Land in your lap
Value and style with Vauxhall’s plug-in
While it hasn’t exactly propelled the car into my personal top 10, Vauxhall’s facelift on its Grandland SUV has pulled it out of the bland category. What’s done it is the adoption of Vauxhall’s Vizor styling.
Intended to reference the visor on a crash helmet, this front-end flat black strip was introduced on the Mokka and is also used on the Astra.
The Grandland is a popular car anyway and I reckon this visual revamp will gain it a few more sales.
We’ve driven a regular Grandland but this week we’re passing the magnifying glass over the plug-in hybrid version.
Before we get into the technical details it’s important to note Vauxhall has dramatically cut the price of the Grandland PHEV to make it a more attractive proposition.
We’re testing the GS Line version, which sits in the middle between the entry-level Design and flagship Ultimate. Price is £33,820.
There’s no longer a grant for PHEVS of course, but this car falls into the 11 per cent tax band for BIK which makes it a financially attractive company car.
The car is well equipped in GS Line trim but a move up to Ultimate does give you Vauxhall’s fancy pixel LED headlamps as well as other toys that aren’t difficult to live without.
Especially as the top trim adds almost four grand to the price. The Vizor front end spruces up the outside of the Grandland and inside we have a new digital instrument panel that’s 12in across that is joined by a 10in infotainment screen. The digital instruments in particular give the Grandland a more up-to-date and stylish feel.
Under the bonnet nothing has changed. The Grandie PHEV has a 1.6-litre petrol engine that produces 180PS and an electric motor with 110PS. Together these two power sources provide a total of 225PS. A 13.2kwh battery gives a maximum electric range of 39 miles. You might achieve that creeping around town, but on a not particularly cold day we failed to get over 20 miles from it on a route that involved six miles of motorway.
The Grandland we drove recently had a manual gearbox and while I like that in a sports car or hot hatch, in a family focused SUV it seems rather pointless. Especially if it’s not a particularly pleasant gearbox to use.
Much better is the eight-speed automatic fitted to the plug-in hybrid Grandland. It features an old-fashioned torque converter so isn’t as quick as shifting gears as a more modern double-clutch auto. Still, it’s smooth and suits the car well.
It doesn’t matter that this Vauxhall is only average to drive since most SUVS and crossovers are no better. What the revised Grandland offers is appealing styling, an appealing price and even more appealing tax benefits and running costs.