The striking Grandland’s cocooning cabin has a comforting ambiance at night with superb headlights that do not blind oncoming traffic whilst retaining perfect night vision.
By Rubin van Niekerk
Indulge in the welcoming seats with pleasant body-hugging lumbar support. Like most people I enjoy the quality fragrance of certain cars that hints at attention to detail. Most older luxury cars retain that unique smell of loving care. Time will tell whether the Opel retains some of that pleasant aroma that is an aspect more associated more with cars in a higher cost bracket. The responsive engine’s lively personality is remarkable for a car tipping the scales at 1896kg. Having maximum torque at only 2000rpm must play a large role in the willing power delivery.
The 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol engine produces 134kW and 240Nm of torque at 2000rpm which offers instant responsiveness via a slick six-speed automatic transmission. Practical proportions make parking as easy as loading luggage into a 550-litre boot that increases to 1645 litres for bigger loads.
Enjoy the soft-touch surfaces, twin screens, and an intuitive interface. Being a tall driver, I appreciated a heads-up display that works well and lumbar supported front seats, with cooling, massage function making long drives thoroughly enjoyable. Technology abounds with a large digital instrument cluster paired with the large touchscreen, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, dual-zone climate control, and a powered tailgate. As expected, the driving aids ticks all the boxes that makes the Opel Grandland a very safe SUV, that is equally at home on freeways and tight driveways.
Driving is relaxing and matches pricier rivals especially on bad surfaces where there is always a trade-off between a softer more compliant suspension versus a more performance focussed suspension. I have driven most of its competitors and think Opel achieved the perfect balance. Deliberately seeking many challenging routes, the Opel passed the comfort and supportive seats test, cum laude. The routes chosen were in desperate need of maintenance and included urban routes and potholed twisty country roads.
Fuel efficiency was acceptable at 9.6l/100km, which is good for such a sprightly SUV of generous dimensions with little exposure to freeway driving which would have lowered the fuel consumption figures. I hope you have been convinced to have a closer look at this charmer. It is a serious contender in this segment at R789 900 with an abundance of top end features, including, a five-year/100 000km warranty, a five-year/90 000km service plan and a 12-year anti-corrosion warranty. The Opel Grandland has evolved impressively in all aspects, and well-built which Opel is renowned for. The Grandland has a full house of features, a tech-filled and a luxurious interior, with space, comfort, safety, distinctiveness and German attention to detail.
cum laude
