Vauxhall Grandland Review & Prices

This is the Vauxhall Grandland, a spacious and practical family SUV with a quality cabin and that’s comfortable to drive. Alternatives are much more interesting, both in the way they look and the way they drive, but few offer such a good mix of size and price.

It’s a bit like getting a white t-shirt from H&M rather than a trendier brand like All Saints – it essentially does the same thing, but it’s a head over heart decision made with one eye on your bank balance.

Being a mid-size SUV, there are seemingly endless alternatives to choose from. The Grandland shares much under the skin with the more fashion-conscious Peugeot 3008, while you could also consider the Skoda Karoq, Nissan Qashqai, Kia Sportage and Volkswagen Tiguan, to name but a few. If you’re considering an electric car, there’s also the Vauxhall Grandland Electric.

You won’t exactly fall head over heels at first sight, because the Vauxhall Grandland is one of the most anonymous SUVs on the market. The light-up Vauxhall badge at the front is cool - not available on the base trim, sadly - and at the back the brand name is integrated into the rear light bar. But these don't manage to stop the Grandland from looking just a bit plain.

Things improve a lot inside. If you’re coming out of the previous-generation Grandland you’ll be sold on this model the second you plonk yourself in the driver’s seat. It’s functional to the Peugeot 3008’s fashionable, but there are multiple layers, material finishes and colours to give it a simple yet appealing appearance – and everything feels well put together, too.

You get two screens on all models, which have high-resolution displays with clear graphics – though the entry-level version gets a smaller infotainment display. Navigating between menus on the main touchscreen is more intuitive and quicker than previous Vauxhall models, though it’s still a touch laggy compared to the very best. Top-spec models get an excellent head-up display too.

It’s roomy inside and those in the front get useful storage. In the back seats you get decent knee room and loads of headroom, though it’s a bit of a squeeze for three. The materials generally feel pretty good too; while not as quality as the front you’re not short-changed with scratchy plastics where you rest your arm. Fitting a child seat should be easy enough thanks to the space on offer.

Boot space is above average at 550 litres. You get more in a Volkswagen Tiguan and Hyundai Tucson, but most other alternatives have less space in the boot. Unless you’re regularly buying Swedish flat pack furniture you’re unlikely to need more room.

Out on the road the Vauxhall Grandland is at its best at a steady motorway cruise. There’s a bit of tyre noise but it’s largely quiet, refined and happy to sit at higher speeds. Getting up to those higher speeds is a bit of an issue, because the 1.2-litre petrol engine really feels like it’s straining to lug this big SUV around.

However, under steady acceleration and at town speeds this is barely noticeable. The engine has a little electric support that helps here, and the car can actually run very short distances on electric power alone.

The suspension deals well with bumps on the whole. You notice sharp edges such as potholes at town speeds, but as you pick up the pace it smooths out lumps and bumps in the road much better. This comfort focus does mean that there’s not much fun to be had on a twisty road, where a Ford Kuga is certainly better.

The Grandland is a good car, it's just the Peugeot 3008 is a bit better and a bit cooler for similar money. It’s a bit flash, though, so if the extra boot space and under the radar styling appeals, see how much you could save with Carwow’s Vauxhall Grandland deals. You can also get a great price on a used Grandland, as well as other used Vauxhalls from our network of trusted dealers. When it’s time to sell your current car, Carwow can help with that, too.

At first glance, the fact that the Vauxhall Grandland has jumped a few grand in price over the old one could be cause for concern, but it’s a bigger car now with a much, much nicer interior, and the forthcoming Frontera will be more of a value proposition if budget is a key concern.

Among alternatives it’s far from a budget option, with the Grandland starting at around the same price as the Peugeot 3008, Volkswagen Tiguan and Nissan Qashqai. Indeed, entry-level models are pricier than equivalent versions of the Mini Countryman, Skoda Karoq, Kia Sportage and Hyundai Tucson. However, you can get a fully loaded version of the Vauxhall for less than top-spec versions of most of those cars.

There are just three trim levels to choose from. Design models get LED headlights, two screens inside and some useful assistance kit such as lane-keeping and cruise control. Mid-spec GS versions get more advanced headlights, a bigger touchscreen and an illuminated badge on the front. Go for the top-spec Ultimate model and you get a panoramic glass roof, upgraded Focal sound system and more advanced assistance kit.

Comfortable and refined at higher speeds, but the engine feels underpowered

In town

Driving around town is easy enough in the Vauxhall Grandland. It’s not a proper hybrid, but the petrol engine has a little electric support and can run on electric power for very short distances, which help you make smooth, quiet progress in slow-moving traffic.

Comfort’s pretty good on the whole, though the suspension does struggle with short, sharp impacts, such as potholes, which can send a bit of a judder through the cabin.

The Grandland feels fairly big, but visibility is fine all around so it’s not too tricky to place on the road. You get rear parking sensors as standard to help in a tight spot, but GS models get a rear-view camera and Ultimate versions upgrade to a full 360-degree view.

On the motorway

If you do a lot of motorway miles the Vauxhall Grandland is a comfortable companion. There’s a bit of tyre noise, but nothing too drastic, so it’s otherwise quiet and refined. The suspension smooths out at higher speeds too, so you barely notice cracks in the road that might have made you wince at lower speeds.

Assistance kit is well-implemented, so you don’t feel the urge to turn off the standard-fit lane-keeping systems because they’re only there if you get things really wrong. Adaptive cruise control is standard, but top-spec models get ‘Intelli-Drive 2.0’, which bundles some other clever stuff like lane change assistance and automatic speed adjustment for curves in the road.

On a twisty road

If you’re looking for a family SUV that’ll put a smile on your face on your favourite B road then the Vauxhall Grandland is not the one. It’s fine, because there’s enough grip from the tyres and the body doesn’t roll too much, but the steering is light and the engine lacks the oomph to propel you quickly out of corners, which doesn’t exactly encourage spirited driving. Look to the Ford Kuga if that's your thing.

Usefully practical throughout the cabin and boot, but the rear seats aren’t hugely spacious for three

The Vauxhall Grandland is really spacious up front and feels pretty light and airy. There could be a bit more adjustment in the seat and steering wheel to get a comfortable driving position, but you sit nice and high for a good view of the road ahead.

Storage is excellent, with a large space beneath the armrest and another tray under the centre console. There are two cup holders with nifty moveable arms to grip different bottle sizes. In entry-level models there’s another tray beneath the screen, but in GS and Ultimate trims this is replaced by a covered space with the wireless charger. It’s behind an opaque screen with the idea being that your phone isn’t visible on the move, but when you stop it illuminates so you see it and don’t leave it in there. Feels a bit gimmicky but works aesthetically, at least.

Space in the back seats

There’s plenty of space in the back, with enough kneeroom for a six-footer sitting behind a six-foot driver. Headroom is generous too, though it’s not quite as good for three, because the middle seat passenger’s knees will push into the front seats and shoulder room is a bit tight.

Fitting a child seat should be easy enough because there’s quite a bit of space to the seats in front. The ISOFIX mounting points are a bit fiddly to get to though, because they’re behind zips in the seat fabric.

Boot space

The Vauxhall Grandland has a 550-litre boot, which puts it slightly above average compared with what alternatives offer. The Volkswagen Tiguan leads the pack with 652 litres, followed by the Hyundai Tucson at 620 litres and Kia Sportage at 591 litres. The Peugeot 3008 (520 litres), Nissan Qashqai (504 litres) and Mini Countryman (460 litres) are all less spacious.

The space itself is usefully square, and there’s a good amount of underfloor storage too. You also get small clips that let you hold the floor up so you have both hands free to load items into this space, too.

The Vauxhall Grandland interior has a simple class and feels well put together, but alternatives offer more style

The Vauxhall Grandland has comfortably the best interior of any Vauxhall. The dashboard is multi-layered with various materials and muted colours that, while far from posh and premium, give the car a simple elegance. The Peugeot 3008’s ‘80s lounge vibe is infinitely cooler, and a Volkswagen Tiguan feels more high-tech, but there’s very little to complain about aesthetically in the Vauxhall.

Material quality is fine too, because while there’s not much in the way of premium, squishy plastics, nothing feels particularly cheap either. And you can poke and prod the trim without worrying about breaking anything off, too.

On GS and Design trims you get a 16.0-inch infotainment display in the centre, which is very wide but not very tall, which takes some getting used to, and means the sat nav struggles to show you a good distance ahead. However, the new menu designs are an improvement on older Vauxhalls and it’s easy enough to find your way around menus, though there’s still just enough lag in your inputs to be mildly annoying.

Top-spec models get an excellent head-up display, which looms large in your view of the road ahead. It displays enough information that you rarely have to look away from the road at the displays in the car, something you really notice when you jump into a model without it.

There’s just the one engine in the Vauxhall Grandland, and although it’s referred to as a hybrid, it's actually a mild hybrid. This means it has a small electric motor to take the load off the 1.2-litre petrol engine to improve economy. You can drive on electric power alone for very small distances at low speeds, too.

Official fuel economy is up to 51.4mpg, but 40-45mpg is more likely. One drawback of the engine is that it feels underpowered for a car of this size, so you really need to work it hard to get up to higher speeds, particularly on steep inclines, which is bad for economy.

Because it’s not a full hybrid, CO2 emissions are fairly high so it’s not hugely competitive for company car drivers, with Benefit-in-Kind (BiK) ratings of 29-30% depending on spec. The Vauxhall Grandland Electric is a better bet here, because it’s zero emissions and therefore has a rock bottom BiK rate as well as no Vehicle Excise Duty to pay.

The Vauxhall Grandland has not been put through the latest Euro NCAP safety tests yet. Most recent Vauxhall models have scored four out of five, which is a little disappointing, usually scoring poorly on driver assistance kit and vulnerable road user protection.

This version should fare slightly better in this regard, because the standard assistance kit is pretty good. You get adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking with in-crash braking assistance, and intelligent speed adaptation. Top-spec models get some more kit including semi-autonomous lane changing and automatic curve speed adaptation.

Although the Vauxhall Grandland is too new to get a picture of its reliability, Vauxhall as a brand didn’t perform particularly well in the latest Driver Power owner satisfaction survey, coming 26th out of 32 manufacturers. However, the previous Grandland did much better, ranking 23rd in the top 50 cars to own list.

Vauxhall’s warranty is about the minimum you get from a car maker in the UK, at three years or 60,000 miles (with unlimited mileage in the first year). The likes of Toyota, Kia and Hyundai offer much better warranties.