Opel with a boost
By adding a second electric motor, the Grandland has not only become an all-wheel drive, but it also became significantly faster. Nice, because in a previous test we found the Grandland Electric a fine car, but a bit sluggish.
In the spring of 2025, colleague Roy Kleijwegt had the then brand-new Opel Grandland Electric in a double test with the Toyota bZ4x. He was less enthusiastic about the Opel’s drivetrain, in combination with its weight. “The Grandland has more difficulty getting its mass moving, but the road holding is solid and cornering behavior and braking distance do not necessarily suffer from the overweight,” Roy wrote. “It’s more that the car lacks a degree of nimbleness, which not only the Toyota has, but is also characteristic of competitors like the Volkswagen ID4 and the Renault Scenic.” In the scorecard, he ultimately summarized the judgment on the drivetrain as follows: “You’ll get there on torque, but the engine has to pull through all the kilos.” Roy doesn’t say it in so many words, but there was certainly room for a more potent Grandland. It’s here now and it’s called Grandland Electric AWD.
How does the AWD system work?
It wasn’t really a surprise that it would come, because sister models Peugeot e-3008 and e-5008 already got a Dual Motor version, so the technology was within reach. Basically, the AWD’s drivetrain is the same as that of the previously tested electric Grandland: a 213 hp electric motor on the front wheels. But that is supplemented with an extra 112 hp motor on the rear axle. It’s not that it always delivers power, because that depends on the chosen driving mode. It has four of them, and each of them handles that extra motor differently. But let’s take a look. The mode in which the car always starts is ‘Normal’. Then the car is basically a front-wheel drive, and the rear electric motor is only switched on when necessary. Usually when you fully press the pedal. However, the total power is limited to 313 hp, just a little less than the maximum. In ‘4WD’ mode, both motors provide permanent drive, with electronics distributing the power as ideally as possible over the wheels. In ‘Sport’ too, there is permanent 4×4, but in a fixed ratio of 60% front and 40% rear, and the maximum power of 325 hp is available. Finally, in Eco mode, it’s just the same Grandland that Roy drove: front-wheel drive only, with a maximum power of 213 hp.
That’s the theory, now the practice. In the acceleration measurements, the setup succeeds with flying colors, because it’s much faster. The ‘regular’ one went from 0 to 100 km/h in 9.2 seconds; this AWD shaves 3.3 seconds off that: 5.9 seconds. An overtaking sprint to test elasticity? Yes, indeed. In 3.7 seconds from 80 to 120 km/h, an improvement of 2.3 seconds. In short, it is seriously faster and you absolutely don’t get the impression that it has any difficulty getting that weight moving. Fuel consumption does suffer somewhat from that extra engine, because it is 120 kg heavier. But these are not shocking differences, as you can read in our review of consumption. The AWD is only available in combination with the 73-kWh battery and not with the larger 97-kWh battery of the Long Range.
Is the chassis different?
There wasn’t much wrong with the Grandland’s driving behavior, but this AWD version has a different chassis tuning, which makes it handle the road a bit better and feel a bit more nimble in corners. The springs and stabilizer bars are tuned a bit tighter and the dampers are now frequency-dependent. These dampers are also adjustable and each driving mode has its own characteristic. It goes without saying that Sport has the firmest tuning. Under most circumstances, we experienced this chassis as comfortable and stable, only on cobblestone roads we suddenly found the dampers extremely stiff and uncomfortable – even in normal mode.
How much value for money do you get?
The Grandland Electric AWD is currently only available in the most luxurious Ultimate trim. This means it is quite fully equipped. Think premium audio, illuminated logos front and rear, and electrically adjustable front seats. It’s a matter of taste, but the material usage in the interior feels less high-quality than you would expect from a car in this price range. The materials are sometimes hard and the design is simple, even austere. But nothing is out of place and you quickly feel at home in the Grandland. The seats, Opel’s trademark, are very comfortable and easily adjustable. You look out at a simple instrument cluster behind the steering wheel. In the center of the dashboard is the multimedia system, angled slightly towards the driver. The system is reasonably logically structured, but it is sometimes a bit slow to respond. You can charge your mobile phone via the wireless charger, which, oddly enough, is behind a rather opaque glass. Perhaps to prevent distraction, which is undoubtedly well-intentioned, but it’s not easily accessible, which is an inconvenient side effect. The interior space is perfectly fine; the Opel Grandland is a pleasant family car. There is sufficient space in the back seat, and you sit comfortably. In some electric cars, passengers have to pay the price for the battery and sit with their knees drawn up. That is not the case in the Opel, which makes long rides in the back comfortable. The luggage compartment is around 500 liters, which is good for this class. It is also nicely square-shaped.
What about consumption?
The consumption of the all-wheel-drive Grandland is slightly higher than that of the front-wheel-drive, but it’s not remarkably economical. It’s not extremely inefficient, but also not impressively economical. Nicely middle of the road. The practical range is around 352 km. It’s a pity that the large battery is not available, because then you would actually exceed that critical 500 km range.
Is there a lot of competition?
Despite these characteristics, the Grandland AWD will not have it easy, as there is a lot of competition. From its own house, Peugeot, but there are also all-wheel-drive versions of the Skoda Enyaq, Nissan Ariya, Tesla Model Y – to name a few. Moreover, they all fall roughly into the same price range. Although the Opel has a good report, it doesn’t really excel anywhere.
Verdict
All-wheel drive itself is actually not necessary in the Netherlands with its flat, paved roads and mild winters. But the power that comes with the extra motor does make the Grandland Electric better. It gives it that nimble character that we miss in the other versions. It has become seriously fast.