Vauxhall Frontera Review & Prices

The Vauxhall Frontera has made a comeback and this time it’s a small but practical SUV. With a good-sized boot and loads of space inside it’s ideal for family use, but it’s not amazing value for money – particularly when you note that the Frontera Electric is actually cheaper to buy.

The Frontera provides an alternative to budget-friendly SUVs like the Dacia Duster, Renault Captur, Hyundai Kona and the MG ZS, only the Vauxhall has an ace up its sleeve - it’s available as a seven-seater.

Because of this it’s a bit like a clown car – you think it can fit five inside like a normal car then you open the boot and look, there’s more!

There’s nothing comical about the way the Frontera looks though, because it manages to be both smart and rugged at the same time, with the sleek front end and chunky bumpers.

It doesn’t have the rough and ready stance of a Dacia Duster, and that’s also true of the interior. While the Duster looks like it could survive being hosed down the Frontera looks a bit more upmarket, with simple lines and a twin-screen setup on all models.

Material quality isn’t fantastic though – the car we tested was in GS trim and came with cloth seat upholstery and scratchy plastics aplenty, which was most obvious on the doors and lower dashboard. The cloth trim on the door armrest is a nice touch, though.

Practicality is decent for such a small car and it feels surprisingly roomy inside. There’s a narrow but deep space beneath the armrest and a usefully large uncovered cubby hole in front of that, though the glovebox is very small. There’s good rear seat space, and although most alternatives have more boot capacity, it’s roomy enough for a weekly shop.

You can even get the Vauxhall Frontera with seven seats – we’ve not had the chance to test the third row yet as this is an optional extra not included on all cars, but very few alternatives at this size and price can match that.

There are two engine options and both are hybrids that combine a 1.2-litre petrol engine with electric power. One has 110hp but we tested the more powerful version with 145hp. It’s smooth pulling away on electric power and has a satisfying thrum as you accelerate.

It’s more than quick enough and gets up to motorway speeds with little fuss. On the motorway the Frontera is pretty comfortable but there is some road noise to contend with. It’s better around town, only let down by rear visibility over your shoulder. Otherwise the controls are light and it deals well with bumps in the road.

If you like the look of this spacious small SUV, check out the latest Vauxhall Frontera deals on Carwow or Frontera lease deals. You can also browse used Fronteras or other used Vauxhalls from our network of trusted dealers. And when it’s time to sell your current car, Carwow can help with that, too.

The Vauxhall Frontera is certainly not an expensive car with a starting price of just over £24,000. However, the elephant in the room is that the Frontera Electric is actually cheaper to buy and, if you can charge at home, will be much cheaper to run.

Even if you don’t want an electric car, the Dacia Duster is more affordable and a better all-rounder, while the Renault Captur offers hybrid power for similar money to the Vauxhall.

The Frontera is at least well-equipped, and does have an ace up its sleeve in the form of that seven-seat option, something only the Dacia Jogger and mechanically similar Citroen C3 Aircross can match at this price.

All models get LED headlights, a reversing camera, rear parking sensors and a 10.0-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The range-topping GS adds blind spot monitoring, front parking sensors, automatic air conditioning and 17-inch alloy wheels to replace the 16-inch steel rims you get as standard.

The Vauxhall Frontera is comfortable and easy to drive in town, but it’s a bit noisy at higher speeds

In town

The Frontera is at its best around town thanks to its narrow body and boxy dimensions; it’s really easy to slot through gaps in traffic. Parking is also a breeze because you can place all four corners of the car without fuss, and the standard-fit reversing camera helps as well.

The tall driving position and large windows give you a great view out - there are very few blind spots to contend with. You also have light steering to take the strain out of tight manoeuvres.

As for the suspension, it deals with potholes pretty well. It can jiggle about a bit over particularly broken surfaces, but on the whole it irons out the bumps nicely. It’s more comfortable than an MG ZS.

If you do most of your driving in town, the 100hp hybrid engine will be more than sufficient. You can glide along in slow-moving traffic on electric power, and the transition to petrol power is smooth and unobtrusive. It can be a bit laggy off the line if you’re looking to zip out at a busy roundabout, but it’s still nippy enough.

That said, those of you sticking to the confines of a town may want to consider the Frontera Electric. It’s actually cheaper than the hybrid, and that car’s silent, zero-emission power is even better suited to urban life if you have access to a charger.

On the motorway

The Frontera may excel in town, but that doesn’t mean it can’t handle a long motorway drive. You do get a bit of tyre noise, and the engine groans a bit when you put your foot down, but it’s a pretty comfortable car to munch up the miles in.

This is thanks in part to the seats, which are super comfortable and supportive. You can spend a good few hours in them without getting a backache. It's comfortable enough over bumps at speed, though the slab-sided shape does make you susceptible to a bit of buffeting in strong crosswinds.

It’s a shame that you can’t get the Frontera with adaptive cruise control; it just gets a standard setup which will maintain your speed but not the distance to the car in front. It feels mean to hold that against a car at this price, but an MG ZS does get this feature as standard.

On a twisty road

Being a small SUV the Frontera doesn’t need to feel like a hot hatch through the corners… and it doesn’t. This isn’t the sort of car you’ll be buying for spirited B-road blasts, however it’s pretty balanced on a twisty road.

The steering is precise enough and the car goes where you point it, and body roll is pretty minimal which is impressive in a car as tall and narrow as this. If you push a bit too hard into a corner you get some safe and predictable understeer, but keep it at sensible speeds and it's perfectly competent.

It’s comfortable as well. The Frontera doesn’t jiggle about too much over small imperfections and only really big bumps upset things.

The Frontera is one of the most spacious cars in its class, however there’s not much rear seat storage

Getting comfortable behind the wheel of the Frontera is easy thanks to the range of adjustment in the seats and the steering wheel. There’s masses of headroom and legroom up front, so even the tallest of drivers will find an ideal driving position.

You get a good amount of storage up front as well. The door bins are large enough to swallow up a big bottle and there’s a wireless charging pad in front of the gear selector, though the glovebox is tiny. A couple of USB-C ports give you plenty of charging options.

The cupholders have a pretty strange quirk. They’re open at the sides with a big elastic strap to stop things falling out, and you can use this to put an iPad or other large items in here. Realistically though you’re not going to do this, and the cupholders themselves are enormous. This is great for a big cup of coffee, but smaller bottles and cans will rattle around and fall over under acceleration or cornering.

Space in the back seats

Space in the back of the Frontera is impressive for a car of this size. It’s the same length as a Vauxhall Astra Sports Tourer, but it offers a lot more leg and headroom than that car.

There’s enough room for a six-foot adult to sit behind another six-foot adult with ease. It’s much more spacious in the back than an MG ZS or a Hyundai Kona, and it’s about on par with the Dacia Duster.

Fitting a baby seat is easy thanks to the massive rear doors, which open to almost 90 degrees. The fiddly zip-up ISOFIX covers are annoying, but once the seat is in place there’s plenty of room for it without sliding the front seat forward.

You don’t get many clever features in the back though, apart from a couple of USB-C chargers and a 12-volt socket. There are no cup holders, the door bins are tiny and the only other storage you get is some pockets on the back of the front seats.

Something no other SUV at this price point offers is the option of seven seats, which you can get in the Frontera for an additional £550 on top-spec models. We haven’t actually tested a car with these extra chairs fitted yet, but given the size of this car it’s safe to assume that they will only be suitable for kids.

Boot space

Space in the boot is good enough for most small families, but alternatives offer more capacity. You get 460 litres back there, although that does include the massive underfloor storage compartment. It’s a nice square shape which makes it easy to load, and there’s no lip to lift stuff over either.

It’s around 12 litres down on the Dacia Duster’s boot and 24 litres down on the Renault Captur, however an MG ZS gets almost 20 litres less space than the Frontera. If you want maximum boot space and can spare a bit more cash, the Citroen C5 Aircross has a 600-litre capacity.

Once you’ve folded the rear seats down you get 1,600 litres to play with, and there’s a completely flat load floor to make sliding heavy items to the front easier. There’s also a couple of tie-down points, but that’s your lot really in terms of features.

The Vauxhall Frontera’s cabin is logically laid out and well-equipped for the price, but it does feel pretty cheap

When poking around the Frontera’s cabin you need to keep in mind that this is an inexpensive car, because it’s not as well-polished as something like a Peugeot 2008 or a Volkswagen T-Cross.

All the plastics are hard and scratchy - especially on the basic car which does without the fabric on the doors that you get on the GS. Some bits feel a little flimsy as well, such as the trim around the infotainment system and the clips holding that weird strap around the cupholders.

Minor gripes aside though, the majority of the cabin is solid. The switchgear all feels good, and the cabin controls are easy to operate. The physical climate control buttons are a welcome addition, as are the buttons to quickly switch off the lane departure and speed limit warning bongs.

The 10.0-inch infotainment system is best described as basic, but functional. The display itself is pretty bright and responsive, and the menus are easy to navigate. There’s just not that much in the way of functionality - you get a radio, sat-nav and smartphone mirroring - and that’s about it.

But what more do you really need? The wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto pair quickly when you get in the car, so you can stick your music on, pull up Google Maps and be on your way.

The digital driver’s display is also pretty basic, with no options to customise the layout. Still, it displays your speed, battery range and battery percentage clearly, and the screen itself is nice and bright.

There are two engines on offer in the Vauxhall Frontera - both of them 1.2-litre petrol hybrids with a six-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox. You choose between different power outputs: 110hp or 145hp.

For pootling around town, the 110hp model will be more than adequate, although if you’re looking to venture further afield then the 145hp version is a better bet. For around £1,500 more you get a welcome bit of extra shove which makes overtaking manoeuvres a bit less perilous. Both engines come with official fuel economy of up to about 54mpg.

The Frontera emits 111g/km of CO2, meaning first-year road tax isn’t particularly expensive. It’ll also sit in the 26% Benefit n Kind tax bracket, so company car drivers might want to consider the all-electric version, which will be much cheaper.

The new Vauxhall Frontera hasn’t been through its Euro NCAP safety tests just yet, but the rest of the Vauxhall range scores well on average, so you can expect this model to perform pretty well.

You get a decent amount of safety kit as standard as well. Lane keeping assist, a reversing camera, autonomous emergency braking and front collision warning are all included, and the top-spec GS gets blind spot monitoring.

The new Frontera Electric has only just gone on sale, so there are no reliability records just yet. Vauxhalls prove to be pretty dependable on the whole though, and the brand finished an excellent fourth out of 31 manufacturers in the latest Driver Power ownership survey.

All new Vauxhalls are covered by a fairly mediocre three-year warranty. This will be fine if you’re just keeping the car for the length of an average lease deal, however the Kia Niro gets seven years of coverage.