Independent tests. Opel Grandland GSe: muscular yes, sporty no

In the world of cars, the combination of types and grades of connecting time zones has not surprised anyone for a long time. Joining its younger sisters Astra and Astra Tourer plug-in hybrids under the GSe label, the Grandland is committed to modern, clean and controllable technology, inspired by the past. A kind of revival of the SE from the era of real sports, too bad if the “e” now means “electric” and not “einsprinzung”, the original muscle injection was replaced in France by the “i” of GSI. ..

At first glance, in its elegant white and black clothing, the German SUV in a tuxedo gives us more of an orange, green or purple color than the current one. Clean, balanced, beautiful with its elegantly decorated rims, and its Vizor grille inherited from the GT-X Experimental concept car unveiled in 2018, on the sidelines of the Paris Motor Show, the Grandland comes transformed without an aesthetic revolution. A good game.

Weight (too) heavy

The good looks continue on board with a perfectly designed driving position and, of course, the “Pure Panel” cockpit made up of a digital instrument cluster (12”) and extended by a touchscreen infotainment panel (10 ”) directed at the pilot. The atmosphere remains German, understand without flower crowns or sequins, but there, again, quality is important despite a lot of hard plastic. A small tour “in” the trunk shows that it has lost a little desire (it goes from 514 to 390 liters with the hybrid) but it remains of the right level. The tank, on the other hand, is cramped and restricts the freedom needed for a family car of this type.

Revised steering, chassis and suspension (Koni controlled) have been treated to emphasize the sporty side. The performance is there, the overall performance too, but we are still penalized by the weight (consumption also once the battery is removed and the marks raised around 9 liters without exaggerating them) especially with the chainrings. It goes well at high speeds, but the understeer prevents you from making the most of the tempting 300 horsepower driving this (too) heavy unit (we’re not far from two tons…)

“We go faster than the music”

Level 2 autonomous driving, pedestrian detection, hands-free access, blind spot monitoring, power liftgate, heated seats, front and rear LED lights, front and rear parking sensors, Reversing camera, lovely two-tone paint, the German SUV version GSe wants to impress but its generosity has limits. In order not to spend your night plugged into the household outlet, to speed up the movement a little, you have to accept a little trip to the shop of options and it is not cheap (€649 to be able to connect to the 7.4 kW stations. , €539 for the cable that allows you to go from 1.8 to 3.7 kW…)

Igor Dumas, the boss of the brand in France, confirms the evolution of Opel from the general to the top within the Stellantis galaxy, the best first quarter of 2023 (+18% on the market by +12%) and also the speed of the transition to. electricity. The offer will be valid for the entire range from next year. “We go faster than the music”… notes the manager. If you want to join the dance…