Steep price aside, Opel Grandland is a good buy for families

The 2025 Grandland marks a significant upgrade from its predecessor. The midsize SUV rides on the new STLA Medium platform from Stellantis, which allows for a noticeably larger body: around 173 mm longer, 64 mm wider, and 19 mm higher.
Visually, Opel has gone with its Bold & Pure styling language, including the new 3D Vizor grille, an illuminated Opel logo (front and rear), clean body surfaces, contrast cladding, floating two-tone roof, sharp wheel-arches, and 19-inch alloy wheels on the GS Line.
Inside, the cabin has been “detoxed” (Opel’s term) — fewer buttons, more clean surfaces, high-digital content: a 16-inch central infotainment touchscreen, a 10-inch digital driver display, head-up display, ambient lighting, and seats that offer ventilation, heating, massage, and AGR certification (for better ergonomics). Also, lots of clever storage: the new “Pixel Box”, phone holders, under-console space, etc.
Performance & Powertrain
At launch, the Grandland is offered in South Africa in a single trim — the GS Line — with a 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol engine making around 134 kW and 240-300 Nm torque (sources vary a little on the torque figure). It’s front-wheel drive, paired with a 6-speed automatic gearbox.
Fuel consumption is claimed at ≈ 7.0 L/100 km on a combined cycle, dropping to about 5.3 L/100 km on open road driving. Real-world tests seem less optimistic, with some around 9.0 L/100 km when driven mostly in urban or mixed traffic.
Ride and handling: The car’s certainly more refined than the previous version. Engine is punchy especially in town, but gets a bit noisy / droney at higher revs / sustained highway speeds. Suspension offers good comfort, though not perfect — some rougher surfaces and road joints expose its limitations. Steering and transmission are smooth and intuitive.
Features & Technology
The Grandland is well equipped for its price. Some of the key features include: Intelli-Lux Pixel HD (or Pixel Matrix) LED headlights with many thousands (≈50,000) of light elements, with adaptive light behaviour.
There’s a 360° camera, front / rear parking sensors, blind spot monitoring, traffic sign recognition, automatic adaptive cruise control with “Stop & Go”. Heated, ventilated, massage seats, rear heated seats as well, heated steering wheel. Power tailgate, wireless charging pad, ambient lighting.
Interior quality seems to have been upgraded: more premium materials, better ergonomics, more room especially rear legroom. Boot volume is about 550 litres with seats up; folding the rear seats expands load capacity substantially (up to ~1,640-1,645 litres).
Conclusion
The 2025 Opel Grandland is a strong offering for families or buyers in SA who want a feature-rich, stylish midsize SUV, with modern design, comfort, and tech. It delivers a lot for the money, especially in terms of spec, warranty, and practicality.
However, its higher purchase price, fuel use in everyday driving, and some compromises in ride at the limits may put off those who value silent highway cruising or prioritise lowest possible running costs.
Pricing
Grandland GS Line R789,900 With warranty of 5 years / 100,000 km, roadside assistance included, plus a service plan (5 years / 90,000 km) in some cases.