Vauxhall Grandland Electric review

It’s the second generation Vauxhall Grandland, available for the first time with electric power, in case you hadn’t already guessed by the name. Don’t fret if that’s not to your taste because there’s a mild hybrid petrol version available too. Click these blue words if it’s those you’re after.

So new power, but recognisably Vauxhall, complete with the firm’s signature ‘3D Vizor’ front end treatment. It now gets a front light bar and illuminated logo plus 'Intelli-Lux' HD headlights with over 25,000 individual pixels each side, while round the back the Vauxhall lettering lights up too. Snazzy.

It’s also had a growth spurt, expanding in all directions to free up more passenger room (particularly in the rear) and a bigger boot too.

Rivals include the Peugeot e-3008 (with which it shares the same powertrain and platform), Volkswagen ID.4, Toyota bZ4X, Skoda Enyaq, Nissan Ariya, Ford Explorer, Hyundai Ioniq 5… we could go on, but you know the type. In this company it's more about trying to work out why you shouldn't go for the Skoda.

So hit me with some figures...

The Grandland Electric offers a single 210bhp motor driving the front wheels (good for 0–62mph in 9.0 seconds exactly and a 106mph top speed) and a 73kWh nickel-manganese-cobalt battery rated at 325 miles of WLTP range.

If you need more miles, there's a 98kWh battery version coming with up to 435 miles of range... in the lab. We've driven the 73kWh model (not in the lab) in winter and it struggles to get past 200 miles on a full charge despite the standard fit heat pump – the likes of Hyundai and Kia manage the colder conditions much better.

And don’t go expecting much fun when it comes to the drive, which is a little wooden, with an overly firm ride to boot. Still, 160kW fast charging means a 20-80 per cent is achievable in under half an hour and there’s an 11kW onboard AC charger too. Head over to the Driving tab for more.

Is the cabin all futuristic too?

It looks smart, it’s well furnished but it’s not as space-age as some of its rivals, and certainly doesn’t have quite the same wow factor as the e-3008, for example. But that’s been the story between these two Stellantis stablemates for a while now, and it’s undoubtedly better than the previous generation Grandland.

Highlights include a 10-inch digital instrument panel and 10- or 16-inch widescreen infotainment display complete with proper climate control buttons, comfortable AGR-certified seats (good for your back, apparently) plus extra rear leg and boot room. Tasteful, see. Click through to the Interior tab for more.

What else do I need to know?

Prices start at £37,345, a smidge less than £3k over the hybrid model (though the gap is actually even smaller in the plusher trims). That's substantially less than the entry e-3008, although that's partly because the Peugeot doesn't have a 'base' spec as such. A comparable Enyaq is a good few grand more (because a facelifted version is coming) as is an ID.4. TL;DR, the Grandland Electric is cheaper than most similarly sized cars. Tidy.

The Grandland Electric is just fine – it looks smart, the cabin feels upmarket and it does exactly what it says on the tin as a compact crossover – but it doesn't really excel in any one particular area. Sure, the electric powertrain suits its rather bland driving dynamics and general easygoing demeanour, but this is a car you'll buy with your sensible shoes on, and not those fluorescent trainers you got on a whim and haven't worn since.

We suspect Vauxhall knows this, because prices have been slashed by several thousand since launch and as a result it undercuts almost all of the rivals you'd care to mention in the same breath. And while that makes it a value option, that old saying still rings true: you get what you pay for...