Vauxhall Frontera Review 2025

While headlines may have been grabbed by the reimagining of the Ford Capri and to a lesser extent, its Ford Explorer sibling, other brands aren’t immune from dusting down old names for new models. Should one of the latest to follow that trend be a family SUV on your shopping list? Find out with our full Vauxhall Frontera review.

If you can recall the first two generations of Vauxhall Frontera then you’ll maybe wish you couldn’t. Popular in their 1990s heyday, certainly, selling well because they were relatively inexpensive considering how much rugged 4x4 real estate you got for the money. Although capable off-road, they were mediocre on it, which is where most spent their time.

Although larger than the Vauxhall Crossland it replaces, the latest Vauxhall Frontera very much an asphalt-based SUV, powered by a pair of mild hybrid-assisted engines as well as the battery-powered Vauxhall Frontera Electric.

It even has the option of a seven-seater layout — quite an achievement considering how compact it is, being just 40mm shorter and narrower than the ever-popular Nissan Qashqai.

In terms of positioning within the range, the Frontera sits between the slinkier Vauxhall Mokka and the Vauxhall Grandland within the firm’s SUV line-up.

As with other Vauxhalls, the new Frontera shares much of its hardware with other cars within the Stellantis parent group, in this case the behind-the-scenes platform and engines with the Citroen C3 Aircross. These two ranges also share a few visible components, including some bodywork, although it’s unlikely whether would-be owners will lose any sleep over such matters. 

Climb aboard and the differences between the Citroen and Vauxhall are more marked. The Frontera’s interior proves the more dour and conventional of the two, although you will also find various buttons, switches and other kit including the multimedia touchscreen are the same in both models.

A quartet of six-footers can find comfort within the Vauxhall Frontera although an additional passenger in the centre of the second-row bench will make it feel tight.

There’s 460 litres of boot space behind, but that shrinks with the seven-seater option to 370 litres — and that’s with them folded over because with the third-row in place it’s a scarcely worth bothering with 40 litres. Pack no more than you can fit into an envelope...

Other rivals are few and far between given the Vauxhall Frontera’s £550 seven-seat option. More of an estate than an SUV is the Dacia Jogger, with the least expensive hybrid version costing a smidgen over £23,000. 

At the opposite end of the compact seven-seater SUV scale is the Mercedes GLB — admittedly some 25cm longer overall than the Vauxhall, the cheapest 200 Sport Executive model costs over £40,500.

How do these figures compare with Vauxhall Frontera? Interestingly, the cheapest combustion-engined model starts at £24,855 which is decent value given the equipment fitted, but consider the same level of specification for the smaller-batteried Frontera Electric is just £22,495 and you need a really good reason to not go for the EV. 

One of which could be driving range as the petrol-powered Frontera will go further on a tank, but the cost of doing so could be well over twice as costly, if not more.

From launch, the Vauxhall Frontera is available with two engine choices both using the familiar three-cylinder 1.2-litre petrol engine from a number of other Stellantis cars, following the parent group’s mantra of badging them Hybrid even though they aren’t the conventional self-charging type.

There’s a choice of 110PS and 145PS outputs, both of which drive the front wheels via a six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, sharing the same best official fuel efficiency claim of 54.3mpg.

Performance is best described as adequate, although the punchier of the two engines can dispatch the 0-62mph benchmark in 9.0 seconds.

Each engine option is available in Vauxhall’s usual tri-level trim hierarchy ranging from entry-level Design, through GS — the pick of them in all honesty — up to the flagship Ultimate models. All feature LED headlights, a reversing camera, air-conditioning, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone connectivity plus cruise control among the standard equipment highlights.

As a driving experience, the Vauxhall Frontera shares little with its forebears wearing the same nameplate and that’s very much a good thing. At least it is if you’ve no intention of taking your SUV off-road — old Vauxhall Fronteras were rather capable off it, but green-laning’s unlikely to be a pastime that interests customers of the latest iteration.

Today’s Vauxhall Frontera clientele want a vehicle capable of ferrying families around with minimal fuss and here the Vauxhall satisfies without delivering much else to add further delight — or disappointment, in fairness — to the experience. It’s not the sort of car you’d choose to take for a drive for the sake of it and in the main, that’s fine.

It rides comfortably but not exceptionally so, meaning that all on board will be conscious of changes in road surfaces together with every ridge and rut it encounters. Yet, although the Vauxhall’s springing errs towards firmness, its dampers do a fine job of chamfering off the crisp edges of those road imperfections.

The result is an SUV that makes you more aware of what’s going on beneath you than the soft-cushioned suspension of the Citroen C3 Aircross.  It’s more a matter of personal taste than one necessarily being better than the other.

Firmer, yes, but sporty? No — and that’s fine because that’s not what the Frontera’s about. We doubt Vauxhall’s planning the imminent release of a performance-focused version wearing GSE badges...

That said, we would rather that there was some meaningful feeling through the steering wheel to the driver’s hands instead of the anaesthetised sensation that has been delivered. It’s also very light, which can be a boon for urban driving but on a windier A- or B-road, extra resistance through the wheel would be useful to give more weight to it through quicker corners.

You soon trust that the Vauxhall Frontera will trace corners precisely as you expect — save for occasions where you inadvertently attempt to take too much speed into them, causing the front tyres to lose traction and wash wider than expected. Body roll and kept in check with directional changes and there’s little tendency for the Vauxhall to dive forwards under heavy braking or raise its nose when accelerating.

Despite the Hybrid label, both of the combustion engines available in the Vauxhall Frontera range are actually mild hybrids, acting like an amplified stop-start system. 

While a conventional self-charging hybrid will typically allow a few miles of electric-only running at normal speeds, the Stellantis system in the Vauxhall Frontera is designed to switch the engine off under deceleration and for low-speed manoeuvring up to 18mph.

Both engines use the fundamentally the same three-cylinder, 1.2-litre turbocharged petrol engine together with a  28PS electric motor, driving the front wheels via a six-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox that Vauxhall markets as e-DCT.

Entry point to the range is the 1.2 110PS Hybrid which produces 205Nm of torque, sufficient for an 11.0-second 0-62mph time and a top speed of 112mph.

For those seeking a little more urgency, the 1.2 145PS Hybrid is likely to be a happier choice. Torque’s gently elevated to 230Nm and while the top speed is slightly improved to 118mph, the 0-62mph benchmark is usefully quicker at 9.0 seconds.

It feels like an appropriate choice for the Vauxhall Frontera, being smooth in operation and generating low levels of resonance through its structure, although under harder acceleration it can sound rather strained.

That may well be exacerbated by an insufficient degree of sound-deadening materials as you’re also aware of suspension and tyre noise as you drive at increased pace.

Response to accelerator movements are quick, if not immediate, but there’s no sign of the delay experienced in some cars when pulling away from a standstill. You quickly get underway and up to speed in a confident, assured manner.

We had less confidence in the gearbox — it flicks between ratios smoothly, usually a change in engine note is the only indication that it’s gone up or down a cog — but it can occasionally be slow-witted, notably when more acceleration’s required as it ponders whether to stay in its current gear or go to the one below.

The result is a sudden surge as the ratio is swapped for a lower one, only to then quickly return to the one it was in before as the revs rise.

Impressively seamless is the 48-volt mild hybrid system’s ability to switch on and off the engine when it’s not required. You certainly hear it when it fires back into life but there’s no jolt through the car’s structure as it does so.

One curio regarding its operation is the sound produced by the electric motor as it switches to generator mode when the Vauxhall Frontera’s decelerating. Here the engine’s immediately cut-out, so you’re more aware of other noises the Vauxhall produces, which makes the electricity generation all the more obvious. It’s not an unpleasant sound, just one that will be unfamiliar to many drivers.

Overall, the Hybrid-powered Fronteras are not as smooth and refined as the EV versions, simply because they can’t be — but they are both quicker than their Vauxhall Frontera Electric twins based on the current line-up choices.

Euro NCAP has yet to assess the safety systems and crash worthiness of either the Vauxhall Frontera or the very closely related Citroen C3 Aircross. As and when there is a start rating to report on this section will be updated.

What we can confirm is that as standard all versions of the Vauxhall Frontera have a high level of safety kit and driver assistance systems, including automatic emergency braking, lane-keeping assistance, hill-start assist and a driver attention monitor.

If you plan to tow using the Vauxhall Frontera then you need one powered by a combustion engine as the EV versions aren’t homologated for hauling.

Somewhat unusually, it’s not the engine choice which determines the Frontera’s towing capacity, but the number of seats installed. As standard five-seaters, both the 110PS Hybrid and 145PS Hybrid are rated to tow a braked trailer with a maximum capacity of 1250kg. For seven-seater Fronteras that upper limit is cut to 1050kg.

Although the Vauxhall Frontera is a family-sized SUV, it is at the smaller end of the scale, being shorter and narrower than many of its rivals. Aside, rather obviously, from the Citroen C3 Aircross with which it shares much.

Within the Vauxhall line-up, the Vauxhall Frontera takes up a similar amount of room to the Vauxhall Astra hatchback yet has space within to rival the larger Vauxhall Astra Sports Tourer estate — providing that you stick to the standard five-seater layout.

Those at in the front will find comfy chairs with a useful range of adjustment which, together with plenty of up-down and in-out movement of the steering wheel means most people will be able to assume a fine driving position.

Even taller than average drivers will find there’s ample space for their head and limbs in the Vauxhall Frontera.
Upgraded and ergonomically engineered front seats are fitted to the mid-range GS and range-topping Ultimate models

They feel much firmer than the soft and cosy chairs fitted to the equivalent Citroen, yet they are very supportive and comfortable on longer drives. Again, a point of difference rather than one necessarily being better than the other. 

Visibility out of the car is good when looking forwards, although towards the back it could be better. The Vauxhall Frontera’s door mirrors are on the small side and the rear pillars behind the back doors are very thick. There is a tiny pair of extra side windows right at the back, which are of some benefit when looking over your shoulder but offer no benefit in the rear-view mirror.

Wide-opening doors mean access to the high-positioned second-row bench seat is good, improving matters when installing and removing bulky child seats.

Two tall, adult-sized passengers will have plenty of room all round to sit behind front seat occupants of a similar stature, although the seat cushion itself is short of thigh support for the longer-legged. 

While a fifth passenger can be carried in the centre of the second-row bench, it’s less comfortable than the outer two with less cushion scalloping and a narrower gap between the seatbelt buckles being amplified by the Vauxhall Frontera’s slender bodywork. 

Unusually for such a modestly sized SUV a third row of seats can be optionally added to combustion-engined Vauxhall Frontera in both GS and Ultimate models.

We've yet to sample them so cannot comment on the comfort and space they provide, although it’s evident that due to the thickness of those aforementioned rear pillars that outward visibility in those seats is going to be seriously restricted. The Dacia Jogger’s third-row will be a far brighter place to be.

In standard five-seater guise, the Vauxhall Frontera’s boot capacity is 460 litres when loaded to the luggage cover. The Citroen C3 Aircross has, you guessed it, exactly the same amount of space. Dacia quotes up to 829 litres for the Jogger in five-seater mode, although this is measured to the roof height, while the Nissan Qashqai provides between 455 and 504 litres depending on the trim level.

Fold the Frontera’s 60/40-split rear seats over and you have an almost horizontal extended cargo bay on a continuous plane thanks to the standard Flex load floor on GS and Ultimate models.

To access the maximum 1600-litre capacity you’ll need to remove that, creating a step up to the line of the folded rear seats, which is how Design versions are anyway. There’s also up to 1600 litres of space in the C3 Aircross, a maximum of 2094 litres in the five-seater Dacia Jogger but only 1379-1447 litres at your disposal in the Qashqai.

Opting for the seven-seater package reduces the Vauxhall Frontera’s boot space whether or not they’re in use. No capacity is quoted when they are occupied, although Citroen references just 40 litres for the C3 Aircross in this format, so the Vauxhall is likely identical.

With the third-row seats folded into the floor, Vauxhall states the Frontera has a 370-litre volume up to the window line and 1400 litres to the ceiling when the second-row are also folded over. Those numbers differ from the C3 Aircross at 330 litres and 1470 litres respectively.

Dacia’s Jogger trump’s both — 212 litres with seven seats in use, up to 820 litres as a five-seater and a huge 2085 litres when only two seats are occupied.

There are plenty of choices for storing odds and ends inside the Vauxhall Frontera. Door pockets are sensibly sized, there’s a lidded cubby below the central armrest between the front seats and surrounding the drive selector housing is an elasticated strap which can be used to secure small items.

The front seatbacks on GS and Ultimate versions have smartphone pockets for those sat in the back and moulded into the dashboard are two rubber-lined open shelves.

The larger one on the passenger side is especially useful as the glovebox beneath is on the small side. This is a common issue across Stellantis models where right-hand drive versions have rsmaller gloveboxes because of the fuse box position. Presumably too few customers complain about it given it’s been this way for years. 

An especially welcome aspect of the Vauxhall’s dashboard are the physical air-conditioning controls. They’re far easier to use on the move that those within the multimedia touschscreen’s interface.

With its pair of display screens nestled within a simple, angular structure, the Vauxhall Frontera’s dashboard looks like various other models from the brand’s line-up — but most of the others feel nicer.

Reason being that less expensive, harder plastics have been used in the Vauxhall Frontera as a way to keep costs that bit lower. It’s all assembled well enough with no signs of rattles or squeaks on the early-build versions we drove, it just feels like it lacks much in the way of making it special. By contrast, the Citroen C3 Aircross looks and feels more welcoming both through its design and use of brighter colours.

What aren’t helpful are the shiny surfaces on many of the Frontera’s interior mouldings and not just those silver-painted components. There’s plenty of scope for the sun to glare dazzlingly off various elements of trim.

Sat adjacent to one another along the top of the Vauxhall Frontera’s dashboard are two 10.0-inch screens. While lacking much in the way of visual excitement or high definition resolution, they are generally clear and easy to fathom on the move.

Directly in front of the driver is a display presenting the primary information required on the move including speed and fuel level. It looks rather plain with lots of emptiness around the information points — that minimises distractions, but lacks much feel-good sparkle.

That approach is continued on the multimedia touchscreen, a piece of hardware that doesn’t always respond positively to a solitary press of a fingertip — and a welcome reminder of how much more to appreciate the separate air-con dials and buttons. At least the menus have a logic to them and functions which accessed through the touchscreen are easily found.

An integrated navigation package is included across the range as all Vauxhall Fronteras have exactly the same multimedia system. But its graphic are outdated and are likely to be unused by most drivers who would simply prefer to use the wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone connectivity.

On test we noticed that Apple CarPlay didn’t always appear sharply on screen, with various elements of its display breaking up or going blank. 

On the plinth below the touchscreen is a particularly useful feature — a slender strip of a slightly roughened material which allows your ‘steadying’ fingers to achieve a good purchase that allows for more accurate prodding with your operating digit. Nicely done.

Whether you’re into podcasts or drowning-out kids’ singing along to the latest hits, the Vauxhall Frontera’s six-speaker sound system performs acceptably for all but the most avid audio nerds.

You must either be ardently anti-EVs or unable to have a wallbox charger installed at home to consider the combustion-engined Vauxhall Frontera over its battery powered twin, especially given (with the smaller battery) it’s over £2000 less expensive model-for-model. 

At least the gap shrinks to £400 when the 54kWh Frontera Electric is pitted against the 145PS Hybrid version, but still in the EV’s favour. Prices for the Vauxhall Frontera 1.2 110PS Hybrid start at £24,855 for the Design, rising to £27,255 for the GS and reach £28,055 for the Ultimate version.

Choosing the 145PS Hybrid means an extra £1510 for each of the trims for a price range of £26,365 to £29,565.

Remember, if you do fancy that seven-seater upgrade you’re looking at an extra £550 on top of the cost of the GS and Ultimate models.

How do those numbers stack up alongside the alternatives? While the Citroen C3 Aircross is the most immediate rival, it has a different range of engines and transmissions, as well as no entry-level trim level. As such it begins with the Turbo 100 manual in what’s effectively mid-range Plus specification at a cost of £21,105 with the Hybrid 136 Plus chiming in at £24,565. 

Dacia’s Jogger costs from £20,270 for the TCe 110 while the Hybrid 140 can be yours for £23,305, both in Expression trim. Nissan’s Qashqai is only available as a five-seater with prices north of £30,615 for the entry-level DiG-T 140 in Acenta Premium guise.

As an extreme reference point, the slightly larger Mercedes GLB is now a seven-seater only with £40,540 required for you to get behind the wheel of the 200 Sport Executive at the line-up’s gateway.

Both versions of the Vauxhall Frontera Hybrid range have identical official fuel efficiency figures of a best of 54.3mpg, so there’s no disadvantage to choosing the 145PS edition over the 110PS model. On test we achieved an indicated 46.5mpg over mixed conditions with the more powerful variant.

Since April 2025 the VED car tax advantage electric cars had evaporated so the petrol-powered Vauxhall Frontera will cost the same £195 each year as its EV twins. Conversely, the Vauxhall Frontera Electric will remain the dominant choice of the two for company car drivers thanks to its 3% Benefit-in-Kind (BiK) taxation rates — both Frontera Hybrids are in the 29% band.

Choose a Vauxhall Frontera and you won’t give any thought to the Expensive Car Supplement surcharge as it’s only applicable to cars costing £40,000 and over when new.

There are three levels of specification available for the Vauxhall Frontera — Design, GS and Ultimate. 

Standard equipment for the Vauxhall Frontera Design includes:

• 16-inch Black steel wheels
• Body-coloured roof
• Black unpainted bumper skid plates
• Automatic Intelli-LED headlights with automatic main beam
• Automatic wipers
• Electric front and rear windows
• Electrically adjustable door mirrors with Black housings
• Rear parking sensors
• Reversing camera
• Grey fabric upholstery with Riaz Blue and Anthracite Melange panels
• 10.0-inch driver’s display screen
• 10.0-inch multimedia touchscreen
• DAB radio
• Wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity
• Voice recognition
• Wireless smartphone charging pad
• Air-conditioning
• Centre console strap storage
• Cruise control

Additional features for the Vauxhall Frontera GS include:

• 17-inch Groot diamond-cut alloy wheels
• Black roof
• Dark Silver bumper skid plates
• LED tail lights
• Dark-tinted rear privacy windows
• Electrically adjustable, heated and folding door mirrors with High Gloss Black housings
• Front and rear parking sensors
• Ergonomically engineered front Intelli Seats
• Marl Grey Melange upholstery with Black fabric inserts
• Faux leather-wrapped steering wheel
• Electronic single-zone climate control
• Auto-dimming interior rear-view mirror
• Front and rear LED interior reading lights
• Flex-load boot floor
• Blind-spot alert

Further equipment items included with the Vauxhall Frontera Ultimate are:

• LED front fog lights
• Electrically heated windscreen
• High Gloss Black roof rails
• Heated front seats
• Heated steering wheel