Grand... but that's about it

Published on 4 October, 2020

Good package: But the Opel Grandland X has a bumpy ride and offers only average economy

Overview

There was a very intense Opel hour a couple of weeks ago. It was 11am on a Tuesday and I was picking up the company's Grandland X to test. The model was the top-of-the-range Hybrid4, which has a plug-in battery giving 300bhp all-wheel drive, if needed, from combining a 1.6-litre petrol engine and two electric motors.

After a bit of joshing with James Brooks, the company's managing director, over these strange times and past fun gigs when he was heading up Kia, I threw my bike in the back with ease and turned on the ignition. I was immediately greeted with an ad for the actual car I was driving.

Wow, I thought. How do they do that? Before my little brain had to compute any longer, the dulcet tones of Claire Byrne came on and I realised that Opel was sponsoring her mid-morning radio show on RTÉ.

Hurrying home, I had just time to get settled in my study before tuning into the world premiere of a very stylish Opel Mokka on YouTube at noon.

The hour really frames Opel since being taken over by PSA; lots of new models, strong marketing and a refreshed leadership team. All much needed.

A few hours after seeing the launch of the Mokka I took the dogs out to Phoenix Park - and immediately the Grandland X looked a bit 'last generation' compared with the small SUV that will be coming in the new year. That feeling never left me; however, the family-sized car with its limited off-road ability has some very nice touches.

It displays an awful lot of technology, great spec and safety kit - but not a rear reversing camera for some reason - and is a fairly comfortable family SUV with an eight-speed automatic box.

It has incredible acceleration in electric mode (0-100km in under 6 seconds); however, it gets a bit rougher leaving that behind. Its suspension doesn't serve the 1.8-tonne beast well and the ride was very bumpy over any road imperfections.

Around town it drives confidently, but there's a fair bit of lean at speed on corners. So much so that I was told to slow down as the dogs weren't liking it. There are a number of different drive modes to be selected, from AWD to Electric, and you'll get about 36km from the electric battery.

That's fine for most people's daily driving, but you will need to continually plug in at home to a wall box - where a charge will take nearly four hours - to get the best value.

Using the regenerative braking system is a bit of an art, but will pay off. If you don't plug in, you will get a pretty average 50mpg.

As my colleague Martin Brennan highlights on the right, there are increasing reports showing that, unless you religiously plug in, there are major issues with PHEVs.

There isn't the same premium feel from the Grandland X as in its sister the Peugeot 3008, with which it shares many characteristics. There is also the issue of cost. The test car starts at €46,550 inclusive of grant and VRT rebate. However, the front-wheel drive 225bhp model is likely to be more popular and begins at €35,950 including grant and VRT rebate.

That's not bad but I think better is coming from Opel and the smaller Mokka has a far more stylish look. If you get a good deal on the Grandland X, it might be worth taking. But there is that PHEV caveat. It may not suit everyone.