Opel Frontera Sport 1998 test drive - 2004 SUV

Cosmopolitan

Huge investments, recently built a plant, four years of work of an international group of specialists. And all this in order to release the second generation of the Opel Frontera car.
The costs, of course, are large. But the centenary of the anniversary is a good reason to loudly remind yourself of yourself as one of the leading world car manufacturers. It is the world. No wonder the new Frontera is one of the most cosmopolitan machines. It is produced by the German Adam Opel AG, but collected in England, where it is known by Vauxhall, Japanese Isuzu made the main contribution to its development, and the General Motors corporation belongs.
Japanese appearance. Such rootlessness inevitably affected the appearance. Almost all the elements of the body were subjected to alterations and improvements, and in general the car, of course, is new, but it is impossible to get rid of a strange feeling as if you had already seen it, and more than once. However, the similarity of Frontera to her Japanese and American competitors can hardly be considered a disadvantage. The updated design is very harmonious. The low line of windows with a larger side of glazing, the wide side molding, continued with similar lining on bumpers, longitudinal ribs-ravitisms in the lower part of the doors and on the sides of the bumpers visually lengthen the silhouette, creating the impression of tightness and swiftness. All this swiftness is closed by the central lock, equipped with a lock, a locked door to the protection of the machine is impossible to open, even breaking the glass.
 
No less significant changes have occurred in the cabin. Let us dwell on the main thing. The new ergonomics of the driver's seat made the landing more comfortable, and now it resembles a passenger car rather than a traditional jeep. The driver's seat received vertical adjustment, and with a change in the height, the angle of inclination of the seat changes. The front seats in the standard are equipped with double -mode heating, the Limited package also includes a pre -installed Hands Free system. The rear passengers were much less fortunate: the seat pillow is very low relative to the floor, and it turns out that people of normal growth are forced to sit with their knees. The cup holders in the end of the central console and the third head restraint is weak.
 
The location of the devices has changed: the turnout tachometer and the speedometer in the center, and on the sides of the scale of the temperature sensor and the supply of fuel. It seems to be a trifle, but in this form the dashboard is more readable. It became more convenient to use all kinds of keys and toggle switches, windows control from the central console moved to the armrests of the doors, and the console itself increased decently in volume, received an armrest with a box for trifles, as well as a niche-replacement. But the main acquisition of the central console was, of course, a multifunctional triple-computer with a solid display. True, one of its indicators was very upset by our average speed in the city was 15 km/h
German power. Finally, Frontera received a worthy motor with a new V6 volume of 3.2 liters, very compact, completely from a light aluminum alloy, which positively affected the weight of the car through the axes.
Another, no less delicious innovation is a transmission. In principle, the ability to connect the front bridge at a speed of about 100 km/h now few will surprise few, but for Frontera this is a high -quality shift. The connection and disconnecting of the front bridge is electromechanical and is carried out by one touch of the button with the corresponding logo to the right of the steering wheel.
The four -speed automatic checkpoint has three operating modes: normal, it is also economical, sports and winter. Frankly, it was not possible to notice a significant difference between normal and sports. Anyway, the work of this unit leaves much to be desired. All criticism ever addressed to an automatic checkpoint is fully applied to it. The temporary interval between a sharp press on the gas and the reaction of the car is too large, this box does not allow the engine to open, causes inadequate behavior of the machine in a number of situations, forcing, for example, often to refuse quick overturning, especially on the highway.
American comfort. Otherwise, when driving around the city, the car behaves very decently. According to the reactions to the steering wheel, smoothness, dynamics and overview of the new Frontera much closer to a comfortable light car than an SUV. Unless the steering wheel is a little not enough sharpness.
A 60 mm track expanded, a changed suspension undoubtedly added exchange rate stability. At high speed, Frontera holds the road perfectly, turns confidently. However, sharp maneuvers-dispersion maneuvers should be guarded: the suspension begins to behave in the worst traditions of Americans, the car becomes a roll, a very large roll of body arises with a large swing amplitude. The brakes, in turn, are outside of criticism: confident and stable slowdown, an accurate and informative pedal is supplemented by a high -quality ABS, which intervenes only with the most extreme necessity.
Very high quality insulation: on the speedometer 160, and the cabin has a small natural sound background, you can talk in an undertone. Aerodynamic noises begin to listen only after a 170-kilometer mark, the engine works without the slightest trace of the voltage.
Russian dirt. At the same time, the new Frontera is a decent SUV. Without special efforts to climb a steep slope, just on all -wheel drive to sampled the sandy virgin and thick, deep dirt. It seems that the creators of the car were not cunning when they estimated the maximum bias of the rise of 80 percent, the depth of the overcoming ford 50 cm, and the maximum permissible longitudinal angle of inclination of 45.7 degrees.
A walk along the virgin lands and lanes showed that on the off -road Frontera requires a very accurate gas handling: a little more speed, and a soft, so comfortable suspension on the highway is on the verge of breakdowns, and intense roll turns a ride into real torture. The inhabitants of the gallery are especially suffering. At the same time, how often the average owner of the jeep has to jump along the bumps and knead dirt? That's it and it. But you can not suffer for long.
 

Source: "Autopilot"