Opel Grandland 1.3 Turbo brings refreshed interior to its crossover template

Wielding a sleeker suit and refreshed interior, the Opel Grandland arguably succeeds in drawing more attention to its longstanding, quietly competent crossover template.

It may have been called the Grandland X, but one cannot help but feel that Opel's largest crossover has taken the path of blending more quietly into the background, than of beaming brightly with grandeur since it was first introduced.

When it landed here in 2018, the 'Blade' design philosophy it carried over from forerunners spanning the Astra to Crossland X meant that while arguably handsome, it also struggled to stand out from a sea of mid-sized crossovers. It didn't help that the Grandland X didn't boast of any special edges on the inside and on the move — although it was by all measures perfectly competent.

In light of this, one would think that any sort of mid-life facelift would be aimed squarely at drawing more attention to crossover. And they would be right, except that the Grandland wields a perhaps unexpected approach that doubles down on subtlety — and largely succeeds.

'Smaller' face, greater visual appeal

First impressions matter, and most of the credit for the Grandland's (yes, it's now dropped the 'X' in its nameplate) new lustre is due to the German firm's 'Vizor' design language — one we first saw on the facelifted Crossland, then solidified by the all new Mokka in Singapore.

In an era where shiny chrome and larger grilles have become the default party trick for drawing glances, the Grandland opts for a different path with its new face. Precisely because it is slim and clean, the crossover's fresh, black nose helps it to better stand out against the multitude of other high-riders on our roads today.

The Grandland is still far more bulbous than angular as a crossover, but thanks to its new fascia, benefits from an air of sharpness that it lacked before. The rear is unchanged, though the crossover does now proudly spell its name out to those following behind in traffic across its tailgate. In lining up with its siblings, it feels like a prouder and more confident declaration of the identity conferred upon it by Opel as its flagship crossover.

Polishing up the insides

The same theme of "cleaning up'" is apparent from the moment you clamber in — and once again, brings the Grandland up to date in a welcome manner.

Admittedly, the hard-plastic dominated dash still isn't what one might call sophisticated or premium-feeling. But vital tweaks to key elements have helped to modernise the space, still paired to what are quite literally silver linings that cut through the otherwise dark colour of the dash.

The centre console, for instance, now gets a new gear lever and drive mode selector also utilised across a couple of other Stellantis Group marques. Like the older physical buttons and switchgear that (thankfully) persist for functions such as adjusting the air-conditioning, these feel solid to operate.

Perhaps most significant to the driver is the fact that the instrument cluster has dispensed with analogue dials and gone the full-digital route.

It'd be remiss not to point out that local customer units sport a 10-inch digital driver's display, and a 12-inch central infotainment touchscreen — the latest 'Pure Panel' setup from the firm we first saw on the Mokka here.

We, however, only got a small taster of that because our test car was fitted with smaller seven-inch screens.

Having said that, the all digital driver's display - even when downsized - is pleasant to read and conveys all the information required on the road in an uncomplicated manner. Less complex, unfortunately, is the firm's rather confusing and disjointed native infotainment system.

Thankfully, the Grandland is offered with wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity as standard, and the touchscreen is decently responsive to use.

As a mirror of its exterior, the rear of the car is also unchanged — meaning good space for all three rear passengers (who get their own air-con vents), and a well-sized, automated 514-litre trunk.

Competent hauler

Powering the Grandland is the same turbocharged 1.2-litre engine that should not be unfamiliar by now (you'll find this under the bonnet of fellow Stellantis Group-mates, like the Peugeot 3008 and Citroen C4 ). While first introduced with a six-speed automatic, the Grandland has gotten an eight-speed transmission along the way.

You might be forgiven for initially thinking that the Grandland would need a more powerful heart to get going, but the 129bhp unit (quite refined for a three-pot) is easily sufficient for Opel's largest and heaviest crossover, giving it more than decent shove.

While there is indeed some lag when you first put your foot down, since peak torque of 230Nm already arrives at 1,750rpm, the Grandland feels quite eager to go in most situations you'll find yourself here — off the lights, and when overtaking.

Gearshifts are also smooth and relatively snappy with the eight-speed box, providing a driving experience that is far from lethargy-inducing.

It's only when your right foot lingers too long on the accelerator pedal (and with too much pressure) that you might start to feel the Grandland reaching its limit.

The car's heft will start to make itself felt very quickly, however, should you take turns with too much gusto, or need to brake quickly.

On a slightly different note, another criticism is that the Grandland can become tiring to drive in a jam since its transmission has a tendency to get lost hunting for gears at lower speeds. Don't expect the car to be a consummate fuel sipper, too.

Having said that, the Grandland just about matches the expectations one might have of what Opel calls its 'flagship crossover' in terms of comfort.

It rides smoothly over uneven road surfaces and provides commendable cabin insulation even at the highest speeds most will find themselves in on Singapore's expressways. You'll have to watch the digital dash in somewhere like the KPE especially, since the car cruises along with enough effortlessness and composure to make you think you're going less quickly than you actually are.

Worth a second look?

For all the criticism that the Grandland X might have weathered for feeling quite anonymous, what has always laid beneath is a sturdy, well-rounded, and well-equipped European family car.

The latter holds true in the Grandland today, where a suite of safety assistance systems, including lane keeping assist, blind spot monitoring, and even self-parking functions, are offered on the car.

Taken from this perspective, today's car improves on the largest (immediate) flaw of its predecessor by adding sprinkles of style and modernity to an otherwise complete package.

'Grand' is not the word you'd immediately associate with the revisions — but the Grandland perhaps invites you to reimagine how you think that should be defined anyway. As it shows, taking a more understated tack can paradoxically be more attention-grabbing, and thus certainly does it no disservice, considering attention is what it needed.

What cannot be ignored, however, is the fact that even as the Grandland has tastefully evolved, so have its competitors - and competitor pool - grown. (That's even before we get to its price at launch.) Slightly improved as it might stand, it remains to be seen if it can truly put a dent in the order books of today's mid-sized crossover heavyweights.

ALSO READ: Land Rover Range Rover Sport Mild Hybrid 3.0P is a soft ride while delivering on space and power

This article was first published in sgCarMart.