Opel Frontera

Opel Frontera at a glance

The earlier Frontera (1992–2004)

The first Frontera was a different kind of vehicle: a body-on-frame SUV based on the Isuzu MU and built in the UK. ADAC lists two generations in Germany, the Frontera A from 1992 to 1998 (facelifted in 1995) and the Frontera B from 1998 to 2004 (facelifted in 2001). The new Frontera of 2024 has nothing in common with them except the name, and it has no all-wheel drive.

Design and interior

The current Frontera carries the new Opel Blitz logo on its black front "Vizor", ECO LED headlights, a distinctive C-pillar, pronounced wheel arches and rear lights separated by body-coloured inserts. Inside it has the "Pure Panel" with two 10-inch displays for instruments and infotainment. Smartphone integration through an Opel app is standard. The front "Intelli-Seat" seats are a patented Opel design, and the seat fabrics use recycled material. Autonotizen.de noted that the base Edition hybrid comes on 16-inch steel wheels, a sign of how strictly the entry price is calculated.

Powertrains

The hybrids use the 1.2 three-cylinder turbo with a 21 kW (28 PS) electric motor; Wikipedia gives an engine output range of 74 to 100 kW. The Electric charges at 7.4 kW AC and 100 kW DC. Autonotizen.de gives a WLTP range of 305 km for the 44 kWh battery.

ADAC lists the Hybrid 100 with 0–100 km/h in 11.0 seconds, a top speed of 180 km/h and a WLTP consumption of 5.2 l/100 km (119 g/km CO2). On the motorway part of the WLTP cycle it uses 6.4 l/100 km.

Platform and sister models

The Frontera shares the Stellantis Smart Car platform with the second-generation Citroën C3 Aircross, the Citroën C3 and the Fiat Grande Panda. It replaced the Opel Crossland, whose name lives on for the version sold in South America. All hybrid versions in the ADAC price list use a six-speed dual-clutch gearbox, so there is no manual Frontera, and the range has no diesel. Trim levels are Frontera and Frontera GS, each with two option packages, according to Wikipedia.

Practicality and the seven-seater

With five seats the boot holds 460 litres and 1,600 litres with the rear backrest folded. Only the mild hybrid is offered with seven seats; the Electric is a five-seater. Autonotizen.de describes the third row as an emergency solution for short trips, because there is almost no luggage space left behind it. ADAC lists the seven-seat Hybrid 145 Ultimate from September 2025.

Frontera in the test

Autonotizen.de drove both versions in December 2024 on Mallorca. The hybrid with 100 kW averaged 5.7 l/100 km over about 220 km on the on-board computer. The Electric used 18.9 kWh/100 km, calculated from the test drive. With the 44 kWh battery, that consumption gives about 233 km of range, by our calculation, compared with the official 305 km.

Hybrid compared with the Electric

• The Frontera shares its Smart Car base with the Citroën C3 Aircross, which also offers seven seats.
• The hybrid's kerb weight of 1,344 kg means 18.2 kg per kW, by our calculation.
• The Hybrid 136 has 26 kW more than the Hybrid 100 for €1,800 more in the ADAC list of October 2024.
• The Electric has 9 kW more than the base hybrid, but its real range in the test was about a quarter below the WLTP figure.

Prices in Germany

ADAC lists the Frontera Electric as a separate model; its prices were not shown on the page read for this article.

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