Bigger, bolder Vauxhall Grandland brings 325-mile EV for £41k

The new second-generation Vauxhall Grandland is bigger, bolder and better-equipped than its predecessor - and available as an EV for the first time. 

The SUV, which is Vauxhall's first model to use parent company Stellantis's flexible STLA Medium platform, is now available to order ahead of deliveries beginning in October, with a base price of £34,700.

That price is for the entry-level 134bhp hybrid, representing an increase of around £2600 over the previous version of the Grandland with that powertrain.

This combines a three-cylinder petrol engine with a 28bhp 48V motor, driving the front wheels through a six-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox.

The cheapest version of the 208bhp Grandland Electric – which has a 73kWh for a range of up to 325 miles – bumps the price up to £40,995.

The EV and ICE cars are more obviously comparable on a PCP deal: both are available with a deposit of just over £2000 and monthly payments of £469, although that's for a four-year term on the ICE car and five years on the EV, which accounts for the cost difference.

The Grandland Electric will next year be made available with a larger 98kWh pack (also due to be offered on the closely related Peugeot e-3008) for a range of up to 435 miles. All EVs will be able to charge at a speed of 160kW.

Both powertrains are available in combination with Design, GS and Ultimate trims, and more variants are expected to be added to the line-up in due course.

Standard equipment includes a pair of screens, smartphone mirroring, a split-folding rear bench and LED lights. Higher trims add more advanced driver-assistance features, bespoke styling cues and a larger 16in infotainment touchscreen, up from 10in. 

Taking inspiration from the Experimental concept revealed in 2022, the Grandland has been designed in line with Vauxhall's new-era design language, with a focus on aerodynamic optimisation to extend the range of the EV.

“In our mind, we said we want the car to be electric-first visually,” said head designer Mark Adams. “Even if you can go and get an ICE powertrain, it's about projecting its sleek and modern lines and not being overly decorated.”

The Grandland is the final Vauxhall to receive an EV option, following the unveiling earlier this year of the smaller Frontera crossover to replace the Crossland.

The next new Vauxhall is expected to be the Manta, a rakish coupé-SUV sitting between the two. 

​As it moves onto the new platform, the Grandland has grown 173mm in length, 31mm in height and 64mm in width, making it a substantially larger car.

This larger footprint takes Vauxhall into new territory, giving it a rival to the likes of the Toyota RAV4 and Nissan X-Trail.

However, Adams added: “We didn't want to go huge and the car become too big and cumbersome for people. We still wanted it to work in normal parking conditions and not be too massive but at the same time be at the top end of the C-segment.”

Simplicity was key, too, said Adams: “We're not over-decorating these things. We feel it's the technology and the nice materials that people want to appreciate and not things like vents and lots of chrome.”

The Grandland’s trick new headlights use 25,600 LEDs apiece and are joined by a new, transparent version of Vauxhall’s Vizor visage, which features an illuminated griffin logo for the first time.

At the rear, the Vauxhall brand name is spelled out and illuminated as part of the slim wraparound light bar, with Grandland embossed at the bottom of the boot lid, rather than written out in chrome. 

Buyers can choose from 19in and 20in alloy wheels.

Inside, the Grandland ditches Vauxhall’s Pure Panel digital interface for a slimmer 10in driver’s display and a separate 16in infotainment touchscreen, which can receive over-the-air software updates and is equipped with ChatGPT artificial intelligence.

At its base, Vauxhall has stuck with physical buttons for the radio and air-conditioning, and such controls feature on the steering wheel as well. 

The wireless charging pad in the centre console has a semi-transparent casing that lights up red or green according to your phone’s state of charge.

Due to the Grandland's larger proportions, there's 20mm of additional leg room for rear passengers over the previous car. 

Q&A: Mark Adams, design vice-president, Vauxhall

What's your attitude to tracing heritage? 

“I always say you should have half an eye on your heritage, be proud of your heritage. But I don't want to overuse it. I'm not a great fan of [heritage design] for our brand. I want to really make us do things that are progressive and modern and not to not try too hard either.”

How can we expect your interiors to evolve in future?

“In [the Grandland], we've de-emphasised cluster. With the Astra, we have [the] Pure Panel, but for the future, we're not saying Pure Panel, we're talking about pure experience. So it's connected, but Pure Panel was more hardware-related.”

So can we expect to see you go for a more minimalist approach?

“That's definitely more in the direction that we're heading. We want people to get into a Vauxhall in the coming years, and it may be a different interior, it may be a different car, but it’s familiar - but not in a boring way, in an easy way.”