Vauxhall Grandland Review 2025

The previous-generation Vauxhall Grandland — nee Grandland X — was improved throughout its production run but not significantly enough to shine brighter than the hordes of similarly priced and sized rival family SUVs. This time around it's a completely new car on a fresh platform but is that enough for the Grandland stand out? Short answer — no. If you want the long answer, read on for our full Vauxhall Grandland review.

Arriving in 2017 during a period of change for the British brand, the first Vauxhall Grandland emerged just after the firm was acquired by the group now known as Stellantis. Originally badged Vauxhall Grandland X, it shared much in common with the contemporary Citroen C5 Aircross and Peugeot 5008 ranges but it struggled to make a significant market impression.

That's not to say it was a bad car, rather one that had to contend with a list of rivals as long as your arm. The facelifted Grandland, which dropped the X suffix from its name, was better but was still far from our first choice of family-sized SUV. And the all-new version? It's much the same story. 

Part of the problem for Vauxhall is that the Mk2 Grandland is related to an even broader range of Stellantis models, increasing the in-house competition before externally produced SUV alternatives are considered. Already there's the latest Peugeot 5008 and an new generation of Citroen C5 Aircross is just months away. By the end of the year the next Jeep Compass will be on sale using the same underpinnings, plus there are upmarket takes on the formula including the DS No8 and the forthcoming Lancia Gamma.

Two drive systems are available for the Vauxhall Grandland — the 136PS mild-hybrid 1.2-litre petrol we're covering here and a 213PS battery-powered alternative we'll cover in a separate Vauxhall Grandland Electric review. While some European markets also have a 1.6-litre plug-in hybrid option, there are no plans to sell it in the UK.

Despite the backing of this massive manufacturing organisation with its bigger box of bits, as well as looking a whole lot more stylish than before, the latest Vauxhall Grandland still lacks wow-factor. Its improved interior still manages to be dreary, suggesting that there's an unwritten internal rule that Vauxhall cabins must be a sea of grey, plus it remains so-so to drive. 

That long list of competitors the Grandland is up against has continued to grow over the years, several of which — such as the Kia Sportage and the Skoda Karoq — are not only better than the Vauxhall, they're also cheaper.

Being distinctly average isn't going to help its chances but the Vauxhall Grandland claws back some ground by being well-equipped, particularly in the mid-range GS trim. If you can get a good deal on a lease or PCP, there's no strong reason not to buy one — the flipside is there's nothing to recommend it over the likes of the Sportage, Karoq and others when on more equal monetary terms.

The Vauxhall Grandland's ride never seems to settle, with a constant jiggling even on roads that are as smooth as UK's shoddy highways network goes. It doesn't take speed bumps with a great deal of grace and things don't iron-out significantly at higher speeds either. 

This normally means a car is set up quite firmly but that's not the case with the Grandland, which leans significantly in corners when driven quickly. Grip and traction are okay, particularly at lower speeds when the Grandland gets on with the job just fine. 

Although the Grandland makes quite a ruckus when getting up to cruising speeds, once you're there and the revs settle, engine noise blends into the background, while wind and road noise similarly well-suppressed. 

In line with other Stellantis models with the same hardware, the Vauxhall Grandland Hybrid uses a 1.2-litre turbocharged three-cylinder engine togther with a compact electric motor for a total of 136PS and 230Nm of torque.

Despite use of the Hybrid label, what's fitted here is not a 'full' or self-charging arrangement but a mild-hybrid type with a little 0.89kWh battery pack.

When the engine needs to work together with the electric motor, the transition can be clunky. Making decent progress involves revving the diminutive unit quite hard, at which point it doesn't sound all that happy. Vauxhall quotes a 126mph top speed for the Grandland [mild] Hybrid while the 0-62mph benchmark takes a leisurely 10.2 seconds to complete.

Leisurely also aptly describes the automatic gear changes. We used to associate dual-clutch gearboxes with snappy, blink-and-you'll-miss-tem shifts but the Grandland's six-speed e-DCT6 transmission never seems in a great hurry to switch ratios, even when in Sport mode which feels tokenistic in such a family car anyway. 

On a more positive note, the 1.2-litre engine is more refined than some other three-cylinder alternatives, such as though found in various Renault and Dacia models, while there's sufficient soundproofing to ensure it doesn't grate too badly when revving high.

In several Continental European countries the Grandland is also available as plug-in hybrid featuring 1.6-litre engine with a beefier electric motor for a 194PS total output capable of up to 53.4 miles of electric-only driving. Vauxhall has no current plans to offer this option in the UK.

Illustrating how closely related the Vauxhall Grandland is to other models produced by Stellantis, the crash-testing experts at Euro NCAP haven't deemed it necessary to assess its safety levels specifically, instead effectively treating it as a derivative of the Peuegot 3008 with the same overall four-star rating.

As such the Grandland inherits scores of 82% for adult occupant protection, 85% for child occupants, 79% for vulnerable road uers and 62% for its on-board safety assist systems.

In terms of safety equipment, all Grandlands get eight airbags, lane-keeping assistance, automatic emergency braking, traffic sign recognition and a driver alertness monitor.

The towing capacities for the mild hybrid-powered Vauxhall Grandland range are disappointing. It's certified to haul a maximum braked trailer capacity of just 1100kg. 

There's roominess within the Vauxhall Grandland's cabin, both in the back and the front — headroom is decent for all passengers. What's less positive is forward visibility, with the Grandland featuring some particularly chunky windscreen pillars. Rear visibility is nothing to write home about, either, so it might be worth upgrading to the GS specification simply for its standard rear parking camera. 

Boot space is a useful 550 litres with the rear seats in place, comparing favourably with the Nissan Qashqai's 504 litres, although a Skoda Karoq fitted with the clever Varioflex seats can take up to 588 litres. Fold the Grandland's seats flat and you have 1645 litres to play with. 

There's a decent-sized cubby at the bottom of the centre console with a sliding lid and semi-transparent portion at the front giving a glimpse of your phone when it's sitting on the wireless charging pad, assuming you've gone for a GS or Ultimate model equipped with one.

Behind that in the same unit is a neat dual cupholder with a middle portion of which can move fore and aft, so whether you're ordering an espresso or a giant latte, a snug fit for optimal spillage avoidance should be possible. 

When it comes to material quality the Vauxhall Grandland is a mixed bag. Yes, it seems more upmarket than its predecessor, with nice touches including various fabric-covered surfaces but there are plenty of cheaper-feeling bits of trim as well. That's particularly the case with the faux carbon fibre that clads the top of the dashboard, the air vents and the centre console. 

Everything is assembled just fine, though, with no ill-fitting bits of trim or rough edges.

There are two sizes of infotainment screen available with the Vauxhall Grandland although each uses the same ultra-wide housing. Bear that in mind if you opt for the entry-level Design trim with its 10.0-inch setup as you're left with two blanking panels on either side of the touchscreen surface.

Upgrading to the full-width 16.0-inch system in GS and Ultimate specification models not only includes integrated navigation and wireless smartphone connectivity, it fills the housing entirely. That said, we're not convinced by this short but wide layout. Not only does it make the portions to the far left quite a stretch from the driver's seat, the limited screen real estate means several icons are smaller than is ideal.

This is particularly the case for the fan speed icon, which is barely visible to the driver. The Grandland does win back some points for having physical controls for both the fan speed and two sets of temperature adjusters for both climate control zones. 

In terms of responsiveness the touchscreen is just fine and its menu system is easy to get your head around.

The cheapest Vauxhall Grandland equipped with the 1.2-litre mild hybrid-assisted petrol engine is the Design, weighing in at £35,655, while it's £37,605 and £39,355 respectively for the same engine in GS or Ultimate specification. 

Although it's a bit bigger, we'd pit the Grandland against cars like the Kia Sportage costing from £30,170 and Skoda Karoq which can be had from £30,940. Both are better cars overall as well as being cheaper in terms of up-front cost. There are many comparable PCP deals from rivals too.

An in-house rival is probably going to deal the worst blow in terms of making the Grandland look a bit pricey for what it is. That's the incoming Mk2 Citroen C5 Aircross, which is made from a lot of the same bits and pieces — and even looks quite similar. 

From what we've seen so far, it's more interesting inside and it comes with the Citroen-exclusive Advanced Comfort seats and suspension, plus Citroen models tend to be priced below their Vauxhalls.

Also similar is the latest Peugeot 5008 which starts at £39,490 when fitted with the same mild-hybrid engine. However, there's no 'entry-level' equipment grade that's similar to Vauxhall's Design trim plus the Peugeot is longer and has seven seats as standard.

The official WLTP Combined cycle fuel economy figure for the Hybrid-badged Vauxhall Grandland is 50.4-51.4mpg, which is better than a lot of rivals manage. We weren't all that far away from replicating this number during our test of the car, either.

All versions currently escape the government's £425 annual Expensive Car Supplement — also known as the premium car tax — payable from years two to six of ownership, as they're below the £40,000 threshold. Add some options to the Ultimate model in particular, and you'll easily pass that figure.

Unlike its electrically powered twin, it's unlikely that many company car drivers will be swayed by the Grandland when fitted with the 1.2-litre mild hybrid engine thanks to CO2 emissions of 124-126g/km. They place it in the 30% Benefit-in-Kind (BiK) taxation band for 2025/26 while the EV models are charged at just 3%.

There are three levels of specification available for the Hybrid-badged Vauxhall Grandland — Design, GS and Ultimate.

Gateway to the range is the Vauxhall Grandland Design which includes the following items as standard:

• 19-inch alloy wheels
• Front and rear LED lights
• Dual-zone climate control
• 10-inch touchscreen infotainment system
• Front and rear parking sensors
• Power-folding electric mirrors
• Adaptive cruise control

Upgrading to the Vauxhall Grandland GS adds:

• 19-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels
• Illuminated Griffin logos
• 16-inch infotainment system
• Wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto
• Wireless smartphone charger
• Ambient lighting
• Auto-dimming rear-view mirror
• Rear view camera
• Adaptive cruise control with stop and go
• Pixel HD LED headlights

Topping the range is the Vauxhall Grandland Ultimate which additionally features: 

• 20-inch alloy wheels
• Powered tailgate
• Heated windscreen
• Uprated fabric trim with vinyl inserts
• Front and rear reading lights
• Head-up display
• Focal sound system
• 360-degree parking camera
• Panoramic sunroof