1992 Vauxhall Frontera Sport 2.0 petrol
Faults:
Noisy wheel bearing, leaky steering box, a leaky rear brake slave cylinder and the clutch release bearing; all replaced without quibble under Network Q warranty. Cambelt failed twice, fortunately it didn't harm the engine.
Alternator failed due to ingress of water and mud in serious off-road wading; I guess I take the blame for that.
General Comments:
I like it a lot. It's vastly underrated by the mainstream motoring press (their reviewers only care about car-like road manners, which is missing the point.)
It's perfectly adequate on the road, and very nimble off-road. It's a fine compromise in cost, size, comfort, utility and ability between the "street only" trucks like the RAV4 and the uncompromising off-road vehicles like the Defender.
I guess I go off-road more than 98% of owners. Nothing's fallen off yet. The chassis and running gear are off a pickup truck, so they are very tough. The trade-off is less on-road refinement than you get from a monocoque vehicle like the RAV4.
The real downside is the dealers. I've used two and they've been bad, verging on incompetent, at maintaining the vehicle. Most of the trouble I've had has been due to this, not the vehicle itself.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 8th December, 1997
4th Oct 2005, 17:02
Original author adding a final comment. I sold it a couple of days ago at 13 years old, 10 years in my ownership. Loved it. No major mechanical problems. Finally decided to sell when it failed an MoT and needed a bit of welding and stuff (pretty minor for a 13 year old vehicle, especially one that has been off-roaded pretty hard). Original engine - never taken apart. Original gearbox - never apart. Original axles, props, CVs/UJs... you get the idea. Yes it broke down a few times and it had a series of small parts over its lifetime, but that's nothing compared with the expensive engine and gearbox failures that seem to be commonplace on certain other makes.
My last long trip with it averaged 28mpg just like my first. Don't believe the bar-room experts and brand-obsessed journalists - it is a good 4x4.
22nd Aug 2001, 03:44
Following up to my own review... 4 years later and still enjoying it. Just sailed through yet another MoT test with no work needed.
It had yet another cambelt failure about a year ago - but the old 2.0 is a "safe" engine so no real harm done. That, and a couple of wheel bearings, is about all.
It's now almost 10 years old and only a few tiny spots of rust. Paint still looks great despite my best efforts to scrape it off on the undergrowth of green lanes.