GRAND DAY FOR A DRIVE
With style, top tech and the most comfortable seats, Vauxhall’s bold new SUV is perfect for any road trip
History may well credit Stellantis boss Carlos Tavares as the man who saved proud British brand Vauxhall.
Only after he took over the company – along with German stablemate Opel – did it begin to post a profit.
Now Vauxhall can modestly claim it is flourishing. Proof of this are the bold and confident vehicles it is rolling out, like today’s model, the new Grandland SUV.
The bigger of Vauxhall ’s SUVs, the other is the Mokka, it has been redesigned and refigured to take its place assuredly in one of the market’s most competitive segments.
It has lost the X that used to be attached to its name but has gained so much more, not least the lovely new signature “Vizor” we are going to see more of on Vauxhall’s fleet.
It has wing- style headlights and chrome surrounding the Griff in badge. This is complemented by new alloy wheel designs and a lovely gloss black roof with roof bars. The new two-tone design suits the Grandland very well and it has an excellent handsfree power tailgate for those difficult shopping moments.
It has been designed to take a petrol, diesel or PHEV engine, like the one I am driving, and presumably all- electric if it emerges. Vauxhall says that by 2028 it will only sell electrif ied cars and vans – there will be no purely internal combustion engines.
The hybrid Grandland, like all hybrids, “will have a role to play in the UK motoring landscape in years to come,” said Matt Bendall, of Vauxhall.
Inside, the Grandland has one of the most comfortable seats I have sat in – and that’s deliberate. The design has been passed by AGR, the German organisation dedicated to keeping our backs healthy.
The GS Line trim has Vauxhall’s new Pure Panel Multimedia system with two screens – a 12in instrument cluster for the driver’s immediate needs and a 10in colour touchscreen for sat nav, radio, Bluetooth and smart phone connectivity.
There are also USB chargers front and rear, a wireless charger and luggage space from 514 to 1652 litres. While the Grandland comes at the moment with an efficient 1.2-litre 130PS engine in either manual or auto and a 130PS 1.5-litre automatic diesel, it is the plug-in hybrid that is really going to draw the crowds. This combines a 1.6-litre petrol engine with an 81kW electric motor powered by a 13.2kWh battery, which provides a range of 39 miles. This can be enhanced by putting the car into B mode and decelerating or braking, eking out the range and mpg quite considerably.
The drive itself is smooth and spirited as befits a hybrid. Starting off in electric mode, you get an immediate burst of power. The electric power generated can be saved by use of the e-save facility in the settings for use in future.
Moving on to Hybrid mode, the car will use both motors to make the drive as comfortable and economical as possible. This is a seamless operation and when you need extra power – to overtake, for example – you get a swift burst with both motors working in tandem.
Final ly, in Sport mode, the car prioritises power but, no matter which, the Grandland is lively and engaging.
It may have lost the X after its name but in this new guise it remains hugely appealing.