When I took out the new Opel Frontera for review, I got to thinking about how car sizes have changed, writes Brian Byrne. Because I'm old enough to remember from way back. The Frontera is a B-segment SUV-style car, while the Opel Kadett sold through the 1960s and 1970s was the equivalent of what we call a C-segment — compact family car — today. Why am I comparing two different segments? Because the Kadett was the smallest Opel then available. The new Frontera is longer, wider, and taller than was the Kadett (we did have one in our small but growing family), and even in its lightest form is roughly twice as heavy. The standard technology then was very rudimentary by today's standards — I particularly remember the non-powered steering, which I was reminded of about 20 years ago when Opel gave me the opportunity to get back into one. I suppose that timeline of experience allows me to appreciate the improvements much more than do many of my significantly younger colleagues.
With Opel now owned by the Stellantis group, it's inevitable that different brands share the same platforms and even sheetmetal in places. So the Frontera, which replaces the previous Crossland and is now the entry-level in the German brand's SUV lineup, is a companion car to Citroën’s C3 Aircross and to the new Fiat Grande Panda. If you compare the body style of the Opel and the Citroën, they are almost the same — the differences are only to the front and rear ends, and are fairly superficial. Which is not a criticism, because I find the shape and format quite good-looking and very practical.
The big difference is inside, in the style of the dashboard and instrumentation. The Opel's screen and driving instrumentation are tied together in an angled unit that, for me, works very well (I do like the more innovative Citroën approach, but on balance felt that little bit more comfortable with the Opel's somewhat traditional take). The Frontera's seats and door trims in my review car were cheerful and modern, and on a day trip during the recent very hot spell, proved very comfortable for the two of us on board. There's also decent rear leg and headroom thanks to the SUV format and a good wheelbase, and the 460L cargo capacity is generous (just to continue my opening comparisons, it's substantially more than was in that C-segment Kadett).
The Frontera shares the powertrain options of several other Stellantis B-segment cars: a 1.2 turbo three-cylinder petrol mild hybrid and a 113hp EV unit, the latter of which was in my reviewer’s car. There are two battery options: 44kWh and 54kWh, the larger one in my car, with a rated range of 400km. My rule of thumb on mixed real-world driving is 75 per cent of the claimed range, but the Frontera worked out rather better for me.
I suppose the other comparison from more than half a century ago is the safety systems. The Kadett had safety belts. A padded and telescopic steering column was also introduced during its model run. That was it. In the Frontera today, there are no fewer than 19 different safety and security features listed, including the dratted driver monitoring camera. That doesn't even include the seatbelts, collapsible steering column, traction control, ABS brakes, or airbags and more that we now just take as a given.
In its current place, Opel is producing cars that are very much suited to today's driving environment and needs. The Frontera is right in that groove.
PRICE: From €24,606; Review car €31,165. WHAT I LIKED: Practicality with a vibe.
