Vauxhall Frontera Gravel takes budget EV to the great outdoors
The Frontera Gravel is an ‘ultra-rugged’ electric SUV that proves green-laning can be eco-friendly
After 20 years since the original model went out of production, the Vauxhall Frontera returned last year and now it looks like it’ll finally do its predecessor’s off-road ability justice with a wild Gravel variant.
Instead of the Hybrid 100 or Hybrid 136 versions, the Frontera Gravel is based on the all-electric model – but before you start booking green-laning trips, it’s worth noting that Vauxhall’s latest creation is just a show car.
Ahead of the Frontera Gravel’s unveiling at XS Carnight in Wörthersee, Austria, Rebecca Reinermann, Vauxhall’s vice president of marketing, said: “We wanted to take the Frontera to the next level and show how an everyday hero can become a real adventurer”. Backing this up, Vauxhall says the Frontera Gravel is “an ultra-rugged show car version of the production Frontera Electric, designed for demanding off-road adventures without limitations”.
When we tried the new Frontera for the first time in late 2024 we were impressed with its practicality, safety kit and price. One aspect that we noticed wasn’t a priority for the model (unlike its all-wheel-drive predecessor) was off-roading. The Frontera Gravel, with the help of tuning specialists XS and design studio BlackFish Graphics, certainly looks like it will be able to change that.
The Frontera Gravel gains a matt black roof and bonnet that contrast with the matt champagne-coloured wrap with orange badging and accents on the mirrors, front and rear bumpers, spoiler and brake calipers, to give the Vauxhall a distinctive look.
There are plenty of genuinely useful tools to aid adventuring, too. There’s a winch and hook at the front, an auxiliary LED lights on the bonnet and roof rack, plus all-terrain tyres (with a spare mounted on the roof) that are wrapped around some chunky 16-inch alloy wheels. The interior remains the same as the Frontera Electric, although the seats get some bespoke orange trim.
While the Frontera Gravel looks like it’s ready to embarrass Jeep and Land Rover, it’s only has the same powertrain as the standard car. That means a front-wheel-drive layout with an electric motor that produces 111bhp and 125Nm of torque. The Frontera Electric is a featherweight for an electric SUV, weighing just over 1,500kg, which could help the Gravel version scamper up craggy inclines, but either way we’ll never know because the latter remains just a show car.
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