Anyone based in Europe and looking for an electric compact crossover next year will have a stack more options open to them than they did the last time they went shopping. Ford begins deliveries of its Explorer EV in 2024, Peugeot will start ramping up production of its e-3008 and Opel will roll out its own SUV.
That last SUV, a successor to today’s Opel (Vauxhall for those in the UK) Grandland is seen here for the first time, undergoing tests ahead of a market launch in 2024. And while we don’t know whether Opel will retain the Grandland name, we do know that it will be built off the new Stellantis Medium STLA platform, just like its Peugeot cousin.
The electric Grandlands should mirror the specs of their Peugeot counterparts, and to refresh your memory the e-3008’s range starts off with a single-motor, front-wheel drive model making 207 hp (210 PS) that can hit 62 mph (100 km/h) in 8.7 seconds and cover 326 miles (525 km) on a full charge of its 73 kWh battery. A Long Range version uses a 98 kWh pack to bump output to 227 hp (230 PS) and extend the driving range to 435 miles (700 km), and a flagship dual-motor variant shares 316 hp (320 PS) between all four wheels and manages the same 326 miles of range as the base car.
Related: 2024 Opel Crossland EV Still Hiding Its Citroen C3 Aircross Connections
Baldauf for Carscoops
So far, Opel, which wants to become an electric-only brand by 2028, has only talked about the Grandland as an EV, but the cooling EV market and the fact that the STLA Medium is also set up to work with hybrid powertrains suggest the firm might also offer electrically assisted ICE units. That’s something the 3008, combustion sister to the e-3008, will be doing through the use of the new mild hybrid engines Peugeot introduced earlier this year. The 1.2-liter triple sends 134 hp (136 PS) to the front wheels through a six-speed dual-clutch transmission, while a PHEV is probably also on the cards.
This prototype’s heavy disguise tries its best to hide the new Grandland’s styling secrets, but we can already make out the shape of the DRLs and we know it will feature the same ‘vizor’ face as Opel’s other new cars, such as the Astra and facelifted Corsa. The current Grandland already has the vizor nose, having been given it in 2021 as part of a facelift that saw its name shortened from Grandland X. But based on the dimensions of the latest Peugeot e-3008, the next Grandland will gain 64 mm (2.5 inches) of wheelbase over the outgoing car that should result in a big improvement in interior space.
