Vauxhall Frontera EV gets 67-mile range boost, but it’ll cost you
A £3,500 premium adds 67 miles of range to the compact SUV, but there's still no seven-seat option
The Vauxhall Frontera Electric is one of the cheapest electric cars on sale, but with 186 miles it’s not the longest-range EV out there. Thankfully, Vauxhall has introduced the Frontera Electric Long Range and it’s on sale now, priced from £25,995.
After Vauxhall's recently announced £1,500 electric car grant, the Frontera Long Range is £3,500 more expensive than the regular Frontera Electric, but thanks to a battery upgrade from 44kWh to 54kWh, the Long Range can go up to 253 miles on a single charge. Despite its identical internals, that’s one mile more than the Mokka Electric Long Range – thanks in part to the Frontera’s lightweight ‘Smart Car’ platform.
Like the entry-level Frontera Electric, the Long Range comes in two trim levels: Design and GS. Mirroring the equipment available in the 44kWh model, the big-battery Frontera Design gets 16-inch black steel wheels, black skid plates and body-colour bumpers. There’s also a £400 optional Design Styling Pack, which paints the steel wheels white and adds a white roof and roof rails.
The interior of the Frontera Long Range Design, like every other trim, comes with Vauxhall’s ‘Pure Panel’ cockpit with dual 10-inch widescreen displays, sat nav, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto plus wireless smartphone charging. There’s voice recognition too, activated by a ‘Hey Vauxhall’ command. LED headlights, rear parking sensors, a rear-view camera, cruise control, and lane-keep assist are all standard as well.
Vauxhall’s range of all-electric models spans everything from the Corsa to the Grandland, with the Frontera sitting just below the more design-led Mokka. You can find great deals on all of Vauxhall’s current crop of EVs via Auto Express here.
The Frontera Long Range GS, priced from £29,895, adds 17-inch alloy wheels, gloss-black door mirrors, silver skid plates, a black roof, tinted rear windows and LED rear lights. You’ll also find electric climate control, Vauxhall’s ‘Intelli-Seat’ front seats, front parking sensors, an electrochromatic rear-view mirror and blind-spot monitoring.
Instead of offering a range-topping Ultimate trim level like many other Vauxhall models, the Frontera gets the option of a £450 ‘Ultimate Pack’, which adds heated front seats, a heated steering wheel, heated windscreen, roof rails and LED fog lights. Unlike the Frontera Hybrid, the Frontera Electric doesn’t come with the option of seven seats.
The Frontera Electric Long Range gets the same 111bhp front-mounted electric motor as the standard car but with the extra size and weight of the battery, the Long Range is slightly slower, with 0-62mph taking 13 seconds – compared with the 44kWh model’s 12.8 seconds. Top speed increases from 87mph to 88mph, however.
A 20 to 80 per cent charge in the Long Range model will take 28 minutes, with a peak charge speed of 100kW. That’s the same as the 44kWh car, so the same top up takes 26 minutes. An 11kW on-board charger is also fitted as standard.
Being 4,385mm long (173mm longer than the old Crossland), it’s no surprise the Vauxhall Frontera has a larger boot than its predecessor at 460 litres (compared to 410 litres). Put the back seats down and the Frontera has a 1,600-litre load bay, which is four litres more than an Astra Sport Tourer Electric can offer.
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