‘Frontera’ felt like a good name to be resurrected by Opel/Vauxhall for a mid-size SUV. A bit like Maverick, Patrol, Explorer, Expedition and Discovery, it has the right kind of outdoorsy, off-roading connotations for a family-friendly 4x4. Despite not actually being a word. Throw in a bit of '90s nostalgia appeal and the only real surprise is that there hasn’t been a Frontera back before now.
Trouble is, the market is now awash with Frontera-sized SUVs in a way that it wasn’t 30 years ago, and so Opel’s latest electrified offering - with both hybrid and EV power in the UK, from £23,995 - might have gone largely unnoticed. Time to put it back on radars with an overlanding concept, because nothing says lifestyle in 2025 like a lightbar, a roof rack and knobbly tyres. Say hello to the Opel Frontera Gravel. Or GRAVEL, to give the car its official name, but that looks a bit shouty.
It’s been designed by Opel in collaboration with BlackFish and XS, ready for a public debut at something called the XS Carnight later this week. Which takes place at Wörhtersee, interestingly enough, where the enormous VW meet happened once upon a time. Opel reckons the Gravel is ‘rougher, tougher, made for life behind the asphalt.’ It’s based on the all-electric model, which should be ‘ideally suited… for soft roading adventures’ thanks to the instant torque and low centre of gravity. This isn’t quite a battery-powered Defender OCTA, though it does promise some useful extra ability.
Borbet is not a name we’ve associated with Vauxhall since modifying old Astras was a thing, but they’ve provided the 16s for this Frontera Gravel. BF Goodrich all-terrain tyres should provide some extra purchase while - just as importantly - making the concept look the part. Speaking of which, the Frontera is wrapped in a ‘Desert Stone’ foil, which is unique to the concept. The orange accents - see the bumper, mirror caps and logo - are said to help with off-road visibility.
There’s some proper equipment for the Gravel, too, not just a Mountain Warehouse makeover. There’s a winch (though we don’t know what it’s rated at), a substantial Thule Canyon XT roof rack that actually fixes to the bonnet, plus a pair of light bars. The roof-mounted one is familiar; the extra item on the bonnet is full rally car. They are said to provide ‘excellent visibility for night-time driving over rough terrain.’
Course a real-life version of the Frontera Gravel seems unlikely, but alongside concepts like the Mokka GSe it shows a willingness to have a little bit of fun with electric SUVs. And that must be better than no fun at all. Rebecca Reinermann, VP of Marketing for Opel and Vauxhall, said of the new car: "The new Opel Frontera is already standout. It is rugged, practical, and perfect for families and everyday adventures. But with the Frontera GRAVEL show car, we’ve pushed the limits, imagining a tougher, more daring, trailblazing version. This concept is built to fire up our fanbase and test the demand for a bolder, more rugged Frontera in the future. It’s all about freedom, adventure, excitement and pushing boundaries." So something like this could happen, it would seem. A trip to the petting zoo might never be the same again.
1 / 6
![](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 4 3"%3E%3C/svg%3E)
![](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 1 1"%3E%3C/svg%3E)