Familiar stranger: testing the new Opel Grandland

It is great when a car has many advantages. And it is better when it has almost no flaws.

After all, as shown in practice, the advantages are pleasing for a limited time, but the disadvantages can irritate forever.

The new Opel Grandland is a prime example of a model where nothing is boring. At least if you clearly understand what you want.

But really, what do we want from an urban crossover? To look stylish and be able to hit the curb when needed. To be spacious, comfortable and safe, I ate a little and went fast. True, the latter requires a compromise, because you cannot do physics. But I want this compromise to be just one. And after a few days of testing the Opel Grandland, it seems it is. So choose your own crossover without compromise from the online warehouse of the Opel brand.

The crossover looks unconditionally stylish thanks to the signature Visor style. It’s a new brand identity, and it’s bolder and more meaningful than Opel’s previous faces. Not only does the visor seamlessly integrate the headlights and LED daytime running lights into a single group. The Visor replaced the standard radiator grille with stylish glossy panels and formed a fast-moving corporate identity. Cool solution: engine cooling does not suffer from such a replacement, but aerodynamics improves. This probably also contributed to the very low fuel consumption that the new Opel Grandland achieved in our test.

But about his appetite later, for now we continue to look at the new Grandland and marvel at the transformation of an ordinary family crossover, which has been on our market for several years, into a very bright car. In my opinion, this is a good reason to pay attention to this model. Moreover, the new Opel Grandland really looks different – also thanks to the new shape of the bumpers.

But they don’t just create the impression of a magical change. The next design element to note is… the wheel arches and sills! It seems like a small thing, but not this time.

Usually, such overlays are made of unpainted matte plastic. Yes, it is cheap and the scratches are not very noticeable on it. But Opel designers rightly reasoned that for an urban crossover that may never venture into the bush, visual appeal is more important. That’s why they used gloss, or Glossy Black, for the higher equipment level of the Opel Grandland.

The appearance has changed significantly, while the protection of the wheel arches from small stones and salt in the winter, and the protection of the sills from dirt has not been reduced in any way. On the contrary, it acquired some new emotional dimensions: you look at the Opel Grandland and understand that protection can also be elegant! And it goes very well with the crossover’s side mirrors, which are painted black in any configuration.

Considering so much black gloss, you can’t help but add a roof of the same color to the overall picture – and Opel seems to be reading your thoughts. Two-tone paint is actually available on more advanced trim levels than the entry one. In our case, the body, painted in a bright blue pearl color, is very suitable for the shiny black pillars and the same roof. The latter also appear to be floating in the air – a very interesting visual effect.

Since the black gloss on the new Opel Grandland has become one of the main elements of the exterior design, gently emphasizing the prestige of the higher trim levels, one should expect the same approach to the interior trim.

Actually, that’s true. The interior of the test crossover in the top-end GS Pack configuration is mostly black, but it’s not that sad! On the contrary, the black color perfectly harmonizes with the design and layout of the cabin, creating a sense of sophistication in these seemingly simple shapes and lines. The silver and carbon-look plastic inserts give a certain emotional color, adding an expressive sporty touch to the interior. And pleasant little things like a central console trimmed in leather further emphasize the status of the model: this is Opel’s largest and most respectable crossover. The dimensions, by the way, are suitable: length is 4477 mm, height is 1609 mm, width is 1906 mm without mirrors, and the wheelbase is 2675 mm.

With performance like this, you’d expect a spacious interior, and it is. But it’s not the first thing you notice when opening the driver’s door. Inside, the eye is immediately drawn to the brilliance of the “black mirrors” of the dashboard and central display, created according to the brand’s signature PurePanel concept. The GS and GS Pack trims are king-size, with a 12-inch digital instrument cluster and a 10-inch display. Both of these are available as an option on SE equipment, but on the base GL the size of the instrument panel and central display will be the same: 7 inches. Note that the slightly smaller size does not affect in any way the most important functions: multimedia, even with a 7-inch screen, will offer Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

It seems that there is no need to talk about the wonderful anatomical AGR front seats (a real treat for the back!), as they have long been an Opel signature feature. But some important nuances should still be noted. First, Opel’s flagship crossover shows exceptional generosity: AGR seats with cushion length adjustment, heating and electrically adjustable lumbar support are available here in all trim levels except the base one. But only those who opt for the top-end GS Pack equipment will also receive the ventilation of these seats, and in addition to this, the electrically adjustable driver’s seat in eight directions and… heated rear seats! A great way to take care of yourself and the rear passengers at the same time.

By the way, about convenience. Agree, it’s great when you can take everything you need on the road – the trunk volume of 514 liters contributes to this, and an opening for very long things behind the rear seats will help you put in this crossover anything does not fit in its large trunk.

We mentioned above that the new Opel Grandland is very generous in terms of AGR seats. But this does not only apply to the seats! In the starting GL configuration there will already be Eco LED headlights with integrated daytime running lights, light and rain sensors, front and rear parking sensors, dual-zone climate control and a significant range of safety systems and driver assistants, including tire pressure monitoring, traffic sign recognition, driver fatigue and a collision warning system and emergency braking in the urban cycle. The subsequent SE trim also adds a blind spot monitoring system and a 180-degree rearview camera. And above there is an all-round visibility system, adaptive cruise control with Stop&Go function and leather seat trim.

But the main thing, in our opinion, is the achievement of the highest level of equipment – the Intellilux LED Pixel matrix LED headlight, which provides incredibly bright headlights that also adapt to traffic conditions, cutting off the oncoming traffic so as not to blind drivers. The headlights have a total of 168 segments, three high beam modes and seven low beam modes, the choice between which is carried out automatically.

The power offer of the 2023 Opel Grandland offers a choice of two engines: a 1.6 liter PureTech petrol (165 hp) and the well-known 1.5 liter BHDi diesel (130 hp) – the test crossover was equipped with just that. Its downside can only be considered moderate dynamics – 11.5 seconds to hundreds, while gasoline shows a more playful character – 9.5 seconds. But then the positives begin. First, the diesel engine is equipped with an 8-speed automatic transmission, while the petrol engine is equipped with a 6-speed automatic transmission. Second, the BHDi 1.5 liter exhibits extreme efficiency. Why emergency? We have already encountered this engine in several other Opel, Peugeot and Citroen models, and it consumed 6-7 l/100 km in the city. Actually, we expected the same level from the Opel Grandland, but it exceeded expectations: without straining, you can achieve 4.5-5.5 l/100 km in the city. Once, on a very long metropolitan highway without traffic lights, we set the cruise to 70 km/h – and brought 3 l/100 km! There is photographic evidence, see the photo of the instrument panel. And if you want to see for yourself, go for a test drive at Opel dealerships.

In the list of advantages of this crossover, one cannot help but remember its suspension, which once again reminds of the greatness of the German school of engineering. And how do they manage to provide both great comfort and great handling?! Opel Grandland reliably holds a straight line at high speed and shows compliance in corners, ignoring most of the asphalt problems. We even intentionally drove the asphalt and “jumped” a little on hilly paths, but we didn’t feel any hint of suspension wear.

Does this crossover have any disadvantages? To some extent, the small resolution of the all-round camera can be considered as such. But it is enough to navigate the space without any problems; except that the small details of the environment remain, as they say, behind the scenes. And in general we are pleased with the way the dashboard and display provide information to the driver: the proprietary ideology of “digital detox” allows you to focus only on the most important things. One of the few dashboard options you can choose between leaves it with just a speedometer. Need any more information? You can choose a different type of panel at any time, and you don’t even have to go to the on-board menu to do it – everything can be done with a switch on the left steering column.

It’s time to move on to the conclusions, and they will be like this: The Opel Grandland is a clear example of a surprisingly neat car. It has a well-tuned suspension, economical and dynamic engines, good equipment, it knows how to satisfy the driver’s back and eyes and provide a comfortable environment for passengers. There is another advantage, important, but temporary: right now the Opel Grandland is offered at a discount of up to 40 thousand UAH – the special offer is valid for cars from a warehouse in Ukraine. Visit the official website of Opel in Ukraine and choose your Grandland, because it’s worth it!

ONLINE WAREHOUSE TEST DRIVE