| Model year | 1993 |
| Year of manufacture | 1993 |
| First year of ownership | 1995 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2006 |
| Engine and transmission | 2lt Manual |
| Performance marks | 8 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 10 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 8 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 4 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 3 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) |
6.6 / 10
|
| Distance when acquired | 6000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 88500 miles |
| Previous car | Datsun Cherry Estate |
Summary:
Absolutley flipping brilliant
Faults:
Wing mirror motors have just given up.
General Comments:
Absolutley fantastic vehicle off road it's proved itself time and time again without any hesitation at all.
On the tarmac it's the same story.
I'm sorry to disapoint all you green oval brigade, but the Frontera is just a fantastic motor.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 7th February, 2006
| Year of manufacture | 1993 |
| First year of ownership | 1999 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2004 |
| Engine and transmission | 2.0 petrol Manual |
| Performance marks | 6 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 9 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 6 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 7 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) |
7.0 / 10
|
| Distance when acquired | 96000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 150000 miles |
| Previous car | Ford Sierra |
Summary:
Fun off road car
Faults:
Fuel line leaked due to perished material at 130,000 miles.
Fuel pump packed up at 135,000 miles.
I think the previous owner replaced the gear box shortly before I brought the vehicle from him.
Side steps fell off as they rusted through, increased ground clearance now:)...
Drivers side door fell off, fixing bolts just pulled straight through the pillar due to the weight of the door, or could have sustained damage before I brought it.
General Comments:
All in all, very happy with this vehicle, could do with a more powerful engine and stiffer steering and a diff lock, but just have to be careful to drive off road within it's capabilities.
Love taking the rear roof off and all the rear windows out on a hot sunny day. Then playing in the mud.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 4th July, 2004
| Year of manufacture | 1993 |
| First year of ownership | 2001 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2002 |
| Engine and transmission | 2.4 Manual |
| Performance marks | 3 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 7 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 5 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 0 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 1 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) |
3.2 / 10
|
| Distance when acquired | 114000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 117000 miles |
| Previous car | Vauxhall Vectra |
Summary:
Poor performance and miserable fuel economy
Faults:
Exhaust manifold gasket.
Central locking on rear doors - tabs don't always pop up.
Bonnet release mechanism jammed.
Rattles from interior trim.
General Comments:
This cars performance is disappointing, struggles to keep at 70mph on the motorway, even small slopes mean a drop into 4th gear. Engine does not seem powerful enough to pull the weight of the car. As a tow car it is a disaster! Go for the 2.8 TDi if you want reasonable performance, you will not regret it.
The fuel economy varies between 15-20 miles per gallon, you will get only 235 miles out of your 80 litre tank.
The general build quality is okay, there was no signs of rust and the interior was still tidy at 117000 miles, just had to tolerate a few squeaks from the interior trim.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 13th January, 2002
| Year of manufacture | 1993 |
| First year of ownership | 1993 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2000 |
| Engine and transmission | 2.3 turbo diesel Manual |
| Performance marks | 9 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 8 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 8 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 7 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 6 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) |
7.6 / 10
|
| Distance when acquired | 12 miles |
| Most recent distance | 92300 miles |
| Previous car | Suzuki 410 |
Summary:
Great in the country, not for the town
Faults:
Oil cooler pipe burst, fixed under warranty at about 30,000 miles.
Rubber suspension bushes replaced at 50,000 miles.
Alternator belt needs regular tightening.
Steering wanders to the left.
Heater matrix now leaking at 90,000 miles.
General Comments:
Tough rural transport which would be awkward in town. The turning circle is huge but off road ability is excellent.
Economy is good for its size but this is no racing car.
The interior is comfortable and suffers children and dogs well.
A great car for country dwellers but in town it would be difficult to see its good points.
Our's suffered a hard rear-end shunt which wrote off the offending Rover, the Frontera was only lightly damaged.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 10th December, 2000
The steering does play around and you don't feel that safe - in fact I had an accident when I took my eyes off the road for a second and the car veered to the left.
My Frontera 2.3 TD does on average 24 mpg - how does that compare? In Malta driving is almost all urban - short distances and constantly changing gears.
I don't feel safe turning corners at speeds of say 40 mph.
Mine is a 1993 model but it has only been with me since Sept 99.
Regards, Jeremy Gambin.
I have owned my 95, 2.8 TDi Estate Frontera for 3 months and have found it to be the worst car I have ever driven. With problems like poor starting, extremely poor steering, noisy engine when cold, smoking, all of which the diesel specialist dealer told me were normal for these cars.
The car was bought for towing, for which I find it underpowered. It has only covered 44k but drives like 90k. This car has constantly been back at the dealers for repairs, only to be taken back due to poor quality service. I need a 4x4 for towing, but I will not get another Frontera.
Regards.......
Phil.
I have just recently purchased a 5dr Frontera estate and very fortunately for me it has the Isuzu Trooper 2.8TD engine fitted. Annoyingly this does render some of the dials obsolete like the rev counter and oil pressure.
The good points here are that I now have a car that I find for such a large 4x4 handles well on the road, and has a very reliable and recommended engine and because of the change I got it cheap.
You can feel the wheels moving around inside of the tyres when driving because they are such big fat things, but this does not make me feel uneasy in cornering, my previous car was a Punto and I still corner at the same speeds in the Frontera.
I wanted a car that drove like a car, but would pull a trailer with both my horses in through a muddy field and still be economical. The Frontera drives like my Punto (bit harder to park and atrocious turning circle aside) will pull through a field and does around 30mpg.
Loving it - absolute bargain.
| Year of manufacture | 1993 |
| Engine and transmission | 2.0 petrol |
| Performance marks | 7 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 8 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 4 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 8 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 5 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) |
6.4 / 10
|
Faults:
Oil leaks : Rear drive shaft (both ends), Rear Diff and Sump gasket - All repaired under warranty. The car has covered 53000 miles reliably.
General Comments:
Fun Fun Fun. Don't believe Jeremy Clarkson. It's cheap to buy and run (for a 4x4) and handles better that the Range Rover and Discovery on the road (both cost considerably more). They do suffer from wind noise more than normal cars, but with the aerodymanics of a brick, this should be expected. The ride can get 'bouncy' over rough roads so if you want a smooth drive buy a Lexus or something.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 19th October, 1997