New Vauxhall Grandland 2024 preview: walkaround, specs and full details

This is the all-new Vauxhall Grandland, and it’s a big deal. Since joining the vast Stellantis group the British brand has already effectively leveraged the car platforms that became available to it, but this is the first time that Vauxhall has been there right at the inception of a new architecture. It might share a name and segment with the previous Vauxhall Grandland, but this new one represents a huge step forward – both in terms of its technical elements and its design. 

The new Vauxhall Grandland will be launched in both all-electric and combustion forms, drawing its technical basis from Stellantis’ new STLA-M platform that you’ll also find in use by Peugeot with its new E-3008. The two share an awful lot under the skin, but even when you look really hard there’s little on the surface to suggest that is the case. 

This is no longer the plainly-styled and value-focused mid-size SUV alternative that the previous Vauxhall Grandland was. Instead Vauxhall has gone all-out to create its own distinctive style and presence, with clever design tricks and a convincingly premium interior. 

What powertrain options and performance can we expect?

Vauxhall will offer the new Grandland in a wide range of powertrain options, with an entry-level mild-hybrid petrol and more expensive EV options right from the off. A plug-in hybrid will join later with up to 50 miles of electric range, but Vauxhall has almost all the bases covered unless you’re looking for a diesel. 

The entry-level mild-hybrid model uses a 1.2-litre turbocharged three-cylinder engine with a small integrated starter motor and generator that runs on a 48V electrical system. On its own, the petrol produces a fairly meagre 134bhp, but this is aided by the e-motor which can produce a further 28bhp. 

As well as boosting overall performance, the MHEV system also extends the car’s engine-off running at high speeds and the start-stop system – all in an effort to reduce fuel consumption. 

11

Yet as with other STLA-M models, the Grandland has been predominantly designed to suit an all-electric powertrain, with three different motor and battery combinations expected to be available. It’s still too early to report on precise performance figures, but based on its Peugeot cousin we can suggest performance will be similar, taking into account the Vauxhall’s slightly larger footprint and therefore higher weights. 

There will be two battery options available: 73kWh and 98kWh, in both cases mounted between the axles in a flat bank under the cabin. The 73kWh model will be offered with two motor layouts – the first is a single, front-mounted 208bhp motor that will open up the EV range. Vauxhall has yet to confirm potential availability, but Peugeot also offers a high-spec dual-motor option with up to 310bhp paired to the smaller battery. 

A plug-in model will join the range somewhere down the line, combining the same 1.2-litre three-cylinder engine with a larger e-motor and battery pack that should be able to drive for up to 50 miles on electric power alone. There are no diesel variants planned. 

What do we know about the efficiency and running costs?

Vauxhall has only revealed preliminary details of the new Grandland so far, but we can ascertain some details from the closely related Peugeot E-3008. 

Vauxhall is predicting a maximum range of 435 miles with the larger 98kWh battery pack. It’ll also be able to charge from 10 to 80 per cent in 26 minutes, but for now that’s about all the official details Vauxhall is willing to give. In all cases, Vauxhall uses a 400V architecture that’ll allow for up to 160kW charging - enough to top-up the battery from 10-80 per cent in around 26 minutes. 

Beyond this there’s little official information, but we can use the very closely related Peugeot as a guide to predict other numbers we could expect. This includes a potential 320-mile range for the smaller 73kWh battery. We can do the same with the mild-hybrid option, which in the Peugeot posts WLTP figures of 44 to 52mpg combined with CO2 emissions of 122 to 143g/km. 

What is the exterior and interior design like?

Vauxhall underwent a big design revolution with the release of the current generation Mokka and its ‘Vizor’ front end, but the new Grandland takes that a step further on a bigger canvas. The Grandland has been designed under the leadership of Mark Adams, who told Auto Express that the new SUV was a natural progression of design themes introduced on Mokka, only taken much further. 

11

The most arresting element is the new three-dimensional Vizor which dominates the front-end design. Instead of darkened lights flanking a solid black graphic, the new Grandland has a transparent structure that houses lighting elements and an illuminated Griffin badge. The new headlights include faster-acting active lighting elements and a three-dimensional aspect to their daytime lighting signatures.

In the flesh you notice that the edges of the lighting housings are clear, allowing you to look through their sides to give the whole front end a completely unique appearance. It’s difficult to articulate when viewed in pictures, but the Vizor almost looks like some sort of mobile fish tank. 

The rest of the design is no less interesting, with a conspicuous lack of chrome elements, flush fitting glass and the removal of all weather strips below the door mirrors. This was also introduced in the Peugeot 3008, and will appear on other cars using the Stellantis STLA platform, but few other manufacturers offer it – Range Rover and Aston Martin being some of the exceptions. 

Vauxhall has applied a similar effect to the rear lights, which now reside within a full-width lighting element. The illuminated ‘Vauxhall’ script is another first, but potentially more successful are the rear light units themselves – once again reinterpreted as three-dimensional structures within their clear acrylic casing.

With the Frontera now doing the heavy lifting as Vauxhall’s budget SUV option, the Grandland has been pushed upwards both in terms of size and its design detailing. Unlike before, this Vauxhall doesn’t feel thrown together but carefully curated. And this is just as true when it comes to the interior. 

Just like the outside, serious thought and attention has been paid to the details inside. There are two key elements to it -  design and material choices. Keen to move away from the common dual-screen design that has previously been a theme of Vauxhall interiors, the new Grandland has a far more interesting feeling thanks to multiple surfaces and clever design elements. 

There’s a new 16-inch wide aspect-ratio touchscreen display that neatly sits atop the dashboard, with a much slimmer display in front of the driver. Vauxhall has retained physical controls for the heating and ventilation, and the new steering wheel is both smaller and slightly oblong in shape – another emerging trend.

11

The centre console is also a highlight. The fabric-covered central bin doesn’t just feature a wireless phone charger, but also a clever transparent wall facing the driver that hides the phone when it’s not in use but will illuminate it when you come to a stop.

The cabin also displays a heavy emphasis on material use. Nothing in here is plush or luxurious, that’s not really what the new Vauxhall Grandland is about. Instead, everything has a technical feeling, with contrasting textures and finishes in a single, simple colour palette. Overall quality is also very good in-person, even taking into consideration that the example we saw is a late prototype.   

What do we know about the infotainment system? 

On top of the new chassis, exterior and interior design architecture, Vauxhall’s also introducing a brand new digital interface on the Grandland. The screen resolution and brightness looks very good, but the model we interacted with was in a demo mode, rather than a factory setup. Apple CarPlay and Andriod Auto are standard fit, wireless for the former. 

Beyond this, the 10-inch display in front of the driver sits neatly behind the new, smaller oblong steering wheel. It’s less configurable than you might find on the closely related Peugeot 3008 but counters with a large head-up display. 

The separate heating and ventilation controls are also a nice bonus, but you can still control more specific elements of the climate control system via the main touchscreen. 

How practical is the Vauxhall Grandland and how big is the boot space?

The new Vauxhall Grandland is a considerably bigger car than the last generation model. It adds a whopping 173mm in terms of overall length, which has significant benefits to both rear-seat legroom (up 20mm) and bootspace (up 36 litres).

The second row is more sophisticated then before, with a 40:20:40 split allowing for maximum variability. When the second row is folded, bootspace increases from 550 litres to 1,640 litres, not including an extra little bit of under-boot storage. 

11

Vauxhall is also keen to emphasise the 35 litres of cabin storage for odds and ends. This includes a deep and wide centre console, plus a clever ‘Pixel box’. This small carpeted housing is where you’ll find the wireless charging pad, but it also has a semi-transparent front section which has a couple of clever uses. 

Thanks to the angle of the charging pad, if your phone’s screen illuminates it then becomes visible through the glazed section of the holder. When you exit the car, there’s also a small light inside that will shine on your phone to remind you it’s in there.

What safety tech does the Vauxhall Grandland have?

All Grandlands will be launched with a comprehensive range of standard passive and active safety features across all models. This includes an active cruise control system with a ‘stop and go’ function, traffic sign recognition, intelligent speed adaption and automatic autonomous braking, plus all-round parking sensors and a 360-degree camera system.

Beyond this, Vauxhall’s updated Intelli-drive 2.0 system can also be fitted, which includes steering assist and a semi-autonomous lane-change assist system. It’ll also actively prompt to change the set speed when a limit change is coming, but, unlike on some systems, this will need to be confirmed by the driver first. All models will have all-round sensors and a 360-degree camera.

What will the Vauxhall Grandland price be?

No local pricing has been set, but due to the Grandland’s new up-market placement, we expect prices will go up. The current Vauxhall Grandland is priced from just under £30,000 and hits a ceiling at £38,000, but we expect the base price of the new entry-level mild-hybrid to start in the low-to-mid £30,000s.

Electric Vauxhall Grandland models should kick off at closer to £50,000, which places them in a much more competitive marketplace. In terms of rivals, the Grandland occupies a space between the Peugeot 3008 and 5008 in terms of size. It shares its wheelbase with the former, but has a boxier design that unlocks more cargo space – but not enough for a third row. 

Rivals vary depending on the powertrain, but petrol models will probably be cross-shopped with cars like the Hyundai Tuscon, Kia Sportage, Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4 – not to mention the Stellantis family rivals like the aforementioned Peugeot and Jeep Compass. In the electric space, there’s a more disparate collection of cars such as the Nissan Ariya, Skoda Enyaq, Hyundai Ioniq 5, and perhaps even the Audi Q4 e-tron for buyers to consider. 

What do you think of the new Vauxhall Grandland? Let us know in the comments section...