Overview

We don’t normally discuss style on Parkers, but you can’t help notice the Vauxhall Grandland Hybrid is a lot more striking than its dowdy predecessor. However, it takes more than looks to become one of the best SUVs, with the Grandland expanding in both size and power choice. There’s no plain petrol or diesel anymore, with the Grandland Electric, plug-in hybrid and hybrid your options. Like the platform, these power units are shared with the Peugeot 3008.

This review tackles the mild-hybrid petrol Grandland, which finds itself competing in a crowded market sector, tackling some of the biggest nameplates on the market. Both the hybrid-powered Kia Sportage and Nissan Qashqai are regular top 10 bestsellers, but there are other strong players, such as the Ford Kuga, class-leading Skoda Karoq, Volkswagen Tiguan and Renault Austral to consider. If Vauxhall wants to hunt in those waters it’s going to need to be very good.

We’ve driven the Grandland in Germany and on UK roads, and had a good poke around inside, too. If you want to see how we reach our verdicts, be sure to head over to our how we test cars page.

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What’s it like inside?

Because the Mk2 Grandland is 173mm longer than the old model, it’s roomier on the inside. Vauxhall says it has liberated an extra 20mm of legroom for those in the back, and having lined-up a six footer in the rear behind a similarly-sized front-seat passenger at the international launch, I can confirm it’s roomier. These gains come about not only because of the increase in length, but because the new SUV is also 19mm taller and 64mm wider than before, so head and shoulder room should be noticeably improved. The Kia Sportage and Hyundai Tucson are even more spacious, though.

Vauxhall has given the new Grandland more storage space, too. The car’s seats-up boot capacity has risen from 514 litres to 550 litres – and there are now more than 35 litres of storage bins dotted around the cabin, including smartphone pockets for the front seat backs and Vauxhall’s clever new Pixel Box in the dashboard. This is a specially designed cubby for your smartphone, with built-in wireless charger and a glass lid.

Vauxhall has created new AGR-approved (AGR is a German organisation that promotes back health) seats for the Grandland, which is a good thing because they were a key selling point for the old model, and are improved further. Naturally, though, the new car’s seats get additional features, including power-adjustable bolsters and heating and ventilation functions if you raid the options list. The two testers that have experienced them found the front seats particularly comfortable, with no back issues after a mixed motorway and B-road run.

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The focal point of the interior is the Grandland’s new 16.0-inch infotainment system. It’s slim, wide and mounted high up on the dashboard to help minimise the amount of time you need to divert your attention away from the road. It’s teamed with a new digital gauge cluster and head-up display. In use, although the system is good looking and responsive, the driver’s display is a little on the small side, which means it’s not as clear as rivals such as the Volkswagen Tiguan or Renault Austral, which both offer larger displays.

Vauxhall has designed the SUV’s ergonomics intelligently, too. Instead of moving all the controls on to the touchscreen, like you get in electric cars from the Volkswagen Group, there’s a row of proper buttons for items like the air conditioning and demister. With a few configurable shortcuts assigned on the infotainment system as well, you don’t have to dive into menus as often as rivals.

One final nicety is the new ‘Pure’ display mode. This pares back the information on the Grandland’s infotainment screen and gauge cluster to the bare minimum to again cut back on driver distraction (working a bit like Saab’s old ‘Night Panel’ button). That should really cut down the visual clutter that afflicts so many cars at night.

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Vauxhall Grandland engines

Right now, your only choice is the 136hp 1.2-litre three-cylinder turbo petrol that’s shared with what feels like a million-and-one other cars in the Stellantis (Peugeot/Citroen/DS/Vauxhall/Fiat etc) range. The punchy little engine is combined with a 28hp electric motor/0.9kWh battery combo, and paired with a six-speed dual clutch transmission.

The electric motor assists with startup and driving away from rest, while also enabling fully electric driving for very limited periods. Careful driving should see you approaching 50mpg, with even a spirited drive generating high 30s fuel economy.

There were some refinement issues with our test car in Germany, with some clunkiness from the hybrid system. Our RHD UK car seemed better behaved, but we’ve got coming for a week to make sure Vauxhall’s done its homework and smoothed things out.

However, this drivetrain is a little overwhelmed by the Grandland’s 1.6-tonne kerbweight. We don’t see too many £35k cars with a 0-62mph time of more than 10 seconds these days, but this is one of them, taking 10.2 seconds for the benchmark. In normal driving, it feels adequate enough, but should you need to overtake, carry lots of people, or go into the hills, it will rapidly run out of puff.

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What’s it like to drive?

As is the way these days, you get drive modes. In this case, it’s Eco, Normal and Sport that trim the way it goes by adjusting the steering, braking and engine response. In this car, it’s an unneccessary luxury, as it handles and steers well enough in the default Normal mode. Either way, it does feel different from the Peugeot 3008, which at least means there’s a genuine choice between the two.

Taking it on a B-road home is no chore thanks to the effectiveness of its frequency selective dampers. The body control is above average, and in corners it feels planted and reasonably composed. We’d have liked more steering feel, but there were no complaints from us about its precision or weighting. While it grips well and is certainly better to drive than a Kia Sportage, you’ll have more fun in a Ford Kuga.

On the motorway, it feels grown-up and at home. Refinement is good once the engine has settled down and noise levels are impressively low. It’s at its most comfortable here, although you’ll still feel expansion joints thwack through the car. That’s because the suspension is stiff to deal with the weight and provide decent cornering. Around town it’s particularly firm, so do try before you buy.

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What models and trims are available?

There are three models to choose from – Design, GS and Ultimate. Going for the £34,700 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.

£36,650 GS trim adds fancier lights with an illuminated badge and light bar, plus 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. 

Finally, the £38,400 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.

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What else should I know?

The big news is that the Grandland features the latest generation of Vauxhall’s Intelli-Lux Matrix LED lights. The pair of lamps feature 51,200 LED elements between them, which the brand says can better cut vehicles out of their beam pattern to avoid dazzling oncoming road users.

You also get the usual roster of driver assistance tech, including adaptive cruise control, traffic sign recognition and a crash braking function which will lock the car’s brakes in place if you have a shunt to help to prevent a secondary accident.

Even though Vauxhall has made the new Grandland larger than the old car, it shouldn’t be too difficult to thread around town, either. The list of available parking assistance technology includes front and rear parking sensors, a rear-view camera (complete with a clever self-cleaning function) and a 360-degree parking monitor.

But is the new Grandland really worth considering. Yes, it’s a better car than its precessor, but is it good enough to topple the best of the opposition? Click through to our verdict page to find out.