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UK Drive: Vauxhall’s Grandland X Ultimate falls short of the mark

The Grandland X Ultimate sits at the top of Vauxhall’s SUV specification range. Jack Evans heads out to see what it’s like

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The Grandland X is the largest SUV in the Vauxhall range

What is it?

The Grandland X is Vauxhall’s own offering into the ever-prosperous SUV segment, and shares its underpinnings with the popular Peugeot 3008. We’re testing it here in range-topping Ultimate trim, with a 2.0-litre turbocharged diesel engine providing power. In fact, this powerplant is only available with the Ultimate specification, and can’t be added to any other equipment level.

What’s new?

The Ultimate trim puts this at the top of the specification pecking order. It means this Vauxhall can boast an exhaustive amount of standard equipment, as well as a reasonably hefty price tag – £34,280, in the case of our test car.

The Grandland X struggles when riding on 19-inch alloys
(PA)

The rest is much the same as the regular Grandland X, with just two-wheel drive rather than four as you may be lead to believe thanks to the car’s chunky, go-anywhere styling.

What’s under the bonnet?

The Grandland X’s 2.0-litre engine here produces 175bhp and a decent slug of torque – 400Nm in fact. Power is sent to the front wheels through an eight-speed automatic gearbox, and the sprint to 60mph is dealt with in a reasonable 9.1 seconds. All-in, the Grandland X will hit 133mph.

The Grandland X benefits from a large boot
(PA)

Fuel economy is decent, with Vauxhall claiming 57.6mpg on the combined cycle, while emissions sit at 128g/km CO2. They’re respectable figures for what is still quite a large, heavy SUV. It should help families – who the Grandland X is directly aimed at – to keep fuel costs down. However, its placement in group 24 for insurance is considerably higher than the rest of the Grandland range, which sits around the 15 mark.

What’s it like to drive?

Let’s get one thing straight; when a car sits on larger alloy wheels, you usually expect there to be a certain amount of firmness added to the way it rides. Potholes send a little more shock into the cabin, and there may be a touch extra road noise when travelling at speed. This, we can expect. However, the Grandland X’s 19-inch alloy wheels come close to ruining the whole driving experience, as they simply add too much jostle to the way the car progresses.

The Vauxhall Grandland X is another entry into the busy SUV segment
(PA)

Pair this with relatively light steering, and you have a car which simply doesn’t feel all that comfortable on anything but diamond-smooth roads. We’ve driven the car on smaller alloys and the difference is night and day – opt for the larger wheels, and you’ll likely find yourself asking why you ticked that box at all.

How does it look?

We can’t argue with the way that the Grandland X looks. Our test car, in optional two-cat metallic ‘Topaz Blue’ paint, looked stylish enough parked up, while a range of chrome highlights helped give it a more premium air. Those large alloy wheels do look good, and though we’re quite sure you’ll appreciate them when parked, we can’t say the same for when you’re up and running.

The Grandland X does benefit from some strong styling touches
(PA)

It’s certainly one of the best exterior paint colours we’ve seen for the Grandland X, and would be our choice if it was our car. The contrast black roof and door mirrors do add to the car’s presence as well.

What’s it like inside?

The interior of the Grandland X is, for the most part, a well-built and solid place to be. Certainly, there are some harsher plastics if you’re willing to look for them, and the area around the window switches does have a disconcerting amount of flex to it, but the overall experience is a positive one.

There’s not much room in the back of the car, however. In truth, only children will be comfortable here with adults likely to be left struggling for both head and legroom. The offset of this is a decent size boot, however, which offers up 514 litres of space with the rear seats in place. This can be extended further thanks to seats that split 60/40.

What’s the spec like?

When it comes to standard equipment, Vauxhall really has thrown everything it can at the Grandland X in ‘Ultimate’ specification. Features such as an eight-inch touchscreen infotainment system, Bluetooth connectivity and a Denon premium stereo are all included in its price.

The premium Denon stereo produces a decent sound
(PA)

You’ll also find dual-zone climate control, automatic cruise control and adaptive LED headlights as part of the package as well. It’s a comprehensive list of goodies, but then this is a car commanding a price tag perilously close to £35,000 after options.

A big plus with the Ultimate specification is the inclusion of a full 360-degree parking camera, which does aid when positioning the car at slower speeds. Though not one of the largest SUVs on the market, the extra help is certainly welcome – particularly in tighter car parks.

Verdict

At lower prices, the Grandland X does reasonably well to contend with more established segment rivals. It doesn’t look bad, has quite a lot of standard equipment and can offer good value-for-money. However, this Ultimate version is simply far too expensive, and its driving experience is pretty much ruined by the addition of 19-inch alloy wheels. Were it our choice, we’d be looking at a lower-spec, smaller-wheeled version.

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