• Petrol MPG not great
• Hybrid is much more efficient
• Rivals have longer warranties

What are the running costs?

According to the WLTP figures, a petrol manual Vauxhall Grandland can achieve fuel economy of around 45mpg, while the optional automatic gearbox knocks it back a couple of miles-per-gallon. In our experience, though, low- to mid-30s is a more realistic prospect, which isn’t great for this kind of car.

The Grandland Hybrid is much more efficient. Economy of around 50mpg is possible on the WLTP cycle and we found it’ll comfortably clear 40mpg however you drive it. The multi-hundreds MPG achieved by the plug-in hybrid in lab testing is purely theoretical in the real world; more relevant is the 20-30 miles of electric range available – against WLTP figures in the high 30s to low 40s, depending on the model.

The highest real-world MPG figures are posted by the diesel, which shows over 50mpg on the WLTP cycle. Expect to see around 45mpg in reality, which is undistinguished against rival diesel mid-size SUVs.

15

Servicing and warranty

Vauxhall’s servicing charges are at the lower end of the scale, but they can be made yet more affordable by opting for a fixed-price service plan. Several plans are available, which can be paid for in instalments or a lump sum.

The warranty lasts for the industry standard three years or 60,000 miles, with unlimited miles in the first year. But much more generous warranties are offered by Hyundai, Kia and Toyota on their mid-size SUVs. The plug-in hybrid’s battery is covered separately for eight years or 100,000 miles, guaranteeing at least 70% of the battery’s capacity will remain at the end of the period.

Reliability

• Vauxhall doesn’t have the best track record
• 12 recalls for the old Grandland X
• Lessons seem to have been learned

Vauxhall tends to not perform especially well in reliability and owner satisfaction surveys – neither does Peugeot and Citroen, whose technology the Grandland uses extensively. Still, there are no fundamental flaws with it, even if it has proven somewhat recall prone.

No less than 12 recalls were issued for the pre-facelift Grandland X, many of them relating to the diesel engine, others to the suspension of all models. But it seems the bugs were ironed out for the facelifted version, with only one recall issued for a handful of cars. You can check out what recalls have been issued for any car on the government website; any outstanding recalls are also now listed on a car’s MOT certificate.

So, the Grandland is unlikely to present any issues but, if you really value reliability, a Toyota C-HR or Honda HR-V will be more reassuring.