the Bucket: Bucket Seat: Opel Grandland

At one point Opel South Africa was quite a prominent brand in the market, it's Corsa Lite not only developed cult status due to the popularity of their TV adverts but also being an affordable starter car for your new driver. Since then, sales declined and the models didn't appeal many, their choice to can the OPC badge locally didn't help their course either with many not giving them much notice. Then for a short period of time they disappeared altogether thanks to the GM fiasco. Truth be told, not many noticed this but their re-introduction to the market, like Citroen might be slow and steady but people are starting to notice them again, last year with the introduction of the new Corsa, boasting a new design language and updated interior, the launch of their latest Mokka small SUV really got peoples attention, with a stunning exterior and an interior similar to that of the Corsa, boasting good quality materials and an attractive price point, it certainly started getting the Open name to make waves in the market again. I recently got to spend time with their latest offering, the Grandland, weird name I know, and another model that flew under the radar in its previous generation, purely because it wasn't that exciting, the new one however follows the same bloodline as the Mokka and is much more eye catching, here I my thoughts on it.

DESIGN

As mentioned, Opel's new design language is a lot more edgy and modern which adds a different dynamic to what we're used to seeing on the roads. With Opel falling under the Stellantis umbrella, you bound to find similarities in their cars with the likes of Citroen, Peugeot and others but that is nothing new with the motoring world as many other manufacturers share platforms for cars. The Grandland shares the same chassis as the Peugeot 3008 but you wouldn't tell that by the exterior design as both are very different in body shape and details, while the 3008 has more flair, in true typical German fashion the Opel is more subdue but in saying that has its own unique character with straight edged lines and sleek silhouette. While subtle the car does stand out from the crowd in its own right. The solid grille in front has people mistaken it for an EV but its not, full matching colour body paint with not an overly amount of brushed aluminium and chrome elements give the Grandland some dimension to its stature. On the profile the the large 18=-inch diamond cut rims are the standard out visual aspect of it the car with the swooping roofline being the other. The rear of the car doesn't make it look like a typical crossover/ SUV has it follows a more hatch back style with the protruding boot followed by the rear lights that swoop around the side. The large Opel emblem is prominent in the back with the name badge spreader across the back. It's all very neat and pleasing to look at.

PERFORMANCE

Like the Peugoet 3008, the Grandland also comes powered with the 1.6L Turbo petrol motor mated with the 6-speed automatic gearbox. It's a pretty frugal engine for this size car with it producing 121kW with its technologically enhanced powertrain, it makes the driving dynamics of the car much more responsive. The car handles extremely well, in any condition, from urban cruising to highway driving, the sporty range of low-friction, high-efficiency turbo engine gives you a silky transition through the 6-gears while driving. Minimal turbo lag adds to the great driving feel to the car. There is a manual option should you get tired of the car doing all the work for you, with paddle shifts located on the steering wheel. There are driving modes to choose form as well to vary the engine performance, while the brochure claims an average fuel consumption of around 6L per 100km, I managed to get about 7.5L which isn't too bad considering I only had a week with it.

COMFORT

The Grandland's interior is very similar to the Mokka with the front being very driver focused, the dash like the exterior is minimalistic, as it features a pure panel display. It's very streamlined display for the instrument cluster that is fully digital and in my opinion a bit too simple. Opel say the reason for this is to simplify the data and serve as a digital detox While it displays all the relevant information I would have liked to have more options to view other stats on the display. The same goes for the 10-inch infotainment screen, its a large display but the black borders on either side that displays just the climate control temperatures, this could have been integrated into the main screen and then have the display large than what it is. The car comes with dual zone climate control air-conditioning with vents provided in the rear for the back seat occupants. The driver and front passenger have heated seats as standard, even a heated steering wheel for those frosty winter mornings. The front seats have been certified by the campaign for healthier backs (AGR), something that I didn't know existed. This assists by offering superior seating for extended journeys as they offer a more relaxed seating position, with a 16 way adjustable seat. There are tonnes of storage space with clever design for the phone storage with wireless charging, there is also mobile apps preloaded to the cars infotainment. There is a host of safety features on the Grandland such as automatic emergency breaking, advanced park assist, a 360 degree camera for easier parking, lane keep assist and lane departure warning but by far my favourite is the LED pixel lighting system which is a different concept from what everyone else is doing, the Grandland has 84 segments that adapt to traffic conditions by automatically switching off individual units to avoid blinding the oncoming cars. The Grandland has an automatic hands-free tailgate that works extremely well, I even found myself using this feature while my hands were free.

VERDICT

While Opel might not be the first brand that comes to mind when the consumer goes to the market when looking for a car, but I like what they're offering. It's something different to the norm and if you like being different, but practical then this sort of car will appeal to you.The build quality is great,choice of materials used is premium and robust which is perfect for the typical usage for a car like this. The standard features rival most of the other European competitors which most offer as optional extras. This car, while different still serves its purpose and another great option for this ever growing segment, it brings about good competition and variety for the consumer.