Volkswagen’s popular sportsmen have the abbreviation GTI or R on the tailgate, Hyundai’s capital letter is N, and Opel now has the GSe label. With Stellantis’ subsidiary Astra GSe, it has finally reintroduced a sporty version of its compact model, and now we go straight on: At the beginning of 2023, the brand’s new flagship, the Grandland GSe, will launch after the Insignia ends soon.
The plug-in hybrid drive draws system output of 300 hp from three engines: a 200 hp (147 kW) 1.6-liter turbo petrol engine and 110 hp (81 kW) and 113 hp electric motor horsepower (83 kW) at the front and rear axles. However, three performance data simply cannot be collected – due to the system, all three are never at full power at the same time. Wait, didn’t the Grandland already have 300 horsepower? That’s right, this ride has been offered unchanged on Opel’s mid-range SUV since 2019. Even the battery capacity remained unchanged at 13.2 kilowatt-hours (kWh) for an all-electric range of almost 60 kilometers.
New chassis, new wheels
But then what’s new? Especially the chassis with stiffer springs and electronically controlled shock absorbers. In addition, under the GSe label are sports seats, exclusive 19-inch wheels, Alcantara equipment and, upon request, a black hood, as was already worn on fat versions of the cult sports coupe Manta in the 1970s. But the sporting label won’t just be a unique selling point for the 300-hp SUV in the future: Because if production of the previous top-of-the-line Insignia is discontinued by the end of the year, it will be the only all-wheel drive Opel in the world. Range – even with a purely electric 4×4, thanks to the E-Motor on the rear axle instead of a mechanical engine with driveshafts at the rear like the Insignia.
This should bring some customer favor for the Grandland GSe in Switzerland. Depends on price, but not yet fixed. But it must be more than 53,200 francs. Because that’s how the Grandland costs 300 hp and all-wheel drive, but there’s currently no GSe label.