Vauxhall Grandland X 1.6 Hybrid - Opinions? - Vauxhall Grandland hybrid - Zazi

Found a good spec second hand one on offer for £16250 (compared to around £44k when new!) But it's a little dull in looks and and a bit "soft" in handling...

Anyone had experience of this car? It's a lot of car for £16k, but an equivalent Peugeot (3008), built on same base, looks a lot sharper, and has a better quality interior / display even in a lower spec... (The Pug tends to command a slightly higher price, possibly due to badge desirability and better looks / all electronic-instrumentation.)

Any feedback / suggestions / thoughts gratefully received!


Vauxhall Grandland X 1.6 Hybrid - Opinions? - Vauxhall Grandland hybrid - Adampr

I presume this is the PHEV. I haven't driven one, but keep being tempted by the prices. Supposedly very quick off the line but pretty hopeless once you get to a corner.

Vauxhall Grandland X 1.6 Hybrid - Opinions? - Vauxhall Grandland hybrid - badbusdriver

The Grandland X and 3008 are the same car under the skin so it really comes down to price, and which you prefer for looks and interior.

No doubt the Grandland X will be cheaper like for like than the 3008, but it is also obvious that you prefer the 3008!.

I don't mind the looks of the Grandland X and I don't doubt for a minute that many others will prefer its more "conventional" looks and interior (particularly regarding the Peugeot "i-cockpit").

Vauxhall Grandland X 1.6 Hybrid - Opinions? - Vauxhall Grandland hybrid - Zazi

The Grandland X and 3008 are the same car under the skin so it really comes down to price, and which you prefer for looks and interior.

No doubt the Grandland X will be cheaper like for like than the 3008, but it is also obvious that you prefer the 3008!.

I don't mind the looks of the Grandland X and I don't doubt for a minute that many others will prefer its more "conventional" looks and interior (particularly regarding the Peugeot "i-cockpit").

It seems OK inside and outside isn't offensive, just "conventional" compared to the Pug. I must admit I do like the interior and exterior design of the Peugeot, even if they're the same machine underneath. Seems the Peugeot has held it's value more tho.

Vauxhall Grandland X 1.6 Hybrid - Opinions? - Vauxhall Grandland hybrid - Zazi

I presume this is the PHEV. I haven't driven one, but keep being tempted by the prices. Supposedly very quick off the line but pretty hopeless once you get to a corner.

Yes - the PHEV... Very quick and can engage 4 wheel drive, tho electric range is only around 30 miles. Sufficient for short runs / commutes, though.

Didn't feel it wallow around on a short test run, though not much opportunity to really test it!

Vauxhall Grandland X 1.6 Hybrid - Opinions? - Vauxhall Grandland hybrid - Engineer Andy

I do love it these days when £16k for second hand (presumably well over a year old) quite average family car is considered 'cheap'. £44k for a new Vauxhall is an enormous amount of money.

Vauxhall Grandland X 1.6 Hybrid - Opinions? - Vauxhall Grandland hybrid - badbusdriver

I do love it these days when £16k for second hand (presumably well over a year old) quite average family car is considered 'cheap'. £44k for a new Vauxhall is an enormous amount of money.

I also love it when a 300bhp* 4wd SUV is considered a "quite average family car"

*There was also a 225bhp version but, going by Autotrader, hardly anyone bought it.

Vauxhall Grandland X 1.6 Hybrid - Opinions? - Vauxhall Grandland hybrid - Zazi

I do love it these days when £16k for second hand (presumably well over a year old) quite average family car is considered 'cheap'. £44k for a new Vauxhall is an enormous amount of money.

I also love it when a 300bhp* 4wd SUV is considered a "quite average family car"

*There was also a 225bhp version but, going by Autotrader, hardly anyone bought it.

Yeah - 2020, so 4 years old. £44k new was ridiculous for a Vauxhall family car, but buying used does give you a lot of extras for £16k - all possible mod cons, leather interior, etc.

Without the twin electric motors, it's even cheaper. Wondering whether the extra weight of them and their battery is really worth it for 30 miles of electric range.

It's good to get some feedback and does make one consider one's reasoning and thought process. Think I'm being swayed by the interior luxury rather than pure common sense :-)

All the comments have helped, so thank you all!

Vauxhall Grandland X 1.6 Hybrid - Opinions? - Vauxhall Grandland hybrid - badbusdriver

I do love it these days when £16k for second hand (presumably well over a year old) quite average family car is considered 'cheap'. £44k for a new Vauxhall is an enormous amount of money.

I also love it when a 300bhp* 4wd SUV is considered a "quite average family car"

*There was also a 225bhp version but, going by Autotrader, hardly anyone bought it.

Yeah - 2020, so 4 years old. £44k new was ridiculous for a Vauxhall family car, but buying used does give you a lot of extras for £16k - all possible mod cons, leather interior, etc.

Without the twin electric motors, it's even cheaper. Wondering whether the extra weight of them and their battery is really worth it for 30 miles of electric range.

It's good to get some feedback and does make one consider one's reasoning and thought process. Think I'm being swayed by the interior luxury rather than pure common sense :-)

All the comments have helped, so thank you all!

30 miles of electric range was pretty good for a PHEV at the time. Whether or not the is suitable for you is really going to depend on your usage and assumes you can charge at home. If you can charge at home and most of your journeys are short (not necessarily less than 30 miles, though that would obviously be best) and you drive in a manner to extract the most out of the battery range, it could be a shrewd buy.

A couple of my bugbears about cars in general are those which are too big and those which are too heavy. The Grandland X PHEV might not be the former, but it definitely is the latter!. The 1.2 turbo petrol Grandland X weighs around 1300kg, but the PHEV version weighs at least 1800kg (I have seen figures saying as much as 1875kg), a monstrous weight for a car of that size, pretty much same as a current Tesla Model 3 with the biggest battery option!. Because of this, I'm not really a fan of PHEV's myself.

Vauxhall Grandland X 1.6 Hybrid - Opinions? - Vauxhall Grandland hybrid - Xileno

"...and you drive in a manner to extract the most out of the battery range, it could be a shrewd buy."

I think that is the key point. PHEVs do have a weight penalty but the overall efficiency is great if using the electric part a lot. I am leaning towards a PHEV, 99% of my journeys are less than 20 miles but a very occasional longer trip maybe twice a year so the ICE part would deal with range anxiety.

Vauxhall Grandland X 1.6 Hybrid - Opinions? - Vauxhall Grandland hybrid - badbusdriver

Couple of other things you may want to take into account re the Grandland X PHEV (and presumably 3008 PHEV)

First is that the boot isn't that big. I had assumed this would be because of the 4wd (on the 300bhp version), but the quoted capacity of the 2wd (225bhp) version is the same. So presumably the problem is that the battery is under the boot floor. It isn't tiny at 390 litres, but some way short of the 514 you get in the solely ICE versions.

Other thing, when reading the long term test Car magazine did with one of these when they first came out, it was commented that the tyres were very expensive at £192 per corner (in 2020).

Vauxhall Grandland X 1.6 Hybrid - Opinions? - Vauxhall Grandland hybrid - Engineer Andy

"...and you drive in a manner to extract the most out of the battery range, it could be a shrewd buy."

I think that is the key point. PHEVs do have a weight penalty but the overall efficiency is great if using the electric part a lot. I am leaning towards a PHEV, 99% of my journeys are less than 20 miles but a very occasional longer trip maybe twice a year so the ICE part would deal with range anxiety.

Do they (PHEVs) still have that previously very useful PID reduction / exemption? A few years ago, I remember seeing a rash of Mitsubishi Outlander PHEVs on the road locally, even though they are huge beasts and hardly 'efficient' when the EV battery is flat.

Useful if the commuting distance means only a once-a-day recharge at home is necessary.

Vauxhall Grandland X 1.6 Hybrid - Opinions? - Vauxhall Grandland hybrid - Zazi
"1300kg, but the PHEV version weighs at least 1800kg"

Wow! That's a huge difference in weight. That extra weight on long journeys (so losing the electric benefit, but paying the penalty in more petrol used), and the smaller boot, are making me less inclined to take a punt on this...

I generally do short runs (15 miles or less, so a return trip would be within the electric range), but also do some longer trips on occasion - which could work out quite expensive with that weight...

Edited by Zazi on 15/04/2024 at 22:55

Vauxhall Grandland X 1.6 Hybrid - Opinions? - Vauxhall Grandland hybrid - badbusdriver

also do some longer trips on occasion - which could work out quite expensive with that weight...

It will make a difference but maybe not as big as you think. Once up to speed, aerodynamics are a bigger factor than weight (within reason) and remember the car will take on battery charge through brake regeneration, though proportionally less than self charge hybrid because of the much bigger battery. Plus, you could charge on route if stopping for a comfort break.