Grandland X is the new compact SUV from Opel

Focus on comfort and agility

Opel today unveiled its newest SUV, the Grandland X. It completes the crossover-SUV trio, joining Mokka X and Crossland X on a very competitive market.

Finally, Opel has an almost complete range of offerings for crossover and SUV lovers. Grandland X is the compact SUV many were waiting for, and, judging by the first pictures, it looks really good.

Opel Grandland X – main features

At 4.48 meter-long, the Grandland X borrows a lot from the current Opel design line and comes with nice touches like the optional two-color finish with a black roof, the oversized front grille, double-wing LED headlights, silver underguards with integrated tailpipes on the left and right and lots of chrome. It's also 1.84 meter-wide, 1.63 meter-high and has a 2.67 meter-long wheelbase, so it should offer enough space for up to 5 passengers.

The interior is up to Insignia's quality standards, so it has nice looking plastics and should offer a lot of comfort. The SUV-typical elevated seating position that eases ingress/egress and ensures good visibility, Opel says, and this is, by the way, one of the main selling points. Another feature is the 514-liter luggage compartment, that can be extended to a maximum of 1,652 liters of space.

AGR-certified ergonomic seats (Campaign for Healthier Backs), heated steering wheel, seat heating front and rear and the tailgate that opens with a simple foot movement should ensure top comfort, as we already seen in the new Insignia.

Opel Grandland X: safety and connectivity features

Opel chose to focus on safety as a way of differentiating itself from the competition, so you'll get some premium features like Adaptive Cruise Control with pedestrian detection and Automatic Emergency Braking, Driver Drowsiness Alert, Advanced Park Assist and the 360° Camera.

Grandland X also has bright driving light thanks to Adaptive Forward Lighting (AFL) LED headlamps. Functions such as cornering light, high beam assist, and auto leveling should offer optimal illumination of the road ahead.

Grandland X drivers and passengers enjoy top connectivity with the latest generation of IntelliLink systems and the personal connectivity and service assistant Opel OnStar, which now includes new services such as booking hotel rooms, through Booking.com and searching for parking, through Parkopedia. Smartphones can be charged wirelessly via inductive charging.

Grandland X: offroad capabilities

Opel doesn't say yet what ground clearance the new Grandland X has, but it does highlight the optional electronic Grip Control that, especially with M&S tires, they promise ensures enough traction in diverse driving situations. The driver has a choice of five driving modes. The system then adapts the torque distribution to the front wheels, allows wheel-spin if necessary, and with the automatic transmission adjusts shift points as well as throttle response. This ensures the best traction and stable handling regardless of whether the Grandland X is traveling on snow, mud, sand or wet surfaces.

We would like to have a proper 4×4 system on this vehicle, but we'll have to wait for more information about Grandland's drivetrain, as the car will be launched at the Frankfurt Auto Show in September 2017. Most likely it will be an option for the high-specced versions.