Vauxhall Grandland Electric

All-new second generation of Vauxhall's big family SUV gains an electric variant with a 325-mile range There’s plenty to like about the Vauxhall Grandland Electric, there really is. In a crowded class, it’s competitive on range, design, space and price, and has little that should deter buyers or put them off. Lots to like, then. There’s just not much that you’ll love.That might not be a barrier to buyers out there looking for an electric family SUV: this is a thoroughly sensible package from a familiar brand. It’s the sort of thing Vauxhall has done well lately. And, much as it can feel like damning with faint praise, there’s a lot to be said for quiet competence. It's the sort of benign approach that the Nissan Qashqai does well, and that's proven to be quite popular.This is the second-generation Grandland, and the first to gain an electric version. And just to complete the podium, it's the third model to arrive on the STLA Medium platform, after the Peugeot e-3008 and Peugeot e-5008.You can still get it with a combustion engine, too: you can read our main Vauxhall Grandland review to find out more about 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 210bhp electric motor on the front wheels for a WLTP range of up to 325 miles (although the feature on our Ultimate-spec test car means it could 'only' go 318 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, allowing for a range-topping model with 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.