2001 Holden Frontera SE review from Australia and New Zealand

Nothing has gone wrong with this car.

The Holden Frontera that is sold in Australia is a rebadged Isuzu Rodeo.

Overall the build quality is fine with minimal rattling and good alignment of external and internal body panels. A higher quality carpet would have been beneficial as the current carpet wears very quickly.

Performs exceptionally well with a high power output. Handles highway driving easily and allows for safe and easy overtaking. Fuel usage is good for the type of traveling I do, a fully loaded car will exceed 800 kms on 80 litres of fuel (petrol)

General ride is spoilt by the transmission lag on take off from a standing start. This occurs even on the gentlest take off. The shortness of the wheel base leads to an over amplification of minor road contours, but your ride can be softened by reducing tyre pressures slightly. The ABS system seems to find it difficult when travrelling on dirt tracks with corrugations and a softer brake pedal is noticed in these conditions.

Seats lack sufficient support to your legs as the seats seem marginally low which results in no upper leg support in a normal seating position for an adult.

The cabin is laid out extremely well with all controls visible and accessible from the driving position.

The automatic transmission performs well in city driving however on highway driving with the cruise control even the slightest incline or decline causes the gearbox to search for gears. This can be overcome by using the power switch.

The Frontera features a Torque on Demand system that allows for the easy cross over from bitumen to grassy, dirt, or sandy tracks with a minimum of fuss. The Low range function works well for heavier off road excursions.

The use of the winter traction button works quite well when off road and are faced with a situation that requires a creeping action with no wheel spin. this function disables once you are traveling at approx 30 kilometers per hour.

Off road activities are reduced by the positioning of the mid mounted fuel tank. This allows for only 200 mm (8 inches) clearance and can cause off road hangups on rocks and acts like a bulldozer blade in soft sand. The tank is well protected by a tank guard.

Power windows cannot be operated without the key in the ignition and partially turned, this is off putting as forgetful owners may find they need to reinsert the key to close windows when they are parking.

The headlight throw could also be improved to prevent the necessity of having to fit driving lights.