Opel owner Stellantis unveiled the new Opel GrandLand SUV at an event in Johannesburg today. The model heading to South African showrooms starts at a wallet-straining R790,000 — not exactly an entry-level family car, but how many of those boast a 16in passenger touchscreen?
The GrandLand wasn’t all Stellantis had on the agenda, sharing its roadmap for the country and the continent across all of its vehicle brands while teasing other news yet to come. The most notable? Chinese EV brand Leapmotor is set to enter the South African market under Stellantis’ aegis in September this year. It wasn’t entirely a secret, but we did get a peek at the Leap C10 REEV that will debut this year.
GrandLand owner
Back to that Opel SUV, though. The 2025 Opel GrandLand GS Line 1.6T 6AT will produce 134kW of power when it launches in SA (there’s a website link for it, but it doesn’t appear to be active yet). The price we were quoted was for the top-of-the-range model, with a price below the R700,000 mark as a starting point.
It’s being built in Eisenach, Germany, an appropriate place for the German brand to do all of the work, and it’s based on the company’s STLA Medium platform. Our first impression of the vehicle’s lines is that it is similar to Jaguar Land Rover’s (JLR) commercial SUVs. Despite this, that front end is undeniably rooted in the brand’s identity.
As part of the ‘premium’ nature of the GrandLand, the rear logo is permanently illuminated, while the interior is packed with the sorts of extras we’re used to seeing in luxury cars in this segment. The refrigerated box in the centre console, adjustable cup holders, loads of space in front and back, and dedicated spaces for mobile device storage and charging again made us think of JLR’s interior design. Having this lot will set you back less than a million bucks, at least.
Dual displays head up the cockpit, a 16in touchscreen in the so-called ‘Passenger Zone’, and a 10in display that acts as the driver’s instrument cluster. We didn’t have much time to play, but given that it’s powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Cockpit Platform, it should offer decent performance. It’ll all hinge on the software, something we look forward to checking out in detail. If screens aren’t your thing, Opel has also retained all of the traditional physical controls.
Seating areas have been similarly polished, with AGR certification, powered lumbar and bolster adjustments, and massage functions built into the GrandLand’s front seats. The leather chairs are also ventilated for additional comfort.
Physical changes to previous models include an increased ride height (up to 200mm), as well as a longer wheelbase and an extra 49mm of width. Couple that with extensive boot space, and you can see why the 2025 GrandLand is targeting affluent (and only moderately well-off) families with this one. Another new factor in Opel’s construction is the extensive use of recycled materials in each vehicle, from aluminium to steel to polymers and even wheel materials.
