X hits sweet spot for Opel
uring the course of 2018 there were many controversial moments in the motoring world. Tesla and its maverick CEO Elon Musk were never far from the headlines. Whether lighting up a joint during a live web show or setting Twitter ablaze with one of his controversial tweets, the Pretoria High School-educated Musk prefers to take the unconventional route when it comes to life and business.
Perhaps the biggest scandal to shock the business side of motoring was the recent arrest of Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi CEO Carlos Ghosn as he stepped out of his private jet at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport.
Ghosn is arguably the most influential businessman in the modern era of motoring, but today he has swapped his high-end Savile Row suits and haute cuisine for prison garb and a bowl of rice as he awaits a trial date on charges of money-laundering and tax evasion.
Closer to home the exodus of General Motors from SA at the beginning of last year was a stark reminder that we remain in turbulent times.
The group’s “unbundling” of Isuzu (which now operates independently), Chevrolet (which is no longer sold in SA) and Opel (which now falls under the Williams Hunt Group) created much uncertainty at the time but the past 12 months have shown that both Isuzu and Opel are solid and paving their own way forward.
With a proud 80-year heritage locally, Opel has time and again proved what a valuable contribution it makes to the motoring landscape — Car of the Year titles in 1991 (Opel Monza), 1994 (Kadett), 1995 (Astra) and more recently in 2017, again with the Astra.
Not many manufacturers can match those achievements and for the brand to have exited would have been hard to swallow – plus I might never have got to experience the Opel Grandland X over the festive period.
These days the crossover/SUV segment shows more movement than a busy day at Park Station, and Opel has quickly adapted to this growing trend.
Today the X-family consists of the Crossland X, Mokka X and the above-mentioned flagship Grandland X (pricing of which starts at R429,000) — all vehicles with as many similar traits as there are differences.
Based on the award-winning Peugeot 3008, the Grandland X comes with three specification levels — on test we had the Enjoy derivative — but all are equipped with the same 1.6-litre turbo petrol engine which pushes out a respectable 121kW and 240Nm.
At 4.48m long it lends a certain presence on the road, and its distinctive, modern design and signature lines make it stand out from the more mundane.
During a three-week period I clocked up close to 2,500km in a variety of driving conditions. From round-town commuting to exploring the rural regions of KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape, and the vehicle never missed a beat.
The high-quality interior is extremely roomy and even with four adults in the cabin and a mountain of luggage in the boot, the interior in no way felt closed in.
While on the subject of the interior — from the dashboard to the side door panels to the instrument cluster and assortment of dials and buttons — it has a fuss-free, clean appearance with everything close at hand and fairly easy to operate.
A couple of the features that I particularly enjoyed were the cruise control (essential for those long-haul slogs), the heated and “active-ventilation” seats, a full-length panoramic glass roof, a nice colour touchscreen infotainment system incorporating sat-nav, a lane-departure warning system, auto lights and rain-sensing wipers.
The passengers in the back also enjoyed the fact that the rear seats slide back and forward, while there is a USB port in the rear for the mandatory charging of phones.
While some manufacturers are opting for 8-speed and even 9-speed auto transmissions in their SUVs, the Opel Grandland X comes with a more traditional 6-speed box — and it is one that works particularly well.
Whether tackling challenging mounting passes or simply eating up the kilometres on long straight stretches, the vehicle was quick to smoothly select the right gear.
Worth noting when it comes to the Grandland X is the influential German SUV Magazin, which last year held a poll where readers were asked to vote for their favourite SUV from a choice of 174 vehicles in 12 different categories.
It’s all very well to hear what a motoring journalist has to say about a vehicle, but more important is to listen to what owners/drivers have to say — those who live with a vehicle on a daily basis — and most of the 43,500 votes cast were for the Grandland X.
So don’t just take my word for it when I say this is an extremely good vehicle — there’s obviously a lot of people out there with similar thoughts.