Vauxhall Frontera

FIRST UK DRIVE New SUV is keenly priced - particularly as an EV - but there are areas where cost-cutting stands out

- Paul Barker

THE trend of reviving old brand names reached Vauxhall this year in the form of a new Frontera – formerly a chunky and slightly crude off-roader sold from 1991 to 2003.

Its revival comes in a smaller form, with the new Frontera sitting between its Mokka and Grandland SUV siblings; it’s 230mm longer than the former and 265mm shorter than the latter, with all three offered in petrol hybrid or electric form. In petrol guise, it gets the £550 option of seven seats, but the back two occupants will have to be small, and it wipes out all bar 40 litres of boot space.

We're focusing on the electric one here because, in an unusual move, it’s cheaper than the entry petrol hybrid model, albeit marginally above Citroen’s closely related C3 Aircross.

As with all electric Vauxhalls, the Frontera qualifies for the Government's £1,500 EV grant, further distancing this electric version from its hybrid sibling. With the grant, the EV kicks off at £22,495, although the Auto Express Find a Car marketplace currently has cars below £20,000.