THE chunky Vauxhall Frontera made loads of friends in this country. Production ended in 2003 but the Frontera is still sought after by those in the know.
The Tonka toy looks and big interior space of the five door complement the more butch three door.
They are slow but reasonably capable on-road and very good in the rough stuff with prices that are down to easily affordable at this stage.
The five door estate is more comfortable than the three door Sport with the three door's ride being less forgiving simply because of its shorter wheelbase – a problem that affects almost all 4x4s.
There’s lots of roll, as with most off-roaders, but handling was improved in the later models, with better steering, electric 4WD engagement and a proper set of low ratio gears.
Last series models had either 2.2 litre petrol or diesel engines with 134 or 115bhp, or a very thirsty 3.2 litre V6 petrol. All, apart from the thirsty V6, are pretty slow and even diesels struggle to make 30mpg.
Check for off-road damage underneath, and don’t buy without service history.
Interior.
The driving position does not fit all without resorting to added cushions, so make sure it suits you before you buy. Security is good, with alarm, immobiliser and deadlocks.
FAST FACTS
Vauxhall Frontera 2.2 T-D.
Price: Pay about £3,100 for an ’02 02-reg Sport RS 3 door, or £4,250 should get an ’03 53-reg Limited estate.
Mechanical: 113bhp, 2171cc, 4 cyl diesel driving all four wheels via a 5 speed manual gearbox
Max speed: 96 mph
0-62mph: 13.3 seconds
Combined mpg: 32
Insurance group: 10
Emissions 224g/km
Marks 8/10
Main Rival: Jeep Cherokee, Land Rover Freelander