Opel just flipped its own pricing hierarchy upside down: the Frontera family SUV is now cheaper than the Corsa hatchback. The new entry-level Start trim costs €21,990, down from €24,740 — a cut of €2,750, or nearly 11%. And here's the paradox: the roomier crossover now costs €1,350 less than a base Corsa with the same power output, which starts at €23,340 in Germany.
It's not just the stripped-down Start trim doing the work. The lineup gains a brand-new engine — a 1.2-litre three-cylinder turbo making 100 hp, paired with a plain 6-speed manual and no hybrid assistance at all. Opel officially calls it the 1.2 Direct Injection Turbo, not naturally aspirated — no confusion with earlier versions. WLTP consumption sits at 5.9–6.1 l/100 km.
Yes, Start is simpler than Edition, and Opel isn't hiding it. Instead of the 10-inch central touchscreen there's a bare smartphone holder, no rear-view camera, and 16-inch steel wheels. But calling it stripped-down would be a stretch: air conditioning, rear parking sensors, lane-keeping assist, a six-way adjustable driver's seat and the 10-inch digital instrument cluster all remain standard even at the base level.
There's a catch in the numbers, too. Opel advertises a €2,750 cut against the previous entry-level Frontera. Yet the current Frontera Edition, with the same 100-hp turbo engine, costs €23,490 — exactly €1,500 more than the new Start.
The timing isn't random. The German market is on the rise for Opel right now, with brand registrations up almost 39% in the first quarter of 2026. The company is effectively rewriting its own model logic — the roomier Frontera now undercuts the Corsa, and the new Start is already open for orders in Germany. Spanish pricing hasn't been announced yet.
