'I drove the new Vauxhall Frontera - the performance is verging on exciting'

In December of 1999 I'd travelled north in a Frontera to see in 2000 with my family on the Isle of Lewis.

In Stornoway the weather on the 31st was dreich beyond reason and the night was short because the pubs closed at 10.30 so the staff could be home to “hear the bells”.

At midnight we were back on the harbour to glimpse fireworks in the icy blast. The roof tiles were being ripped off our cottage on Loch Seaforth.

A few days later we escaped on the Clansman ferry and drove through the snowy night to Yorkshire. I’ve never been back.

The Frontera, built on an Isuzu platform in Luton, had been the best-selling 4x4 in Europe carrying the Opel badge. The three-door was £16,995. Our five-door Frontera with a torquey 2.2 diesel was £20,370. It was rear wheel drive, with all-wheel-drive and low ratio gear settings. It averaged 33mpg and it “handled the trip admirably. The Frontera's problem is not its ability but its image.” Its rivals included the Jeep Cherokee and the Land Rover Discovery.

Vauxhall is now part of the Stellantis group. The new Frontera is built in Slovakia and replaces the Crossland, fitting between the Mokka and Grandland. It has SUV styling but is front-drive, much lighter and 10 inches shorter than its 1990s namesake and with half its towing limit.

Specifications are Design, GS and Ultimate. Prices open at £22,495 for the fully electric Design, which makes it almost £1,000 cheaper than the equivalent petrol model.

It has a 44 kWh battery and a predicted range of 186 miles. The 54 kWh Design is £25,995 with a 253 mile range.

Both have a 113ps power rating and can be topped up from 20 per cent to 80 per cent in 26 minutes on a fast charger.

All the electric models are eligible for the £1,500 electric car grant. Petrol engines are the 1.2 three cylinder hybrid automatic with 110ps or 145ps available in all three trims, taking the top price to £29,565 for the Ultimate.

A seven seat layout for the GS and Ultimate hybrids adds £550.

Key points from Vauxhall: a SUV for all: rugged looks, clever packaging and affordability, the seven-seat option, a 240 kg roof load capacity, electric model pricing, smart LED lights with high beam assist.

My perfect plan would be to replicate the 1999/2000 trip but all my Scottish family of Macmillans and McIvers are gone to their island graves or the mainland.

Which meant a trip south instead, to St Albans then back to Blackpool to catch the last of the famous street illuminations then to Bradford’s Cartwright Hall to see the Turner art prize exhibition finalists.

Wrong winner, but what do I know? It is free and closes on February 22.

Today’s Frontera is not a farm and country all-terrain workhorse. It is another take on the crossover/suv style which has hooked us this century.

Ideally, to prove the gap between old and new I’d have tested the electric model but with long distances to drive and my impatience with commercial charging times and prices and availability I requested petrol power.

The GS sits in the middle ground on specification, with the 145ps engine costing £28,765 plus £650 for the blue paint under the black roof. It has navigation, rear camera, front and rear visual sensors, climate control, 17 inch alloys, skid plates and lots of passive and active safety help.

The chunky body style and wheel arch protectors and slightly higher ride height hit the target buyer. Inside, the comfortably ergonomic seats have a triple mix of fabrics, with the grey marl repeated on the door arm rests and fascia.

The screens are backed up by real switches for heating control on the fascia and the lovely little steering wheel, plus a sonorous vocal assistant to help with most commands. Both front seats have height adjustment.

There are plenty places for your bits and pieces including a ledge with a non-slip surface across the dashboard.

There is a curious elastic strap which I never found a need for on the console pier. Missing in the cold weeks: heated seats and steering wheel, which come on the Ultimate.

The boot is a good size, with a two-tier floor allowing hidden storage and a level fit when the seats are folded.

Performance is verging on exciting thanks to the strong torque. The car was brand new but the navigation mapping was woefully out of date.

The speed limit readings were at times too low or too high. These things can be a risky distraction to a driver.

In many ways I enjoyed this new Frontera. The pricing is right, it looks right too but I was dismayed by the ride refinement on typical roads.

It coped badly over lateral ridges and the firm ride and road noise via the Bridgestones was intrusive.

Vauxhall Frontera GS 145ps: £29,415 as tested; petrol 1.2 hybrid 3-cylinder turbo engine; 143 bhp; torque: 169 lb ft; six automatic gears; top speed 118 mph; 0-62mph 9 seconds; economy 54 mpg (45 mpg in testing); tank 9.7 gallons (44 litres); CO 2 emissions119 g/km; length 173 inches (4.3 m); braked towing limit around 1250 kg; More: vauxhall.co.uk