New Vauxhall Frontera offers UK first

Electric Vehicles  Low Emission Vehicles  New Launches 

Big news from Vauxhall. The oldest of Britain’s automotive manufacturers, Vauxhall’s aim has always been to build cars that are relevant to everyone. In the case of the brand-new Vauxhall Frontera – more on that in a moment – the relevant news is that it will be the first car on sale in the UK to cost exactly the same for both petrol hybrid and the all-electric version.

Whether or not you’re interested in leasing the new Frontera isn’t the point of the big news though. The important detail is Vauxhall’s decision to eliminate the usual EV list price premium, opening up the possibility for more people to choose an affordable, all-electric model.

So, if you do decide you would like to lease one you won’t need to take your budget into account when choosing which powertrain option to go for.

The new Frontera is the latest addition to Vauxhall’s refreshed SUV range, sitting in the line-up between the Mokka and the new Grandland. The front-end features Vauxhall’s distinctive Vizor design with LED headlights. The rugged SUV looks come from the sharp lines, elevated stance, and prominent wheel arches and sills. Every model is fitted with energy-saving Intelli-LED headlights, LED daytime running lights, and high beam assist as standard too.

The interior features Vauxhall’s ‘Pure Panel’ cockpit with dual 10-inch widescreen displays, a newly designed steering wheel and physical buttons for key functions. The central touchscreen is simple to operate and includes navigation and wireless smartphone connectivity. Wireless smartphone charging also comes as standard, as does the natural voice recognition to make life a little easier. The new Frontera also features up to five USB-C charging ports, with connections for all three seating rows (two in the front, two in the second row, and one in the third row if fitted with seven seats).

Two trim levels

As well as simplifying the list prices, Vauxhall has also made the new Frontera range equally straightforward. Regardless of powertrain you’ll be choosing from two generously specified trim levels, Design and GS.

Entry-level Design models offer 16-inch black steel wheels with wheel arch cladding and body-colour bumpers with black skid plates. Design models also offer the latest driver assistance features as standard, including rear parking sensors, a rear-view parking camera, cruise control with speed limiter, lane keep assist, traffic sign recognition and driver attention alert.

GS models are fitted with larger 17-inch alloy wheels, high gloss black door mirrors and silver skid plates, as well as a black roof with tinted rear windows and LED taillights. Upgrading to the GS version also adds electronic climate control, Intelli-Seat front seats designed to relieve pressure on the tailbone, front parking sensors, blind spot alert, and an electro-chromatic rear-view mirror.

Even the options list has been trimmed down to just three items - and that choice is determined by the trim level you start from.

Design models can be fitted with the Design Style Pack which adds 16-inch white steel wheels, a white roof, and roof rails to the specification. If you go for the GS trim you can add the extra comfort and convenience of heated seats, a heated steering wheel, LED fog lamps, and roof rails of the Ultimate Pack.

The final option on the list is the seven-seat configuration with two-way adjustable headrests and a ‘fold and tumble’ seat mechanism that provides easy access to the third row – although if you want the added practicality of the extra row of seats it’s worth noting that this option is only available on hybrid GS models.



Which brings us neatly on to the part of the new Frontera that won’t affect the price in any way, shape, or form: your choice of powertrain.

You’ve probably already picked up on the fact that, like the trim levels there are just two options for the new Vauxhall Frontera, petrol hybrid or all-electric (technically there are three, but two of them are hybrids).

If you’re not ready for the switch to full electrification then the 48-volt petrol hybrid is obviously going to be your choice. You still get a little bit of electric-only driving range alongside the improved economy that the assistance of the electric motor brings to the table.

Vauxhall’s hybrid system combines a turbocharged, three-cylinder 1.2-litre petrol engine with a 28bhp electric motor coupled to an electrified six-speed dual clutch transmission. You can choose either the standard version that generates around 100bhp or the extra power of a 136bhp option. Neither is particularly powerful – the sprint to 62mph can’t really be described as a sprint (11 seconds vs 9 seconds) and the top speed increases from 112mph to 118mph – so it’s really just a case of deciding if the extra power is worth the extra money, especially as the fuel consumption and emissions are identical in both versions.

And if you are ready for the switch to full electrification you should clearly spend exactly the same amount of money leasing the all-electric version of the new Vauxhall Frontera.

At launch, the Frontera Electric comes with a 44kWh battery that sends its electrons to a 113bhp electric motor. A long-range version will follow later in the year but for now you’ll be looking at a range of around 186 miles with 20-80% charging times of 26 minutes (100kW charger) or 3hrs 50mins (11kW home charger).

Like the hybrid, the Frontera Electric’s performance can never be described as “blistering”, but does that really matter? We probably need to put that question into some sort of context before you can answer it properly.

While we wouldn’t normally bring up list prices because leasing just makes much more sense, in this case it’s quite a big deal. A practical SUV, seating for 5 people (or even 7), generous specification levels, and the choice of the latest hybrid or EV technology, and you can pick up the entry-level Design specification for a smidge under £23,500. Even if you splash out on the top-spec GS trim you’ll still be looking at a list price on the comfortable side of £26k.

It’s not necessarily the decision to charge the same for both hybrid and electric models, it’s the unbelievable value that is going to draw people to the new Vauxhall Frontera.

---

View our latest blog posts