Grandland plays a supporting role

Vauxhall’s hybrid SUV isn’t quite the segment’s star performer, writes Steven Chisholm

Competent, handsome enough and a bit dull – if the outgoing Vauxhall Grandland X had been plying its trade in Holywood the feedback from auditions would be: “we like you, but you’re just not a leading man”.

For the 2022 mid-life facelift, Vauxhall has dropped the X, but sought to introduce a bit more X-factor to the design. Largely successful, the visual upgrades add a touch of aggression with Vauxhall’s ‘Visor’ front end, new alloy wheels and a contrast roof.

Even with this injection of character though, the Grandland is still more visually conservative than much of the competition.

Suffering a hangover from GM ownership, the old Vauxhall range was often confusing. Last year a Grandland X buyer had a potential 27 derivatives to choose from, factoring in engine, transmission and trim. The new range is vastly simplified, with three engines – 1.2-litre turbocharged petrol, 1.6-litre petrol PHEV and 1.5-litre diesel – and six-speed manual or eight-speed auto gearboxes, depending on the engine.

Three trim levels – Design, GS Line and Ultimate – bring the total number of derivatives to 11. Even entry-level Design trim is well equipped, with LED headlights, dual-zone climate control, soundproofed windscreen, automatic emergency braking and lane keep assist as standard.

What’s more, the 2022 Grandland PHEV is £3,995 cheaper than the outgoing version.

The Grandland’s cabin has always been spacious, but the updated model has been decluttered, with a greater emphasis on display screens and fewer buttons. Gs-line and above get a 10-inch infotainment display and a 12-inch digital instrument cluster, while entry-level Design models have seven-inch displays.

There’s lots of black gloss plastic and chrome detail around the cabin and, once you get beyond the big touchscreens, you could be at the wheel of any higher-spec Vauxhall of recent years. Build quality and materials are absolutely...fine. Neither will trouble the premium market, but nor does this feel like a budget model.

Rear leg room is reasonable for the class but the hybrid battery means boot space drops from 514 litres to 390 litres.

The PHEV is, unsurprisingly, the pick of the power plants.

With 222bhp from the combined petrol and electric motors, an 8.9-second 0-60mph time seems a tad miserly, but power delivery is smooth and the Grandland PHEV is at home on the motorway, whichever lane you choose. While no pure driver’s car, it does handle competently enough on B-roads, with just a touch too much lean in the corners.

With up to 39 miles of EV only range you can run on battery power up to 84mph. Doing so, you’d run through that battery charge very quickly, however. The e-save setup allows you to run the car on petrol-only power and only engage the battery when you want to, saving your range for when you’re in built-up areas or able to maximise efficiency.

The previous Grandland X has sold more than 70,000 cars in the UK to date and, with better tech and strong levels of equipment, the 2022 model ought to be well placed to win more fans amongst business and private buyers.