds.

01:55You have a top speed of 140 kilometers an hour and an acceleration from 0 to 100 kilometers

02:03an hour in more than 12 seconds.

02:07This car is definitely made for relaxed driving.

02:12Of course, in the city, between 30 and 50 kilometers an hour, it's quite nimble.

02:24The battery has a capacity of 44 kilowatt-hours usable energy, and that gives you a WLTP range

02:32of 305 kilometers.

02:36That is absolutely okay if you consider that the average daily usage of a car to go to

02:43work or anything is around 37 kilometers in Germany.

02:48So in theory, you could use the car the whole week and then charge it at the weekend if

02:53you're not going to plan to use it then, or charge it in between.

02:58That is always possible, and you should not have anything to worry about.

03:06Talking about charging, the maximum charging speed is 100 kilowatts.

03:12That is not exactly that fast.

03:15It is faster than some competitors, but you will still need around 26 minutes, 28 depending

03:26on what the temperature is, to go from 20 to 80 percent.

03:32In the future, Opel plans to offer a long-range version of the electric Frontera, which would

03:37take you around 400 kilometers on a single charge.

03:46As you can tell, Opel managed to give the new Frontera a similarly bulky look as the

03:51predecessor so you can somewhat recognize it, but of course, they also made it modern.

03:56Two-tone colors, somewhat softer edges, and of course, the Opel visor at the front.

04:07What's quite interesting with the new Opel Frontera is the way you turn it on.

04:13Opel kept it old school.

04:16So, key into the ignition, and then turn it to turn on the car.

04:23To be honest, at first I was kind of skeptical about that, but the moment you turn the key

04:31in the lock, it gives you that nostalgia feeling, and I really like it.

04:44Apart from that, the interior has a lot of plastic, of course, that is also cost-related,

04:49but looking at it, I find it absolutely okay, especially those matte parts here and down

04:57there are absolutely nice to the touch and will not attract as much dust or fingerprints

05:06as high-gloss black would do.

05:13Another thing that is good, Opel kept physical buttons for climate control, so no need to

05:19look at it.

05:20You will find it without having to take your eyes from the road.

05:29Behind the steering wheel, you will have the instrument cluster, which is fully digital

05:34and looks absolutely okay to me.

05:38You cannot adjust it, same goes for the infotainment system, but that is okay.

05:45Most of the time, at least what I do, I will use my smartphone, so wireless, Android Auto

05:51and Apple CarPlay is what you need, and the new Frontera has that.

06:01The entry-level version, however, will not have an infotainment system in the middle,

06:05but instead a holder for your smartphone, and then you can couple your smartphone to

06:11the car and listen to your music, use the navigation and everything from your smartphone,

06:16and since a lot of people do that, and I'm one of them, I think that is a quite clever

06:22solution from Opel to keep the price low for people that don't even need that infotainment

06:27system.

06:33There is a lot of space in the back of the new Frontera.

06:38You can tell there is a lot of legroom, a lot of headroom.

06:42Of course, the bulky form that doesn't go down towards the rear will give you that possibility

06:48of huge headroom, and what's even better, you will also have a lot of luggage space,

06:54up to 1,600 liters if you fold down the rear seat.

07:03The trunk has a height of more than 73 centimeters, so you can, for example, buy a washing machine,

07:09load it into your Frontera and drive home.

07:12No need to have it delivered to you.

07:14For those feeling a little more adventurous, an optional roof tent is available for the

07:19Frontera, giving you the freedom to camp wherever you like.

07:25For those who don't want a purely electric car, the Frontera is also available as a hybrid

07:31version, and then you will also save some money because the entry-level price is just

07:35under 24,000 euros in Germany, compared to the almost 29,000 euros you need to pay if

07:42you want the electric version.

07:49Considering the size of the car, the price is quite good.

07:54There are, of course, way cheaper electric cars out there, for example, the Dacia Spring,

08:01but that is a very small car, and this one can be had with up to seven seats, and with

08:07its length of 4.30 meters, it is rather big.

08:17A car that is similar in size and in form is Jeep's Avenger, but that one is almost

08:2510,000 euros more than the Opel Frontera.

08:36One thing that I found quite strange, though, is that you cannot see your average consumption,

08:41so you will see your battery state and how much range you have left.

08:53Summing up my Frontera experience, the car is absolutely decent.

08:58It has no major flaws, only minor weaknesses, and the fact that it is available as a seven-seater

09:06makes it very interesting for large families.

09:10You do, of course, have to take into account if you drive longer distances on a regular

09:14basis, then this is not the car for you.

09:17To sum up, the Opel Frontera comes at a very reasonable price for both the electric and

09:22hybrid version.

09:23Its plentiful cargo space and big trunk opening make it perfect for transporting large objects.

09:31On the downside, the range and charging speed of the purely electric version are a little

09:37And the fact that the navigation system does not support automatic planning of charging

09:41stops en route is also a drawback.

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