King of the dull stu
But the 296bhp’s wasted. By Steve Moody
The Grandland is continuing to excel in a motoring life that consists almost entirely of dull commuting and local runabouting. So much of my modest current mileage can be done using battery power, rather than petrol, that I’m regularly seeing upwards of 150mpg on the trip computer.
So the plug-in bit of this test is going well, and for anybody thinking they might dwell in the halfway house between internal combustion and full electric, then slippers on and settle in for a very rewarding life with a Grandland.
But if you’re thinking of choosing a Grandland for its other headline-grabber, the 296bhp and rapid 0-62mph time – well, I’d not get quite so excited if I were you.
Undeniably, in Sport mode with what hairy-chested types – when motors were motors – used to call the ‘loud pedal’ pinned to the floor, the Grandland is very quick. The initial burst of torque from the electric motor, followed by a seamless transition into petrol power, makes for rapid acceleration, to the point where it’s rather unseemly behaviour for a middling family crossover.
It has its advantages should you need to prove a point. I have enjoyed tootling about sparingly on electric, only for somebody (usually in an Audi A5 for some reason) to come roaring up behind and sit arrogantly on my arse, only then to be left for dead by the Grandland’s straight-line prowess. Having that Q-car performance can be quite fun, on occasion.
Unfortunately, what follows is less spectacular. The steering is detached, firstly light and then leaden, the brakes are indistinct, the Michelin eco tyres have little lateral grip and the doughy front end is affronted by changes of direction.
The 296bhp figure feels like it was achieved by engineers using their laptops to tick a box for marketing, because not much else has been done to back it up in terms of handling. So it’s back to slippers on, and coaxing every last kilowatt out of every journey.