Opel this week unveiled the next generation of its flagship Grandland SUV, which is hitting South African showrooms in the second half of 2025, the manufacturer’s domestic subsidiary confirmed to TopAuto.
The next-gen Grandland sits on a new platform, features a completely overhauled design and dimensions, and boasts a range of cutting-edge features never before seen in an Opel vehicle.
With the debut of the SUV, the German brand now also has an electrified variant of its entire product portfolio to offer to customers, depending on the market.
Everything new
The new Grandland rides on the Stellantis STLA Medium BEV-native platform which was crafted with electromobility in mind.
As a result the SUV has grown rather substantially, increasing by 173mm in length to 4,650mm, 64mm in width to 1,905mm, and 19mm in height to 1,660mm.
The more spacious architecture allowed the automaker to install a large 98kWh battery under the floorboards, combined with new-generation electric motors and an energy-saving heat pump, thus enabling the electric version of the SUV to achieve a maximum driving range of 700km.
Customers who prefer to put their trust in petrol have two more drivetrains to choose from, comprising a plug-in hybrid with 85km of electric potential and a 48V mild-hybrid setup that improves consumption and reduces CO2 emissions.
The automaker has yet to reveal which of these powertrains will be available locally. When asked, it said: “Opel South Africa will reveal the German Energies closer to launch.”
Improving ride quality on the incoming Grandland is a new suspension system featuring frequency-selective damping.
“This unique technology creates a second hydraulic circuit in the damper chamber to mechanically adapt the damping force in relation to the frequency,” said Opel.
“Depending on the situation, road surface conditions, and driving style, it enables different damping characteristics for comfortable gliding at high frequencies – i.e. with short impacts such as on cobblestones or a manhole cover – as well as for a sporty, ambitious driving style with more direct contact with the road at low frequencies.”
Thanks to model-specific spring, anti-roll bar, steering, and ESC tuning, the SUV also reacts more immediately and directly to driver inputs and remains more stable when braking, cornering, and at high speeds in comparison to the old Grandland.
In terms of design, the new Grandland adopts the futuristic brand aesthetic that adorns other new-generation models such as the Corsa and Frontera.
The front fascia is characterised by the manufacturer’s distinctive “3D Vizor” incorporating an illuminated Blitz logo in the centre, framed by Intelli-Lux Pixel Matrix HD headlights that comprise 51,200 individual lighting elements across the left and right clusters.
Thanks to the abundance of diodes, the Opel’s headlights can cut out oncoming objects more precisely than standard Matrix Light technologies and deliver a much brighter and homogeneous light pattern, said Opel.
At the rear, the Grandland is the very first vehicle to wear an illuminated Opel badge on the tailgate, and the LED taillights are styled according to the brand’s unique “compass” signature.
In line with Opel’s emission-reducing strategies, the name of the car is no longer displayed by chrome lettering on the tailgate, instead, it is centrally embossed.
Other highlights include a two-tone floating roof with contrast pillars lending the Grandland a “visually stretched” look from certain angles, flared wheel arches crowning up to 20-inch alloy wheels, and protective cladding on the wheel arches and lower body panels for extra robustness.
The cockpit of the pinnacle Opel has gained several innovations over the outgoing generation, and it sees a more horizontal theme throughout to emphasise the feeling of width and spaciousness, said the manufacturer.
Chief among the new technologies is a 16-inch central touchscreen, a wide and fully-digital instrument cluster, the Intelli-HUD heads-up display, and Opel’s patented Intelli-Seat front seats that incorporate a slot in the backrests to reduce pressure on the tailbone.
As standard, the new SUV also comes with automatic cruise control with stop & go, intelligent speed adaptation, extended traffic sign recognition, and in-crash braking – which automatically applies brakes in case of an accident thus helping to avoid a secondary collision.
The new Intelli-Drive 2.0 system is available as an option, packing functions such as semi-automatic lane-change assist and recommended speed adaption.
The former allows the Grandland to steer itself into a targeted lane if it determines that it is safe to do so, whereas the latter reduces or increases the car’s speed according to posted speed limits.
Another paid-for extra is the ergonomic AGR seats which provide ventilation and massaging for the driver and 20mm of extra leg room for the rear passengers, and improve lateral comfort by virtue of pneumatic side bolsters.
As a family vehicle, interior versatility took centre stage during the development of the Grandland and it consequently offers 35 litres of interior storage space as well as the new “Pixel Box” centre console.
The Pixel Box is intended to strengthen the visual appeal of the console through the use of illuminated glass and fabric wrapping but also has a functional purpose, as the wireless charger is located behind the glass thus allowing safe storage of smartphones when being charged while constant visibility helps to ensure that they are not forgotten in the vehicle.
The South African-specific details of the new Opel Grandland, such as the pricing, model line-up, and drivetrain specifications, will be announced closer to its launch in late 2025.
Opel Grandland
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