Vauxhall Grandland Electric review: A sensible choice, but superb value for money

Vauxhall recently announced that the starting prices for its entire range would squeeze in below the £40,000 "luxury tax" bracket. And when I read that, this was the car that came to mind.

It's the Grandland Electric. And in "Ultimate" spec, it's really rather lavish. Yet, even with electric propulsion, it costs £39,995. And that's honestly quite a bargain.

What's even more remarkable, is it's the broadly the same price as the petrol hybrid version. There's a wider gulf between price in the lower specs, but it's still impressive.

To dispense with some housekeeping first, the battery is a 73KWh unit that can charge at up to 160kw and allegedly cover 325 miles, a heat pump as standard, and there's 210bhp on offer, which is good for 0-60mph in nine seconds.

The exterior looks great, especially in the Impact Copper of my test car, and it wears Vauxhall's standard "3D Visor" styling language really well. I particularly like the illuminated light bars and logos.

Inside, it's all a bit less cohesive in terms of styling, and a few more physical buttons would be nice, but it feels individual enough, there are some neat storage solutions, and it's light and airy.

A 16-inch infotainment screen dominates the dashboard in this trim level, along with a smaller display for the driver.

The oh-so-annoying suite of safety bongs is there to ruin your day, of course, but thankfully Vauxhall has put in a driver profile shortcut button which allows you to quickly turn them off. We need to see more of this please, manufacturers.

There's decent space in the back seats of the Grandland, a 550 litre boot, but no "frunk", and the false floor in the boot is a little fiddly. But on the whole, it's a really nice, comfortable interior.

The Grandland's driving dynamics are its weakest point. Not that we should ever expect thrills and spills from this sector, but even a trick set of dampers struggle to tame a 2,700kg weight, and you can tell.

It's really not that quick, either. Not that that will be a problem for most buyers, but some EV evangelists are starting to expect vivid acceleration, and the Grandland just doesn't offer it.

As for efficiency, it's pretty adequate. Despite the weight, I was able to top 4mi/kWh on a warm day and I gather it's not as good in cold weather, but it should still be good to get close to 300 miles of range in the right conditions, if driven carefully.

It's fair to say there isn't a particular area in which the Grandland excels, but it's all pretty good. That is, apart from the deals available if you did want to buy one.

Vauxhall dealers can now offer an "Electric All In" package, which gives you eight years of roadside assistance, 10,000 miles of home charging through Octopus, and a £500 contribution to a home charging wallbox.

You also get six months of free use of the Connect Plus Pack, which is worth having, a three-year warranty, and an eight-year battery warranty.

The Grandland, then, is a sensible choice for sensible people. If you're a trendy instagrammer or you buy your clothes from high-street fashion stores, it probably won't suit you.

But if you like a practical, sensible car that represents superb value for money, it's going to be just your cup of tea.

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