Regrettably, all my fears were allayed as one came across the workshop at the garage-hive of activity-as customers brought in their cars for check-up, et al.
I must point out my concern with the compact Grandland X was its Break Assist as we hit the hill along the Montecasino that meant, I had to tread very carefully and monitor my acceleration. Is it because it’s an SUV your guess is just good as mine…
It is relatively big but not that fast and has four elements to enable seating comfort: Four-Way Lumbar Support, Cushion Tilt adjustment, Cushion Length adjustment, and Contour and Body Support. Aha…
However, it comes with good news though for ardent SUV aficionados like yours truly- cos’ it comes with loads of features, such as angular looking Matrix LED headlights with integrated daytime running LEDs, a good helping of chrome detailing, smart looking 18-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels, floating effect roof and deep lower intake.
The interior -leather seats, for starters is a plus. While the design mirrors that of the Astra with the same switchgear, instrument cluster, and uncluttered dashboard housing the eight-inch Intellilink touchscreen infotainment system, the tactile feel was less impressive with the soft-touch materials on most surfaces making way for hard, cheap plastics on the sides of the transmission tunnel and most prominently, behind the window switches on the doors.
A story in itself is that infotainment system, which despite looking like the unit used in the Astra, is not as user-friendly and lacks a Menu section, meaning that most of its functions have to be manipulated by the buttons underneath the screen.
Familiarisation will, of course, solve this, but it is still not the slickest system despite featuring satellite navigation, Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
The Grandland X comes at the length of just under 4.5-metres, meaning enough space for leg room for young-ones- if you’re a family man. It also claims boot capacity of 514-litres and rear seat folded forward to release an additional 1 138-litres of packing space.
Another striking feature is the panoramic glass that caused attention to bystanders and loafers. Ahem… Other features included dual USB ports, heated and ventilated front seats, a kick-motion activated tailgate, a heated steering wheel, Blind Spot Monitor, Lane Departure Warning, a 360-degree camera system, Hill Start Assist, front and rear parking sensors, a reverse camera, Auto High Beam Assist and Park Assist.
Racing at 121kW/240Nm 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol, the Grandland X is fitted with a six-speed automatic gearbox.
With General Motors having pulled out of SA, people forget that Opel is very much alive and well in South Africa.
And with that, Unitrans the new distributor – and Opel have invested nearly R1 billion in parts, warranty and service plans for its customers, as well as their dealer network.
There are currently 35 fully operational Opel dealerships, with more expected to open over the next 5 years as the brand attempts to regain its traction locally.
So, there you have the Opel Grandland X and its sister variations are here to stay, finish & klaar!
Prices include a 5-year/120 000km warranty and 5-year/90 000km service plan, with 15 000km service intervals.
Price range:
| Opel Grandland X 1.6T auto | 121kW/240Nm | R429 000 |
| Opel Grandland X 1.6T Enjoy auto | 121kW/240Nm | R465 000 |
| Opel Grandland X 1.6T Cosmo auto | 121kW/240Nm | R565 000 |
Verdict:
Performance 1-10 (3)
Fuel 1-10 (4)
