It's easy to get confused about the Frontera. Some of the documentation in the test car said that production will be transferred in mid-2001 from Luton to Ellesmere Port, but, of course, that's been overtaken by facts. It's the Frontera which will be staying at Luton until 2004 or so, while the next-generation Vectra, under the new factory plan, goes to Merseyside.Isuzu-based, and in this version fitted with a 3.2-litre GM petrol engine which certainly boosts performance, the short-wheelbase three-door Sport looks cramped when compared with the five-door LWB Estate which out-sells it by about two to one, but it isn't really. There's plenty of rear passenger space, with generous headroom even though the rear seats are high-set, and what you lose out on, mostly, is room for luggage and other gear. The load area is wide but not all that deep, fore and aft, although it's better than in several other mid-range 4x4s. There are tie-down hooks, but no security cover.The snag is that, in the three-door, vision to the side is obscured for rear seat passengers by the very wide and angled B-pillar. Like the Freelander, this version of the Frontera is bodied almost like a pick-up with an afterthought rear roof. Yet even the shorter Sport has enough length to accommodate front and rear sunroofs.Taking all its dimensions into account, the Frontera is bigger than a first glance suggests, with a longer wheelbase than most of the medium-sized 4x4s, and a wide track which allows for quite sure-footed progress on windy motorways.Last year's "freshening up" made a big difference to the interior, and the V6 Sport, especially with the optional leather trim, looks very smart. It's well fitted-out, too, with details like proper side steps, and a sturdy roll bar over the back seats. Six-spoke 16" alloy wheels are standard.There's a transfer box, and suspension designed for rough roads and rocky tracks, but the Frontera has never been an ultimate all-terrain machine. It doesn't have top-level off-road equipment, and I don't think many buyers are interested in that, anyway. What it does do well, and the V6 is designed to do even better, is tow - trailers, boats, gliders, caravans, horse-boxes or whatever.The 24-valve V6 engine, with its variable intake manifold, produces just over 200bhp and also comes up with 214 lb/ft of torque at 3000rpm. That doesn't match the 2.2-litre turbo diesel for right-at-the-bottom pulling power, but it makes the manual-transmission Sport RS the quickest of all the Fronteras, and a lively machine generally. It's also an effortless motorway cruiser. Mechanical noise levels are low, and the cabin is a lot quieter than in earlier versions, but there's still plenty of wind noise at high cruising speeds.Various styling touches, and especially the extra flare on the front wings, improve the looks of the RS. There are some attractive colours in the present catalogue, although I'd prefer to have the cover for the tailgate-mounted spare wheel in the soft vinyl that's also available, rather than the body-coloured metallic type fitted to the test car. What is it about body-coloured wheel covers that makes a car look rather . . . well, medallion man?The Frontera has been around for a while now, and it isn't always regarded too highly. But it keeps being updated just in time, and this latest top-of-the-range three-door version is attractive, roomy, practical and quite a performer. While the cost looks high when you compare the Sport RS with other models on the Frontera list, a look around the rest of the 4x4 market makes you realise that some other manufacturers' prices are just plain crazy. Engine 3199cc, 6 cylinders Power 201bhp Fuel/CO2 21.4mpg / 312g/km Acceleration 0-60mph: 9.6 seconds Top speed 114mph Price £18,995 Details correct at publication date
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