Vauxhall Grandland Electric review

All-new second generation of Vauxhall's big family SUV gains an electric variant with a 325-mile range

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The Stellantis EV onslaught continues with this: the new Vauxhall Grandland Electric. It's the third model to arrive on the STLA Medium platform, after the Peugeot e-3008 and Peugeot e-5008.

You will be able to get it with a combustion engine, too: head to our main Vauxhall Grandland review for that. For this review, we will focus on the battery-powered version.

The Grandland Electric gets the same 73kWh nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) battery as the e-3008, mated to a 207bhp electric motor on the front wheels for a WLTP range of up to 325 miles. Rapid charging can be done at speeds of up to 160kW for a 10-80% charge in some 25 minutes.

A 98kWh battery option will arrive next year, giving an official range of 435 miles.

This car is a five-seater, and there's no word of a seven-seater any time soon, so the Grandland is taking on a huge variety of rivals, ranging from the Volkswagen ID 4, Renault Scenic E-Tech and MG ZS EV right up to the BMW iX1, Mercedes-Benz EQA and Tesla Model Y – not forgetting its platform-mate, the e-3008.

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DESIGN & STYLING

02 Vauxhall Opel Grandland Electric 2024 review front cornering

The Grandland falls into the overwhelmingly competitive ‘mid-sized-SUV-ish-family-hatchback-thing’ class, and at 4.65m long with a 2.78m wheelbase, it’s a touch bigger than the Scenic or Ford Explorer but a very similar size to the ID 4.

It’s hardly a ground-breaking design, but the '3D Vizor' front grille is fairly striking, especially on the GS and Ultimate models, which have the griffin logo illuminated. The 'Vauxhall' script on the bootlid is also illuminated and you get 19in alloy wheels on every version.

It can fall a little flat in dark colours, like the blue of the Grandland Hybrid reviewed elsewhere on this website, but there are also some interesting colours to choose from, including Impact Copper, which is a '70s-esque shade that some might suggest is metallic brown. We’re all for it.

INTERIOR

09 Vauxhall Opel Grandland Electric 2024 review dashboard

The interior is a strong point with the Grandland, as it’s noticeably more ergonomic than the e-3008's, albeit maybe not quite as flashy to look at.

The dashboard is a fairly simple structure of horizontal lines, but it’s finished in some pleasingly tactile textiles that look very smart and are present throughout the cabin. The centre console is high, so it feels as if it bisects the driver and front passenger. It's finished in some hard, matt plastics that aren’t unpleasant but maybe don’t feel quite as high-end as in some rivals. Mind you, in many ways that’s still preferable to the piano black finish that’s common these days, as you won’t spend half your life buffing fingerprints off the dash.

There are some cute design touches, though: on the GS and Ultimate models, you get a ‘Pixel Box’, which is a wireless phone charging pad that’s secreted away beneath a glass lid.

As for tech, the base Design gets two 10in screens, while higher-spec models get a 16in touchscreen. Configurable button on the home page and physical air-con controls are all very welcome features, plus there’s the essential wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and over-the-air software update compatibility.

It has to be said that the graphics aren’t quite up there with Audi and BMW, and it can be a touch laggy at times, but this new infotainment system (also seen in the 3008 and 5008) is usefully better to use than any previous Stellantis infotainment set-up.

There’s also the option of a head-up display, if you want it.

The seats are very comfortable, as well as upholstered in 100% recycled material, with even the manually controlled seats in lower-spec cars getting adjustable thigh support and lumbar support, although it would be good if the seats would drop a bit lower.

Space is good up front and in the back, where passengers have masses of leg room, very decent head room, a centre rear armrest and a couple of USB-C charging ports.

The boot is a very good size: at 550 litres, it's almost up there with the Skoda Enyaq and Tesla Model Y for sheer roominess, plus the rear seats are split 40/20/40.

There’s no frunk, though, so you will have to make do with the underfloor cable storage in the boot.  

ENGINES & PERFORMANCE

17 Vauxhall Opel Grandland Electric 2024 review charge port

The Grandland Electric has a single 207bhp electric motor powering its front wheels, making it good for 0-62mph in 9.0sec. (The bigger-battery model coming in 2025 will offer more power and four-wheel drive.)

That’s fairly sedate by the standard of this class, and while the Grandland Electric doesn’t feel underpowered when it’s only carrying a couple of people, we have a suspicion that it could feel strained when full of people and stuff or if you decide to utilise the 1200kg towing limit. Still, as long as you avoid Eco driving mode, which really neuters the accelerator pedal’s response, it feels just fine to breeze along in at lower speeds. It’s all perfectly easy to modulate and judge, not to mention pleasantly refined.

There are three regenerative braking modes to choose from, none of which is quite heavy enough for one-pedal driving, but you can toggle through them via the steering wheel paddles - which is useful and straightforward. Hyundai's and Kia's regen system is still more flexible, but the Grandland’s is intuitive and doesn’t feel grabby, which is all that most will need or want.

There’s no official word on bi-directional or vehicle-to-load charging from Vauxhall yet, but other Stellantis brands have said that those things will be coming, so watch this space.

Otherwise, charging speeds are up to 160kW for 10-80% charge in 26 minutes, and you get a heat pump as standard to help with winter efficiency.

As for real-world range, we managed 3.4mpkWh on our test drive in northern Denmark, which suggests around 250 miles should be achievable in varied summer running.

RIDE & HANDLING

18 Vauxhall Opel Grandland Electric 2024 review front corner

The Grandland is very fit for purpose when it comes to ride and handling – nothing more, nothing less. It gets frequency-selective damping as standard, and on 20in alloy wheels, it keeps the ride reasonably calm. But it’s not without a subtle yet constant fidget over scruffy town surfaces, and while that settles down at higher speeds, it’s replaced by a more jarring bump absorption over sharper-edged potholes and ruts.

Don’t get us wrong; it’s not as if you drive the Grandland down the road thinking ‘blimey, this is uncomfortable'. In fact, it’s impressively hushed and softly sprung, so feels rather likeably old-school in the way it goes down the road. But the finer ride comfort aspects can reveal how hard the suspension is working to keep the Grandland’s mass in check, and the bigger wheels of our top-spec test car don’t help matters, either.

The steering is nicely weighted – a touch heavier than in many rivals, and with a slim-rimmed steering wheel that’s pleasant to use. You can make it heavier still with the Sport mode (accessible via a physical button on the console, which is always better than a screen menu), but the Grandland just isn’t a car that feels like it warrants a Sport mode.

MPG & RUNNING COSTS

01 Vauxhall Opel Grandland Electric 2024 review lead driving

The Grandland undercuts a lot of its rivals on list price, especially when you factor in the amount of equipment that it comes with. It makes the e-3008 look expensive, even if the longer-range Scenic still looks better on purchase price.

Mind you, Vauxhall does typically offer really decent PCP finance or leasing costs, so the Grandland may well be a good bet if you pay monthly. 

A three-year/60,000 mile warranty with separate coverage of eight years/100,000 miles for the battery is par for the course with many manufacturers but seriously underwhelming next to the longer warranties provided by Hyundai, Kia, MG, Peugeot and Toyota.

VERDICT

20 Vauxhall Opel Grandland Electric 2024 review static two grandland

Overall, the refinement, tech and space on offer in the Grandland Electric will make it a very serviceable and effective family EV, while list price and monthly costs are very competitive.

If you just want a practical, easy-going electric family car, it will tick all the boxes – but it's one of those worthy yet unremarkable cars that may struggle to stand out among its many and varied rivals.