FIRST DRIVE: Vauxhall Frontera – The £23k family electric SUV. Too good to be true? | Electrifying

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Review: https://www.electrifying.com/reviews/vauxhall-reviews/frontera/review

Electric cars…Expensive, right? Way more expensive than the comparable petrol and diesel versions, right? Well, not if you’re looking at the new Vauxhall Frontera. In an industry first, Vauxhall isn’t charging a penny more for its battery powered version. Whether you want the petrol version of the electric variant, you’ll be paying EXACTLY the same price. About time!

The original Frontera was a huge 1990s success for Vauxhall. It might not have what you’d call a cult following but, for years, it was the best-selling SUV in the UK. So, it makes sense that the name has been reborn for the new, 2024 Frontera family SUV.

The Frontera has an emphasis on space and value, and replaces the Vauxhall Crossland in the company’s line up, sitting in between the Mokka and the next-gen Grandland.

You want figures? The Frontera is 4380mm long, making it longer than a Mokka and almost identical to an Astra, while similarly-sized rivals include the Renault Scenic E-Tech, MG ZS EV and Hyundai Kona Electric.

In the SUV styling stakes, the Frontera is a bit more rugged than sporty, with the chunky skid plates and big wheel arches giving a sense of a ‘proper’ off-roader, even though the Frontera is actually front-wheel drive only. There’s also the trademark Vauxhall ‘Vizor’ front grille blending into the LED headlights, and there’s no chrome, either.

There are also some optional roof rails, that will take loads of up to 200kg – usefully more than the 75kg that many cars are limited to, which means that the Frontera can carry a roof tent or a few roof-mounted e-bikes, no problem. But in terms of space, its shape means that it is huge inside.

The 51kWh (54kWh total capacity) lithium-ion battery is familiar from the Jeep Avenger, Peugeot e-208, Vauxhall Corsa-e and more, and here it’s expected to manage a range of around 250-miles.

Rapid charging is up to 100kW, which will get a 10-80% charge in around 30 minutes, or a 100-mile top-up in about 20 minutes. A 7kW home charger will deliver a full charge from nearly empty in eight hours. Much of this is the same essential powertrain stuff that you’ll find in the Jeep Avenger, Fiat 600e, Peugeot e-2008 and various other Stellantis models, but the Frontera has had its electric motor downgraded to just 111bhp. That’s quite a bit less power than the 154bhp that you get in those other compact electric SUVs.

Join Nicola as she takes to the road in the new Vauxhall Frontera for the first time. Has Vauxhall got its sums right this time? Is this the car for you and your family? Let us know in the comments below.

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FIRST DRIVE: Vauxhall Frontera – The £23k family electric SUV. Too good to be true? | Electrifying

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