Like most car manufacturers Vauxhall is going electric and plans to have an electric version of every passenger model by 2024.
The Corsa-e will be with us soon and the new Grandland X Hybrid4 is the company’s first SUV with plug-in technology and also the most powerful production model Vauxhall makes. The car’s 296bhp comes courtesy of twin electric motors and a 1.6-litre four-cylinder petrol engine.
The Grandland X can drive on purely electric power for up to 35 miles at up to 84mph (or 146mph with all guns blazing), and as most car journeys are only seven or eight miles, Vauxhall claims 80 per cent of buyers will be able to do most of their driving without bothering the petrol engine at all.
However, when you do feel the need, the car’s three power sources give it impressive shove as well as four-wheel-drive. Nought to 60mph takes just 5.9 seconds, and in the top-spec Ultimate Nav version which we tested, there is also a paddle shift gearchange for when you are feeling playful.
Under the skin this is the same car as a Peugeot 3008 SUV, which is no bad thing. However, the Vauxhall’s cabin, although reasonably well finished, is nothing like as interesting as the Peugeot’s, with its tactile controls and digital instrument cluster. The Grandland makes do with analogue dials and restrained piano black detailing.
The styling is also less interesting than the Peugeot. The front has Vauxhall’s neat corporate look but the rear looks indistinguishable from a dozen other SUVs.
It is always difficult to assess accurately what sort of fuel consumption this type of hybrid vehicle will achieve because it is all a matter of how it is used. Vauxhall claim 204mpg, while our test car’s computer said it was doing about 42mpg.
While the Grandland does have four-wheel-drive it is not an all-out off-roader, but we tried the car over very boggy conditions on a special course in Windsor Great Park and it felt sure-footed and never in any danger of getting stuck in the mud. And that was on ordinary road tyres.
On the road the car feels poised and comfortable and the cabin is roomy if a bit bland. The eight-speed auto gearbox on our test car worked smoothly and it pulls off the tricky task of being happy to pootle about quietly in electric mode or producing beefy acceleration and 520Nm of torque when required.
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In top spec the Grandland X look pricey at £46,650 for a non-premium brand with limited styling appeal. But with its green credentials the entry-level two-wheel-drive version at £32,390 makes a better case for itself for company car drivers.
Details: Vauxhall Grandland X Hybrid4
Top speed: 146mph
0-60mph: 5.9 secs
Economy: 204mpg (claimed)
Price: £46,650