New Vauxhall Grandland reveals futuristic flair and long-range EV

Vauxhall’s radically redesigned SUV promises to take care of your spine, and the planet. With impressive sustainability and innovative features, the second gen Grandland is just as space age as it looks…

From Toyota’s new Supra to the first-generation Renault Captur, the annals of motoring design are chocked with stunning concept cars that were diluted beyond recognition by the time they made it to final production. However, while it’s not exactly the spitting image of the Vauxhall Experimental which inspired it, we’d argue the new Grandland is actually better looking. 

Quite the claim, but it seems Vauxhall’s handsome SUV skirmish has picked up the pace, following last week’s equally attractive revival of the Frontera nameplate. It doesn’t just look futuristic, either, there’s some intriguing engineering going on behind the scenes.

Based on an entirely new STLA platform, the latest Grandland is noticeably larger than before – some 17cm longer and 6cm wider than the outgoing model. Whether you like or loath that assertion, the increased size has enhanced passenger space, boot capacity, and paved the way for a large 98kWh battery pack in the all-electric Grandland. But more on the powertrain range later. 

In terms of styling, both the exterior and interior of the new model are leaps and bounds ahead of its predecessor. Aside from the imposing stance and two-tone “floating roof”, its Vauxhall’s use of light which makes the Grandland so eye-catching. At the front, the characteristic vizor grille is now illuminated using Edge Light Technology, as is the Griffin logo, while new Intelli-Lux Pixel Matrix HD headlights boast over 50,000 elements for maximum visibility and distribution.

The sci-fi inspired theme continues inside. As far as the eye can see, every fabric is 100% recycled which Vauxhall says produces “…an appealing and tactile cockpit”. The seats are equally revelatory: pneumatic pockets in the bolsters, plus heating, cooling, and massage functions, earn these chairs an ergonomic award from the German Campaign for Healthier Backs (AGR).  

That’s all very impressive, but no amount of high-tech seats or trick headlights will save this range-topping SUV if the powertrains and driving experience don’t live up to rivals like Nissan’s X-Trail and Volvo’s XC60. As such, we don’t blame Vauxhall for hedging its bets: the Grandland is available as a mild-hybrid petrol, plug-in hybrid, or an all-electric model.

A 28hp electric motor paired to a 136hp 1.2-litre turbocharged three-cylinder petrol kicks the range off. Move up one rung, and you’ll get a plug-in version offering up to 53 miles of pure electric range. That means the flagship Grandland is, you guessed it, a full EV. And with a claimed 435 miles in the pack, it’s a pretty useful one too. While we don’t have any official performance figures to offer yet, the EV is likely to be the fastest in the Grandland line-up and, with standard ultra efficient  Michelin e.Primacy rubber, should have no trouble hitting its range target.

As for how it feels behind the wheel, we’ll have to reserve judgment until the first press cars make it to British shores. Rest assured though, Vauxhall has taken its sweet time to get the dynamics just right. For example, unique shock-absorbers utilise frequency selective damping (FSD) technology to essentially tailor the car’s response to any surface – softer over rough terrain, sportier through fast corners. There’s also custom anti-roll bar, spring, steering, and traction control tuning.

Prefer being chauffeured to corner carving? The Grantland’s suite of semi-automotous driving tech, entitled Intelli-Drive 2.0, offers automatic cruise control, extended traffic sign recognition, and even semi-automated lane changing on the motorway.  

Interested? Vauxhall opens the order books in summer 2024, with deliveries set to start in the autumn. And, though there’s no official pricing to speak of yet, with its combination of futuristic style and versatile range of powerplants, don’t expect it to hang around for long.  

Is this the new-age SUV you’ve been waiting for? Let us know if you’d have the ICE or EV Grandland.

Hero image credit:  Stellantis