Vauxhall Frontera Hybrid review

Driving position 

If you like a high and commanding view over the road ahead, the new Vauxhall Frontera is for you.  

It’s not a big car, but it gives you the illusion you’re sitting up much taller than you are in reality – this helps when parking or manoeuvring around tight streets. 

The seats themselves are nothing special, and it’s a shame our car in GS trim didn’t come with heated seats (you need to upgrade to ‘Ultimate’ for that), but they were comfortable nonetheless, and we didn’t get backache during a three-hour motorway drive. 

Tech and features 

Vauxhall Frontera trims  

– Design 

– GS  

– Ultimate 

Being a budget SUV that costs under £30,000, you can’t expect oodles of tech inside, but the Frontera does still come with most creature comforts you’d expect, though you may want to splash the cash on the top-spec Ultimate just to be safe. 

This trim gets you a rear-view camera, electric seats, wireless phone charging, a leather-effect steering wheel, winter pack (heated front seats, heated wheel and windscreen), a 10-inch digital driver’s display and a 10-inch central infotainment screen. 

While a 10-inch screen is large, the Frontera’s is rather narrow, so it feels much smaller and squished compared to, say, a Škoda or JAECOO’s screen. 

The fit and finish is decent, but all the materials do feel quite cheap and plasticky. If you compare it to the similarly priced Renault 4 E-Tech, it’s night and day. 

But what you don’t get in plush materials, you do get in cabin space. Vauxhall’s managed to make the interior feel really spacious, even without a sunroof above your head.  

If you need a no-frills, budget family car, then this might be it – like a Dacia Duster. 

Engines and power 

Vauxhall Frontera performance stats  

– Power: 110hp or 145hp 

– 0-62mph: 9.0 to 11.0 seconds 

– Top speed: 118mph 

– Driven wheels: Front-wheel drive 

Vauxhall now sells the Frontera as either a mild hybrid (MHEV) or a fully electric car. The car we drove was the 145hp MHEV with a 1.2-litre, three-cylinder petrol engine mated to a six-speed, dual-clutch automatic gearbox. 

There’s also a 110hp version, which may not be as punchy, but is ideal for life about town and isn’t shy of a motorway journey either. 

Out of all the models available, we think this is the pick of the bunch. Not only does it feel refined, but it’s also incredibly efficient and easy to live with. 

All versions of the Frontera are front-wheel drive, which is a departure from the off-road-y ones from the ‘90s, but suits this car down to the ground.  

It’s not particularly sprightly, but it's ideal for everyday family life, especially with that automatic gearbox, which is smooth and effortless.  

If you want to take the faff out of driving, a Frontera Hybrid might be the answer. 

Handling and ride comfort 

The Vauxhall Frontera is most at home in and around town. It’s narrow enough to squeeze through tight side streets, and its suspension is competent enough to deal with any uneven surfaces it faces. 

But even on a faster A-road or motorway, the Frontera doesn’t feel at all unsettled or jittery. The only bumps that throw it off are broken roads, which frustrate most cars. 

We spent many hours in the driver’s seat driving up and down motorways and found it to be very comfortable. Even if the ride isn’t as good as its Citroën C3 Aircross cousin, it more than makes up for it with the seats, which are supportive and comfy. 

Boot space 

Vauxhall Frontera boot space:  

– Boot space: 460 litres (370 litres in seven-seat version) 

– Incl. Rear seats folded: 1,600 litres (1,400 litres in seven-seat version) 

The Frontera has 460 litres of boot space (1,600 litres when the rear seats are folded), which is good for most families, but does lack behind some of its rivals. 

For example, the Dacia Duster (517 litres) and Renault Captur (484 litres), which have bigger boots, and wider ones too – something of a gripe with the Frontera. 

But saying that, it does still offer more space than the Jeep Avenger (321 litres) and Ford Puma (456 litres). 

Swings and roundabouts. 

Rear seats 

We can’t fault the rear-seat space for a car of this size. There’s plenty of room for adults over six feet tall – head- and legroom. 

It also has ISOFIX child seat mounting points on the two outer seats, and rear doors that open at a near-90-degree angle, making it easy to fit a car seat. This also helps with more elderly family members who need more space to get in. 

Don’t expect a screen in the back like in a Tesla, but you do get a couple of USB-C charging ports and a 12V socket.  

And if you need more space, Vauxhall offers the Frontera in a seven-seat option. We’ve not tried it, but we’re not hopeful for Kia Sorento-like space back there in a car this small. 

Storage solutions 

Storage space in the front is fairly good, with space for your phone and a couple of cupholders, but nothing to write home about. 

Rear-seat passengers don’t have any cupholders and very small door bins, so minus points have to be given here. 

You’re better off using the boot to store larger items, especially if the car is full of people. 

Vauxhall Frontera dimensions  

– Height: 1,655mm  

– Width: 2,020mm (incl. mirrors) 

– Length: 4,385mm  

– Kerb weight: 1,342kg 

Safety 

The Vauxhall Frontera is yet to be independently tested by Euro NCAP, but we expect it to perform well. Similar Vauxhall models have scored four out of five stars or higher in recent years. 

This is thanks to onboard safety features such as hill start assist, anti-lock brakes, forward collision alert, electronic stability control, automatic emergency braking and more. 

Fuel economy 

Fuel efficiency is where the Frontera comes into its own. 

Vauxhall claims it’ll get up to 54mpg (in both 110hp and 145hp hybrid cars), which equals around 520 miles of driving from its 44-litre fuel tank. 

Over a 200-mile journey (80% on motorways), we averaged 56.5mpg, beating its claimed figure. 

Reliability 

The revived Frontera is so new, no one knows what long-term reliability is like, but if we compare it to other recent Vauxhalls, it should perform well. 

This is in part thanks to the wider Stellantis brand and parts sharing across companies like Jeep, Citroën, Alfa Romeo, Peugeot and Fiat.