Long-Distance Champion: All-New Opel Grandland Plug-in Hybrid

• Fully charged and refuelled: New top-of-line SUV covers 1,115 kilometres
• ‘Electro’ SUV: In test, GS trim plug-in hybrid covers 380 kilometres locally emissions-free without recharging thanks to recuperation
• Ideal for fleets and individuals: Drivetrain perfect for anyone who commutes fully electrically and wants to cover long distances in a particularly resource-efficient way

All-new Opel Grandland impresses with its attractive styling, groundbreaking technologies, clever solutions, lots of space and completely electrified range of drivetrains. ‘Golden Steering Wheel 2024’2 winner is available as fully electric Opel Grandland Electric, Opel Grandland Hybrid with 48-volt technology and powerful Opel Grandland Plug-in Hybrid. Team around Opel Grandland chief engineer Dirk Kaminski has now put the clever plug-in hybrid drive concept to test – with astonishing results that will impress company car and long-distance drivers.

“WLTP values 3 are clear: According to the official test cycle, our new Grandland Plug-in Hybrid offers a combined range of up to 897 kilometres, of which up to 87 kilometres are purely electric,” said Dirk Kaminski. “But we thought to ourselves: Let’s see what the car can really do. Our new top-of-the-range SUV will definitely break 1,000-kilometre mark with a full tank and a full charge. After all, Opel Grandland is 'made in Germany' through and through and rolls off assembly line in ultra-modern Eisenach factory. So we put it to test – under conditions that are worse than in official test cycle.”

From full to empty: 1,115 kilometres covered under adverse conditions

While WLTP values are determined at temperatures of around 23 degrees Celsius, all-new Grandland Plug-in Hybrid set off on a windy and rainy January morning at a fresh 11 degrees Celsius. And – appropriate for the season – on 19-inch winter tyres instead of summer tyres with lower rolling resistance and in the fully-equipped GS trim. Only requirement was: “SUV has a full tank and the 17.9 kWh battery is fully charged. Now we drive until the fuel tank and battery are empty.”

Plug-in hybrid completed typical commuter routes from Rhine-Main area around Rüsselsheim and Frankfurt to Rhine-Neckar area and back again. Routes included motorway stretches with free-flowing traffic, with stop-and-go traffic and rush-hour traffic, as well as country roads and city traffic including traffic light stops – a real-life test that reflects the true everyday requirements of many company car drivers.

Result or the distance that Opel Grandland Plug-in Hybrid, which delivers 143 kW (195 hp) system output and 350 Newton meters of maximum torque, achieved with just one tank filling and battery charge, exceeded the expectations of the Opel team: at an average speed of 80 km/h and a highly efficient overall average consumption of 4.6 litres of fuel per 100 kilometres, SUV covered a total of 1,115 kilometres in four stages (interrupted by breaks to meet the legal requirements to adhere to driving times). Of this, the plug-in hybrid drove a little more than a third of the total distance, or more precisely 380 kilometres, purely battery-electric and therefore locally emissions-free.

Opel Grandland chief engineer - Dirk Kaminski 

“Fact that Grandland achieves such outstanding values under these circumstances – at the end of the test temperatures had dropped to just 4 degrees Celsius – has once again confirmed that we have created a car that is groundbreaking in every respect with a drive concept that is completely suitable for everyday use. Highly efficient combustion engine and the electric motor work in perfect harmony,” said Kaminski. “More than that: every time you decelerate, powertrain switches to electric operation. This is possible because the recuperated energy is used to power the car electrically meaning that long distances can be covered at low and medium speeds with no local emissions.”

‘Greenovation’ à la Opel: Resource-saving SUV and drive concept

All-new Opel Grandland Plug-in Hybrid therefore shines as the ideal choice for fully electric commuter routes as well as for long-distance company car and leisure drivers who want to be particularly resource-efficient and leave range anxiety behind. Not only the use of recycled materials and the absence of chrome show what Opel means by ‘Greenovation’ and sustainability in new top-of-line SUV. This is also impressively demonstrated by results of  test.

Numerous other qualities of completely new Opel Grandland make daily business trips as well as long journeys even more pleasant: ergonomic seats certified by Aktion Gesunder Rücken e.V. (AGR) ensure relaxed driving pleasure. Patented Intelli-Seat ergonomic feature is standard on all front seats. And with technologies such as glare-free IntelliLux HD light, Intelli-HUD head-up display or illuminated, translucent Pixel Box, Opel Grandland drivers are perfectly equipped.

At the end of the test, one final question remains: What distance would all-new Opel Grandland Plug-in Hybrid be able to cover with a full tank and full battery under ideal test conditions – for example, in early summer? “Insights that we as a team have gained from the 1,115 kilometres we have now driven is: Under optimal conditions, even more would certainly be possible,” said Dirk Kaminski.

All-new Opel Grandland Plug-in Hybrid with 143 kW (195 hp) system output, 350 Nm of maximum torque and a top speed of 220 km/h can be ordered from prices starting at €40,150 (RRP including VAT in Germany).

[1] A vehicle's values not only depend on the vehicle's efficient use of fuel, but are also influenced by driving behaviour and other non-technical factors.

[2] AUTO BILD edition 46/2024 and BILD am SONNTAG edition 45/2024, category ‘Best car under €50,000’.

[3] Range determined according to WLTP test procedure methodology (R (EC) No. 715/2007, R (EU) No. 2017/1151). Actual range can vary under everyday conditions and depends on various factors, in particular on personal driving style, route characteristics, outside temperature, use of heating and air conditioning and thermal preconditioning.