Car review – Opel Grandland X Hybrid4
Horsepower aplenty
After the Insignia OPC (325hp), this Grandland X is the most powerful Opel ever made, although it has a completely different vocation. It draws its power from a 200hp 1.6 turbo petrol engine and two electric motors, one in the front producing 110hp and a 113-hp one powering the rear axle. System power is 300hp and maximum torque is a staggering 520Nm.
The battery under the rear seat has a capacity of 13.2 kWh. Opel announces 59 electric kilometres (WLTP) but in our road test, we got about 45 kilometres out of it.
More relaxed than sporty
With a sprint to one hundred kph in 6.1 seconds you get off the starting blocks fast and a top speed of 235km/h (135km/h electric) is nothing to be ashamed of. It is not really a driver’s car, though, as evidenced by the rather vague steering. At 1,875kg, it weighs 375kg more than the other Grandland Xs, making it feel anything but sporty in tight corners. It clearly favours a relaxed driving style, flavoured by the occasional sprint.
The Grandland X PHEV has four driving modes. The first is Electric, only using the electric motors. The second mode is Hybrid, letting the car select the drive depending on the conditions. 4WD mode turns it into a four-wheel drive, either using only the two electric motors (front and rear) or both the petrol engine in the front and the electric motor on the rear axle. The last mode is Sport, pushing all out of all three engines.
No room for frivolity
Its appearance is classic and elegant without being exciting. The interior is somewhat sombre, with much black and grey and the materials used are not always to the same level as on the Peugeot 3008 HYbrid4 and the DS 7 Crossback E-Tense, which share the same underpinnings.
Ride comfort is decent but the suspension is neither fish nor fowl, feeling rather hard without being nimble, making you feel each little bump. The hybrid Grandland X is quiet, even when the four-cylinder comes into play. Room on board is more than sufficient, as is the boot.
Tax benefits
If you are looking for a decent car that you can use with your family, this is certainly a valid option, especially as a company car, thanks to the advantageous BIK and full tax deductibility. Consumption is “à la carte”. We got by with 3.9L/100km of petrol because we connected it to the mains as often as possible. Which is how it should be.
If you do not need four-wheel drive and 300hp, Opel also offers an identical version without an electric motor on the rear axle that only has front-wheel drive and puts out 225hp but with the same large battery and electric driving range.
