If you’re not quite ready for electric the latest Vauxhall Grandland offers a petrol mild-hybrid drivetrain as well as an electric one. We put it through its paces
Specs
Vauxhall are offering three levels of Grandland with entry level Design featuring a 10-inch touchscreen, 10” digital instrument cluster, adaptive cruise control, dual zone climate control & rear parking sensors. Stepping up to GS adds a larger 16” touchscreen, a wireless phone charger, a power boot, a reversing camera, adaptive LED headlights, diamond cut alloys & upgraded upholstery.
Ultimate includes a panoramic sunroof, 20” alloys, a 360 degree camera, tinted rear windows, a head-up display & Intelli-Drive 2.0 which includes semi-automated lane change assist, lane positioning assist, blind spot detection, rear cross traffic alert & adaptive cruise control with stop & go.
EngineThe mild-hybrid is powered by a 1199 cc, 3 cylinder, turbocharged petrol engine coupled to a 48v 21kW/28hp e-motor combining to offer 230Nm & 136PS. A six-speed dual-clutch transmission is standard.
Exterior
It’s an SUV but Vauxhall has managed to lift it somewhat with features such as the Intellilux Pixel HD with 3D illuminated vizor which comes on GS & above. Other neat touches include the integrated logos within the cars front & rear light bars, sharp side lines, high rear roof spoiler & tidy flat front grille in matte black. The red illuminated Grandland & Vauxhall name plates look great at night too.
Interior
Our test car featured a black/grey/chrome cabin & it’s all nicely realised. The seats for example have a vertical silver line down the middle, the centre binnacle is finished in brushed chrome & the roof headlining is jet black. Quality’s very good with some nice finishes on the dashboard front, top, doors & centre armrest. There are cheaper plastics lower down, on the door pockets & glove box front but they look & feel built to last & with prices starting at just under £36,000 we can see why Vauxhall have used these.
Cabin practicalityVauxhall score highly here with a logical layout & easy to reach switchgear. For example there’s two front & two rear USB’s & all are easy to reach. The wireless charger has a clear cover to keep the phone away from your line of vision. The 12v sockets neatly tucked away in a low down centre storage area, the arm rest has a twin opening top & the centre cupholders can adjusted for different bottle sizes.
Another big tick is the 3 icon short cut buttons located below the screen, where the car icon allows you to enter the safety menu & deactivate both lane departure & speed warning quickly & easily, something other brands could do with copying.
Infotainment
Vauxhall’s latest infotainment system is very easy to use with sharp graphics & easy to use menus. Larger icons on the screen allow you to access car, home & media quickly with a useful proper volume knob & separate climate controls located underneath. Connecting wirelessly to Apple CarPlay was quick & easy with the useful covered wireless phone charger good design detail too.
Boot The Grandland features a 550-litre boot with a movable base with space below. Fold down the rear bench & you’ll reveal a whopping 1645 litres.
Performance & economyTop speed is 126mph, CO2 emissions are 114g/km & claimed economy is 514mpg on the combined cycle.
DrivingWe really like the electric Grandland which is a very good electric SUV. The petrol versions lighter just 1600kg & feels it but it’s not as powerful & lacks the Electrics fancier suspension set-up, so it doesn’t ride as well either. It’s also more sluggish & has less power than the EV. Good news though is the Eco setting which makes it very quiet & gives users decent economy. Fort example, up to 50% of town & city driving can be had using just the electric motor & a 50+mpg reruns not bad either.
Choosing from Eco, Normal or Sport driving modes allows you to tailor the steering & power, with Eco pulling back on the lightness of the steering wheel & dulling performance. Normal & Sport release more oomph especially when you accelerate from 20-50mph.
Even is Sport mode, fun is dialled down somewhat & is not helped by a sluggish gearbox. Accelerations just so, so with the power being over reliant on the turbocharger & electric motor for torque. Steering’s light & precise & with our GS test car having a really good revising camera, parking in tight spots is easy. The overall around car views good as well with even the highish rear window not obscuring to much.
All Grandland models come with adaptive cruise control so motorways driving’s easy & comfortable. The cabins airy & spacious too so rear passengers will have no complaints.
Most of our week saw us drive 350 miles to & from Newcastle on mostly motorways at 70mph, averaging 46.7mpg which we thought was pretty good. As a petrol hybrid family car the Grandland ticks plenty of boxers.
ComfortMrs Walker swears by a high SUV driving position & the Grandland ticks that box. Forward vision is good & the drivers seat is ever so comfortable with our GS test car featuring plenty of adjustments to find the perfect position. On the motorway it’s quiet & composed with high levels of refinement & little road or wind noise entering the cabin.
ProsWith prices starting from £35,500 it’s priced below the majority of its competition. It looks good inside & out.MPG is good for algae mild-hybrid. Overall it’’s a comfortable, spacious family car offering decent levels of equipment.
ConsIt doesn’t offer much driving excitement & there are some cheap plastics used in the cabin. Fior company car drivers the Electric at 3% BIK Wouk make much more sense as would the plug-in version landing later in 2025.
VerdictCustomers want a large, practical SUV that comes well equipped with enough space on board for five & their luggage. The Grandland offers this in spades. Furthermore it’s priced right & thankfully doesn’t offer an over-complicated cabin experience by cleverly retaining a few physical controls. The infotainment system is simple to use & it also offers some clever on-board storage solutions as well. For company car drivers who need a five-door SUV, we’d hold fire for PHEV or better still get the EV which will offer a 400 mile driving range shortly.
Beaten into third place 3.5/5
