Stellantis Shows That Jeep Isn’t Its Only Brand That Can Do Off-Roading

Stellantis has one of the best-known off-road brands on the planet in the form of Jeep. It’s also leveraging that image pretty well not just in the US, but even in Europe, with small vehicles such as the Avenger and Compass. The thing is, off-roading, or at least the idea of it, is more popular than ever across all segments and brands. So it’s no surprise that other Stellantis brands might look into offering more rugged versions of their own models. The latest to explore this idea is Opel and its British arm Vauxhall with the Frontera Gravel.

First, Let’s Introduce The Frontera

The Frontera is a boxy little subcompact SUV sold by Opel in Europe and Vauxhall (the Vauxhall branded version is shown in these photos) in the UK, and it was introduced last year. Like so many of the latest Stellantis compacts in Europe, the Frontera shares a platform with other little hatchbacks, specifically the Citroen C3 and the Fiat Grande Panda. That also means that it’s available both as a full-electric car, or as a hybrid. The electric model features a single, front-mounted electric motor making 111 horsepower, and it can be paired with a choice of battery packs. It’s also available with two versions of a 1.2-liter turbocharged three-cylinder making either 100 or 134 horsepower. Surprisingly, there’s even a third-row option available on this tiny SUV.

What Opel Did To Ruggedize It

Opel seems to have focused on low-hanging fruit to make the Frontera ready for rough dirt roads. It features a vinyl wrap with some fun graphics and bold orange accents. Those accents apparently carry over to the interior upholstery. A roof platform is fitted along with a roof basket from Thule, and there are luggage mounts on the rear pillars similar to the Land Rover Discovery. That roof platform could probably just as easily hold a rooftop tent. Auxiliary lighting has been added to the roof basket and the hood, which lends a bit of a rally car look. Probably the most useful addition is the set of Borbet wheels wrapped in rather aggressive BFGoodrich KM3 mud tires. The tires are especially welcome, since it seems that this Frontera doesn’t have a rear-mounted electric motor to give it all-wheel-drive like the recent Grande Panda 4×4 Concept. But in the event this Frontera does end up stuck, it has a winch to help get it un-stuck.

Related

Fiat Panda 4×4 Is Back And Bigger Than Ever

Fiat’s latest concept looks at bringing back its iconic off-roader with a little electric assistance.

Opel has also said that this is just a concept, but that it does give an idea as to what a more off-road-oriented version of the Frontera could look like. With how everyone is interested in vehicles for “active lifestyles” we wouldn’t be surprised if a toned-down production version of this shows up in the near future. We wouldn’t count on one coming to America, though. If anything, a Panda seems more likely, since Fiat has been reestablished, but even that seems relatively unlikely due to the small size and low familiarity with the Panda line.