The refreshed Opel Grandland has recently been brought to market here in South Africa, replacing the Grandland X.
It is Opel’s medium SUV in the segment, and has taken the place of the traditional family sedan which is now 13 percent of our passenger car market. Thus it is important to this much-loved brand out of Germany, and to buyers. The Grandland is perfect for a family of four or five. Think Opel Rekord, Ford Cortina and Volkswagen Passat – our traditional cars for a family on the road.
This “new” Grandland just looks the part, both outside and in. While built on the same PSA EMP2 architecture as the Peugeot 3008, it is very different, not only in looks but also in technology and feel.
The nose of the car is quite striking and very up-to-date in appearance. From the side it looks almost sporty, even bold, and the back is, let’s say, efficient. A good-looking car all round.
The cabin is top class. The seats are really comfortable and highly adjustable, the driving position near perfect, and everything is to hand. The materials complement one other and appear to be high quality. The fit and finish are excellent. There are two displays in the fully-digital cockpit: a 12-inch digital instrument cluster in front of the driver, and either a seven or 10-inch infotainment touchscreen in the middle of the dash, depending on trim level.
There are loads of storage receptacles and spaces. The centre bin between the seats even houses a wireless inductive charging dock. The boot is pretty good, and offers 1 652l with the 60/40 rear seats folded flat, but the sill is a little high. This does not worry me though.
This medium SUV from Opel is the complete package. The set-up is really good; both engine/gearbox and suspension/steering are above par in my opinion.
I enjoyed driving it. The claimed combined fuel consumption figure is 7l/100km – that is about right –drops to five-ish on the open road.
Opel claims 0-to-100km/h in 9.5 seconds, and top speed of 200km/h. The familiar and reliable 1.6l turbo petrol engine delivers 121kW and 240Nm, through a six-speed automatic box which mates perfectly with the weight of the car. It is pleasant to drive.
So what does my wife think of the Opel Grandland?
“The chiselled lines of this car make it really pleasing and soft on the eye, and even driving behind it is a pleasure. It has tiny but really bright indicator and brake lights, set in a sexy curved line. The cabin layout is elegant and roomy – the steering wheel is almost a work of art. Full marks and well done to Opel! I grew up with Opel and through all the years think it has been, and is, value for money, with a great engine and good finishes.”
There you have it, pretty as a peach.
As a family car, the Opel Grandland ticks almost all the boxes and is well worth a test drive. I think the middle trim, GS Line, probably hits the sweet spot. It has the Park & Go pack, adaptive LED headlights, heated seats and steering and Alcantara seat trim. The Ultimate adds three inches to the infotainment screen, wireless phone charger and keyless entry and start, to name a few extras. I think the GS Line has the essential items that already make it special.
The basic model retails at R599 900, the GS Line at R679 900 and the Ultimate at R720 900.
The Grandland has a five year or 100 000km warranty and service plan.
The competition includes its sister, the Peugeot 3008 (which I loved when I reviewed it), Nissan X-Trail, Mazda CX-5, Toyota RAV4, Volkswagen Tiguan, Cherry Tiggo 8 Pro, Haval H6, BMW X1 and the Koreans.
