A GRANDER DESIGN (some text hidden) SECTIONED_new_vauxhallgrandland_2022

By Jonathan Crouch

Introductionword count: 75

From 2021, the first generation version of Vauxhall's Grandland mid-sized SUV no longer had an 'X' in its name - but it remained an affordable, well equipped mid-sized SUV and in this updated form gained a sharper look and a much more modern cabin. The conventional engines are frugal and if you happen to want a used car of this size with a Plug-in Hybrid unit, it's one of the cheaper options in its segment.

Modelsword count: 10

5dr SUV (1.2 Turbo, 1.5 Turbo D, 1.6 petrol Hybrid)

Historyword count: 193

When the original version of this car, badged the 'Grandland X' was launched in 2017, it was quite a late entrant to the mid-sized SUV segment. Or that's what you might think anyway. Actually, Vauxhall competed half-heartedly in this sector for nearly a decade between 2006 and 2015 with its Korean-built Antara, which replaced the Luton-built Frontera model launched way back in 1991. Neither of these crossovers really hit the segment sweet spot though and neither was helped by brittle build quality that could charitably be described as 'patchy'. By the middle of this century's second decade though, Vauxhall had got on board with the kind of SUV modern family buyers really wanted, launching its supermini-based Mokka model in 2012 and shortly afterwards, entering into an agreement with Peugeot to share the engineering of two further contenders in this class, the original Grandland X model being one of them. Four years on, it shed the 'X' part of its badge and gained a smarter look both inside and out, creating the car we're going to look at here. The Grandland sold in this form until the second generation model was launched in mid-2024.

What You Getword count: 233

As well as losing an 'X' (in its name), the post 2021-era version of this Grandland gained quite a lot in terms of its adoption of the brand's far more interesting 'Vizor' trim detailing on the front of the car. This saw Vauxhall's revamped Griffin logo proudly positioned in the centre, flanked by slim LED headlamps and more muscular bumpers. Inside, changes were made with the adoption of Vauxhall's Pure Panel cockpit with two widescreen displays for more of a digital experience. Ahead of the driver there was an instrument display of 12-inches in size, offering up essential information, while the central 10-inch monitor controls all infotainment via a touchscreen. As before, driver and passengers benefitted from the elevated seating position typical of an SUV, which ensures good visibility in all situations. In the rear in terms of legroom, there's space for an average-sized adult to sit behind a six-foot driver in reasonable comfort. Like most cars in this class, you'd really be pushing things if you wanted to try and accommodate three adults back here but a reasonably low centre transmission tunnel makes that possible if need be. Finally, let's consider the boot. Once the tailgate raises, you're faced with a square, usable space, though it's not particularly large in the Hybrid variant - just 390-litres. There's a much more satisfying 514-litre capacity if you opt for one of the conventional engines.

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