► Grandland grows and gains an electric option
► One battery option at launch, long range and 4WD to follow
► Vauxhall’s first STLA Medium-based car driven in the UK
In a Ronseal moment, the Vauxhall Grandland Electric is exactly what you expect it to be. It comes at a time of renewal for the model, with a new platform, striking new looks and a useful boost in interior space. Given the best electric SUVs are getting cheaper and more talented with every new generation, it’s got a tricky time ahead.
But Vauxhall has something up its sleeve, chasing the golden ticket of ICE vs EV price parity – allowing buyers to make a straight choice for their new car’s power, unencumbered by stiff pricing and barriers to charging. That’s the theory anyway – and I will get back to that, I promise.
What of the Grandland itself? It sits on the new Stellantis Group STLA Medium platform, making it very closely related to the more stylish but less practical Peugeot 3008. Like that car, it’s being offered with a choice of hybrid, plug-in hybrid and pure-electric powertrains. As Peugeot is chasing VW’s tail, the Grandland is usefully cheaper than many of its rivals, and has tempting finance packages, too.
We’ve now driven the 73kWh model abroad and in the UK to give you a comprehensive verdict on the Grandland Electric. If you want to know how we test cars, we have a separate page for that.
At a glance
Pros: Temptingly priced, spacious enough, much more appealing than its predecessor
Cons: Fiddly driver’s display, sluggish performance, fidgety ride
What’s new?
For Vauxhall, almost everything. The first use of STLA Medium by Vauxhall brings electric power to the Grandland for the first time, and the package seems a step on from the Astra Electric, with a much larger battery and more powerful motor.
The old Grandland was neat and undistinguished, but order this in the right colour and trim, and it’s quite a looker. Design Director Mark Adams has done a great job of injecting some purpose into the Vauxhall range in recent years, and this one continues the theme, with neat detailing and that striking front distinguishing what otherwise could have been quite a bland design.
But unlike many rivals, Vauxhall hasn’t tried to disguise its SUV bodystyle by giving it a sloping roofline to laughingly call it a coupe. No, it’s an upright, chunky-looking thing that celebrates its practicality, offering a taller alternative to the Astra Estate. It’s no doubt helped by the swish light signatures that are standard on big-selling GS trim.
In addition, Vauxhall has given the Grandland the latest version of its Matrix LED headlights. They’re called Intelli-Lux Matrix LED HD – and the units have 51,200 elements between them. I’ll tell you how they perform when I get into the dark skies of the north, but for now can confirm they put on a pretty show for you when you start it up.
What are the specs?
The Grandland Electric is offered in a single flavour from launch, but more variety will follow. For now, it gets a 210bhp motor and a decent 73kWh battery pack and offers a WLTP tested driving range of 325 miles – call that 260-280 in day-to-day driving, or less if you’re a road tester on some entertaining roads. Performance claims are so-so, with a claimed 9.0 seconds for the 0-62mph time. That time should give you a clue to the Grandland’s overall heft. At over 2.1 tonnes, it’s hundreds of kilos heavier than the Renault Scenic.
A Long-Range version with a 97kWh battery and an estimated range of up to 435 miles joins the range next year, which should hopefully dispel any lingering range anxiety fears that drivers may still have. A punchier four-wheel drive version is also on the cards. Charging speeds are okay, if not groundbreaking, at 160kW but that’s fast enough a 20-80% recharge in around 26 minutes. Enough time to grab a coffee and be on your way at the motorway services.
What’s it like to drive?
There’s good news here, with a lofty driving position, and decent forward visibility with the usual caveat about bulky A-pillars. The motor is quiet and wind noise is well contained, while even the regular manually moved seats have plenty of adjustment and support. Road noise can be bothersome on some coarsely surfaced UK roads, though.
Acceleration isn’t its strongest point. In isolation the new Vauxhall doesn’t put in a bad performance on the road, easily keeping up with fast-flowing traffic. However, it feels off the pace compared to most rivals, and will feel downright slow to anyone used to Tesla performance, especially off the line.
It’s better news when it comes to handling. The engineers at Russelsheim have done a great job with the car’s damping, which is taut and allows good body control, instilling me with a sense of confidence in once I was dialled in to the weighty but rather dead-feeling steering.
I was always aware of the car’s heft, especially in the wet, but feed it smoothly into corners and it didn’t go to pieces. Lean on it harder and there is noticeable but not off-putting body roll, although I wouldn’t want Vauxhall to try any harder to prop it up. Even on 19-inch wheels (20s are optional) with a generous-looking sidewall, the ride is firm and fidgety.
Thankfully it isn’t quite as unyielding as an E-3008, yet the Grandland can thud over nasty potholes and you’re head is lightly tossed from one side to the other if the left and right wheels encounter different ruts and bumps. It’s a trait shared with many e-SUVs in this class, and the Grandland is by no means the worst, although it’s still tiresome on a churned-up B road. A Renault Scenic is a comfier alternative that still manages to feel livelier in the bends.
What’s the interior like?
Well, it’s bigger than the old one. The new Grandland is 173mm longer than before, which has helped to liberate an extra 20mm of legroom for those in the back. It’s also 19mm taller and 64mm wider, helping it feel airier, especially with a panoramic roof.
Having persuaded a 6′ 3″ adult to set the driving position to suit them (I’m almost a foot shorter and. afar better child stand-in), I then requested they sit on the bench behind.
Legroom was more than adequate if not exceptional, with a couple of inches between his knees and the backs of the front seats. Headroom was better even with a panoramic roof fitted, although a bit more space under the front chairs for feet to go would be welcome.
Vauxhall has also given the Grandland a bit more storage space. Its seats-up boot capacity has swelled from 514 litres to 550 litres (ahead of the e-3008) – and there are more than 35 litres of storage bins dotted around the car’s cabin, including smartphone pockets in the front seat backrests, a massive centre console and Vauxhall’s brand-new Pixel Box.
What’s that, I hear you ask? It’s a storage bin that’s been specially designed to hold a smartphone. It has a built-in wireless charger and a glass lid that Vauxhall says will ensure you never forget your device when you get out of the car. Thankfully the lid is heavily tinted when you’re driving, removing the temptation to look at your notifications.
The new 16.0-inch infotainment system is thin, wide and mounted high up on the dashboard to help minimise driver distraction – and it’s been teamed with a new digital gauge cluster and head-up display. The graphics are good, but some of the infotainment system’s icons are small, while the gauges aren’t as configurable or as large as some rival’s.
Thankfully, Vauxhall hasn’t fallen into the trap of shifting all the Grandland’s switchgear onto the touchscreen. Like the Astra, it retains a row of physical climate controls on the centre console. Plus, if you find all the data from the two screens rather overwhelming, Vauxhall has added a ‘Pure’ mode that pares back the info to just the essentials. How very Saab.
And even though the new Grandland is larger than the model it replaces, that extra bulk should be relatively easy to wrangle around town. There’s a roster of technology to assist you in tight spots, such as front and rear parking sensors, a rear-view camera (with a self-cleaning function) and a 360-degree parking monitor on higher trims. Higher resolution cameras would be nice, if not essential here.
It’s also worth mentioning that, while the Grandland’s seats-up boot capacity has increased, its maximum boot capacity has fallen ever so slightly from 1652 to 1641 litres. Overall, it’s a more spacious option than the E-3008 and certainly has a bigger boot than the Ford Explorer. I’d still pick a Scenic for interior space and an Enyaq for cargo capacity.
Before you buy
There are three models to choose from – Design, GS and Ultimate – and two of them slip beneath the £40,000 mark, making them cheaper to tax. Going for the £37,345 entry-level Design means you get a skinny 10.0-inch touchscreen, which at least comes with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The good news is that they all come with adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist and traffic sign recognition.
GS trim adds the 3D Vizor with illuminated Griffin and Intelli-Lux HD headlamps. You also get larger 19-inch alloy wheels, as well as a gloss black finish for the roof, rear spoiler and front and rear bumpers. The infotainment screen grows to 16.0 inches, and satnav, that Pixel Box and ambient interior lighting join the fray. At just £1150 more expensive than Design, it’s expected to be the big seller.
Finally, the £40,495 Ultimate adds niceties, such as panoramic glass roof, a heated windscreen, a powered hands-free tailgate, and a head-up display. You also get rear cross traffic alert, lane change assist and a 360-degree surround view parking camera. That’s usefully cheaper than a top-spec Scenic and still undercuts the Tesla Model Y.
Verdict: Vauxhall Grandland Electric
Taking the Vauxhall Grandland Electric purely at face value, and judging it against the best electric SUVs, such as the Renault Scenic E-Tech, Ford Explorer and Skoda Enyaq, it’s up there in terms of usability and interior. It’s undoubtedly a better all-round better bet than the Peugeot e-3008 thanks to its cheaper price and more spacious inside, even if it feels less special inside than its French cousin.
But it could be argued that what Vauxhall wants us to look at with the Grandland Electric is not its many talented rivals, but at the hybrid alternative in its own model range – and come to the conclusion that the EV costs the same on monthlies, and will be cheaper to run if you are able to take up its offer of a free charger to come with the car.
For this, Vauxhall should be lauded, even if there’s some smoke and mirrors here, with the PCP deal being over a lengthy five years, against the hybrid’s four. Given that the upcoming Frontera is the same cash price in EV and ICE forms, the Grandland has some way to go – although price cuts of between £3650 and £4700 since the initial European drive make the gap between Hybrid and Electric Grandland smaller.
And with that out of the way, what are we left with? It’s a perfectly acceptable family SUV that doesn’t put in a bad performance on the road, should offer competitive driving range, and has good seats. It’s not bad, and is certainly a step on from the old Grandland, but neither does it stand out if you take price out of the equation. The Renault Scenic still rules the roost here.