How Great Value, High-Tech Opel Grandland Stacks Up

Grandland strengthens Opel’s lineup with a compelling family option with a blend of sophistication and value.

Dodge cousin Opel’s new Grandland takes the badge into a fresh realm in the many markets where it is sold in Australia, South Africa, Arab East India and Europe. Said to offer an impressive list of specifications and a budget-friendly price tag. It must still however fight it out in a hugely competitive and price sensitive market. Let’s take a look how it fits in.

The now far posher, better-specced and contemporary equipped Grandland arrives at a time when Chinese carmakers attempt to dominate the headlines with such cutthroat, cut-price offerings in those markets. It signals a most strategic and determined move on Opel’s part to reclaim its rightful place on the sales liss.

Made in Germany, Grandland s an Opel. If you live in South Africa, for instance, your grandfather probably drove an Opel. Dad may even have had fisticuffs in the grandstands when the Opels beat the BMWs at Kyalami in the ‘80s. Yes, Opel is steeped deep in history. Far more than some pointless acronym or detergent bottle name cobbled together in a faraway Oriental sweat shop.

Opel. Made in Germany With a Huge Pedigree

Did you know, for instance, when General Motors fled South Africa on sanctions in the late ‘80s, Opel teamed up with a local consortium to keep on selling its cars through the Delta Motor Corporation? Yip, Opel brand is so firmly entrenched in countries like South Africa. Not sure if we can quite say the same for these Johnny-Chan Come Latelys?

Getting back to Grandland, this slick newcomer is further testament to Stellantis brand Opel’s commitment to deliver value without compromising on quality. Featuring a modern, stylish design harking to its recent Opel Experimental Concept, the SUV gets a powerful 179 HP 177 lb.-ft turbocharged 1.6-litre engine.

It promises a smooth yet efficient driving experience. The seamless eight-speed automatic is ideal for both city driving and longer treks. And it delivered most handsomely in the Auto Test, as you can read below. In fact, its’ as quick and as driveable as anything in its class and better than most. That said, its noisy and fuel range could be better too.

Bigger, Better Grandland is Beautifully Put Together

Stepping aboard, far more spacious at 6.7 inches longer than before, Grandland rises up several notches from the old car’s drab, boring cabin. Now a high-tech space quipped with a most impressive heads-up display, splendid-looking 10-inch CarPlay and Auto touchscreen infotainment and driver’s dials along with premium sound.

To be honest, the new Grandland is beautifully enough rendered that if you were to tape up the steering boss badge, you’d swear that you were sitting in something far further upmarket. Innovative Greenovation fabric Intelli-Seats and 35 litres of flexible interior storage including an opaque pixel box contribute to a chrome-free modern space.

Some felt that there’s too much happening on those screens. That there are too many digital windows overlapping each other, and it’s just a mess. Others found that quite sophisticated and while it took a little while to get the mind around it, the logic all fell into place after a couple of days. Crucially this Opel also retains the vital knobs and switches. And its English display represents, well, in English.

Excellent Grandland Tech Has its Hiccups

Advanced safety includes Intelli-Lux Pixel HD lighting with over 50,000 individual elements. Never mind the rest of a pretty neat light sow, inside and out. There’s also a 360-degree camera, adaptive cruise control and lane assist. Speaking of which, we were frustrated by the lane device resetting to interfere every time we turned the car off. And it that takes too may clicks and swipes to turn back off again.

The new Grandland’s greatest asset is however how it incorporates cutting-edge tech and luxury at a quite reasonable price point, while still carrying that leading Opel pedigree you may expect to come at a bit more of a premium in South Africa. It’s a most attractive package but still has some work to do in a super competitive niche.

At the equivalent of $45,000 in overseas markets like South Africa and Australia, this Grandland GS stacks up against some rather compelling competition in this market. Like its traditional German home rival Volkswagen’s also all-new $44,000 Tiguan TSI R-Line. Then there the Japanese. The ageing yet still exceptional $40,000 Mazda CX-5 Black, the $42,500 front drive Toyota RAV4 and Nissan’s $43K X-Trail 2.5 Accenta.

Grandland fights in a Tough Market Space

The Koreans also compete in this niche. Kia’s $47,500 Sportage 1.6T GT and the $48K Hyundai Tucson N-Line. The real challenge comes from China. The Chery Tiggo 8 sells for $30,000, although the $43,000 Pro model is probably the better match to this Opel. There’s also the $35K Haval H6 2.0T Ultra and the $39,000 Jaecoo J7.

And then outliers. The Indian $36K Mahindra XUV 700 Black Edition and the $42K Made in China Ford Territory Black. All in all, however, the supremely specified, quick and frugal Opel Grandland may sit towards the top of the price pecking order, but then it’s an Opel. And those kudos certainly carry just about that premium.

Which also challenges the notion that premium experiences come at a premium costs. To allow this Opel to stand out against burgeoning competition in those countries from Germany, Japan, China or wherever it hails from.

So Grandland not only strengthens Opel’s lineup with a compelling new family option, but it also invites prospective owners to explore a blend of sophistication and economy as it raises the bar to what traditional carmakers can achieve in today’s most competitive motoring landscape.

So no, the Chinese, or anyone else for that matter, certainly don’t, nor likely will ever have it all their own way. — Michele Lupini

ROAD TESTED: Opel Grandland 1.6T GS Line
Engine: 179 HP 177 lb.-ft 1.6-litre turbo petrol I4
Drive: 8-speed automatic FWD
TESTED:
0-40 mph:   3.95 sec
0-60 mph:   8.51 sec
0-80 mph:   11.45 sec
0-100 mph:  20.10 sec
¼-mile:     16.0sec @ 90 mph
50-75 mph:  5.51 sec
75-100 mph: 8.65 sec
CLAIMED:
VMax:       124 mph
Fuel:       34 mpg
Range:      500 miles

Photos: Giordano Lupini

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Michele Lupini

Once a handy engine and chassis tuner, and a combative racer and rally driver, Michele took up the pen to express his passion for cars, racing and motoring over 30 years ago. He published South Africa’s go-to enthusiast motor magazines Cars in Action and Bakkie — some say against all odds — for a quarter century. In that time, Michele had a hand in nurturing many of South Africa's motoring media leaders. Today Michele keeps himself busy with his a range of international motoring media duties alongside his own theauto.page. And a little racing on the side.