French-German Half-Blood. Testing the New Opel Grandland X Crossover

Grandland X arrived to lead Opel’s game in the SUV league. Following the Mokka X and Crossland X, this crossover looks like a true SUV against their background. Inside, it has plenty of space for passengers and luggage, and combined with front-wheel drive, it comes with noteworthy fuel efficiency. It’s safe to say that of all the current lineup of the company’s cars that carry the letter X in their names, Grandland X is the most attractive Opel. With a length of 4477 mm and a width of 1856 mm, it is about the same size as the core group of its best competitors in this well-mastered market segment.

And despite using the platform and engines from the Peugeot 3008/5008, which have also become the base for the Citroen C5 Aircross and DS 7 Crossback, its appearance shows almost no resemblance to the representatives of French brands. The body of the Grandland X features just the right amount of lines and creases to disguise its size. Additionally, visually making the car lower is helped by the sloping roofline. This trick works best in the case of a two-tone paint job, which implies a contrasting black roof. Complementing the stocky look of the Grandland X is a black plastic trim running across the bottoms of the bumpers, around the wheel arches and along the sills.

Another useful feature, which has become more common among cars in this segment, is that the doors extend well beyond the base of the side panels. This way, even after driving through mud, the door sills always stay clean and dry. Although the rear is less square-shaped than the 3008’s, the trunk managed to carve out 2 liters more space. As a result, it will fit a record 514 liters if the car is provided with a repair kit instead of a spare wheel, or 488 liters with the spare. With the exception of the trunk floor moving up to bumper level, the cabin does not offer such a variety in its transformation as in the Crossland X, but in absolute figures, with the rear seatbacks folded, it demonstrates the capacity of a class above.

The 1652-liter French German (1626 with a spare) is only slightly inferior to, for example, the 5-seat Hyundai Santa Fe with its 1680 liters and significantly surpasses the larger Mazda CX-5. Opel designers claim they had complete freedom to design the exterior and interior as they wanted at the stage when GM and PSA only started technical partnership. And everything should remain in the future. In any case, the models developed on a single platform for Peugeot, Citroen, and DS maintain their individuality, giving hope that this will not be the last Opel that looks in its own style. Of course, those familiar with PSA models will notice that some elements transitioned into the interior of Grandland X unchanged.

The engine start, power window, and mirror buttons, for example, are identical, as well as many of the warning symbols on the instrument panel. After all, the Grandland X is produced side by side with its cousins at the same plant in Sochaux, France. However, in general, most of the controls, the instrument panel, screens, and dials are unique and only echo other new Opel models. Thus, the center console is divided into three sections: the infotainment system from the upper trims is at the top, the climate control unit underneath, and the drive mode and function control panel at the bottom in front of the gear lever. The cabin’s ergonomics are generally well thought out, and the driver can easily see the road ahead and behind thanks to the good positioning of the mirrors but encounters a deficit of visibility through the rear window.

From the imaginable comfort options, only the seat massage from French models is missing (Opel uses its own super-ergonomic seats with AGR certification), but the rear ones are optionally heated. The dashboard is covered with the softest plastic that can be found among its kind, but overall the interior looks far from as futuristic as in the Peugeot 3008. But this traditionalism speaks in favor of practicality – the Grandland X feels less restrictive of the driver’s and front passenger’s movements. The rear seats do not limit the height of those sitting on them, and even the middle seat provides sufficient comfort for passengers, also thanks to the almost flat floor, so legroom here is not a compromise. Opel relies on a simple range of engines for the Grandland X and currently supplies only diesel cars with the latest 1.5-liter 4-cylinder engine delivering 130 hp to the Ukrainian market.

A choice of a 6-speed manual transmission or an 8-speed “automatic” is offered. The engine is tuned more towards efficiency than outstanding performance. It’s a torquey motor, but power enthusiasts should wait for Opel to launch a 180 hp more powerful diesel. Later, a hybrid version with rear-wheel electric drive and plug-in charging will be expected, as well as a small gasoline engine. Grandland X turned out to be very light, so the current motorization provides it with decent acceleration dynamics with modest appetite.

With the start-stop system, city driving costs 7.2 l/100 km, and highway driving requires 5.2 l. But it’s more important to focus on torque rather than power output. This is not an engine that needs to be worked hard to get the best out of everyday driving. It’s integrated under the hood of the Grandland X very skillfully and feels quiet, especially at cruising speeds. The automatic transmission from Aisin is impeccably tuned to its character, which very rarely requires manual shift mode usage as it quickly and accurately selects the necessary gear ratio and transfers power with minimal losses.

While moving, the Grandland X demonstrates ease of movement without unpleasant “cardboardiness” (accompanying some lightweight PSA models) and very good ride quality. Although when you dive into a corner, a noticeable roll appears. Compared to competitors like the VW Tiguan and SEAT Ateca, it doesn’t feel as polished in driving. But that doesn’t mean the Opel can’t quickly swap road curves. The Grandland X feels quite confident, even relying only on front-wheel drive.

Nevertheless, it is not too close to what we call sporty behavior. Such driving style, however, has a positive side: for example, the ability to absorb impacts from road bumps well and travel long distances relaxedly. In urban trips, the light steering doesn’t require much effort, and the AGR-certified seats have a beneficial effect on sensitive backs and allow for painless long trips. These seats cannot be ordered as an option because Opel offers fixed equipment levels. The initial Enjoy at a very competitive 621,400 UAH rolls on 17-inch alloy wheels and is equipped with a 2-zone climate control, heated steering wheel and front seats, multimedia system with a 7-inch screen and Apple CarPlay/Android Auto protocols, rear park-pilot, automatic wipers, lights and high beams, recognizes signs and lane markings with a camera and cruise control.

An 8-speed “automatic” will require an additional payment of 55,300 UAH, and for 87,800 UAH more, you can upgrade to Innovation, which includes an advanced traction control system Grip Control, blind spot monitoring, 18-inch wheels, AGR front seats and rear heating, keyless entry, power tailgate with “hands-free” function, windshield heating, front park-pilot and rearview camera, as well as adaptive LED headlights. Without an additional charge, the car comes in gray color, all other colors will cost from 5950 UAH, and a contrasting roof can cost 7080 UAH. A definite plus is that Opel is now under PSA, so auto parts are now no problem. In Conclusion If you are looking for a comfortable, attractive, but not flashy, yet modern crossover with decent space inside and well-made without parting with a fortune, then the Opel Grandland X should be on your shopping list. The lack of excitement from fast driving in it and the pronounced character is compensated by restraint in moving costs, elegant road behavior, and the ability to elastically respond to potholes and bumps under the wheels.

Oleg Vasilevsky Photos by the author