Note that this review is based on our initial drive of the Vauxhall Grandland GSe.
Our full review and verdict (complete with the car's overall score, plus scores for safety, reliability and more) will be available to Which? members once all our extensive lab and road tests are complete.
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Vauxhall Grandland GSe overview
The 14.2kWh battery has an official range of 41 miles, and the Grandland GSe is able to drive on electricity alone at speeds of up to 84mph.
As the most expensive Vauxhall car currently on sale, it comes with plenty of equipment as standard. Sports seats and styling enhancements are part of the performance image of the GSe trim level, while parking assistance technology, a wireless phone charger and a heated windscreen are also fitted as standard.
A night vision system (which uses an infrared camera to detect pedestrians and animals ahead of the car) and a fast 7.4kW charger are the only optional extras available.
What's the Vauxhall Grandland GSe great at?
Despite its performance-focused setup, it’s very practical thanks to its spacious cabin and usable boot. We found the sports seats offer excellent levels of comfort for the driver.
What's the Vauxhall Grandland GSe like to drive?
With 296hp available, power is rarely in short supply. The car accelerates well and even though there’s a slight delay before the turbo kicks in, you won’t be waiting ages for the power to arrive. It doesn’t accelerate as quickly in electric-only mode, but we found overall performance to be more than adequate.
There are four different drive modes to choose from: electric, hybrid, sport and four-wheel drive. In our test drives, we found that the eight-speed automatic gearbox works best when the car is in hybrid mode. In sport mode, we found it slow to react when engine revs increased and can jerk when changing down.The gearbox is less obtrusive when driving in hybrid mode, although you can occasionally notice it changing gear in the background. The firmer suspension setup of the Grandland GSe improves ride comfort on motorways and in town, but despite the four-wheel drive system it’s very uncomfortable to drive on unpaved or poorly surfaced roads.
Thanks to the revised steering system, the Grandland is assured to drive as there’s not much body roll in the corners. It grips well, and even though it isn’t as involving as some rivals, it’s still a good car to drive. A regenerative braking system is fitted to the GSe and can be activated on the gear-shift toggle, allowing you to top up the battery while driving.
Unlike newer models in the Vauxhall range, the interior of the Grandland doesn’t have the same minimalist feel, but there are easy-to-use physical controls for the volume and climate control. The standard (but quite small) 10-inch touchscreen is simple to operate, too.
That said, there’s a lot of wasted space around the edges of the screen which we feel could have been used to increase the amount of information available to view. There’s no option to add a head-up display, either.All-round visibility is decent thanks to the raised ride height. The rear-view camera is a useful addition, as wide rear pillars with small windows restrict how much you can see out of the back window.How reliable is the Vauxhall Grandland GSe?
We haven’t received enough information about the Vauxhall Grandland GSe to assess its reliability. However, we have heard from enough Vauxhall owners to rate the dependability of the brand as a whole.
How comfortable and spacious is it?
Practicality has always been an important selling point of the Grandland, and on this first impression, this GSe version appears to be no less spacious than the rest of the PHEV Grandland range.
It’s easy to get in and out of the car, thanks to the raised ride height, and there’s plenty of space for taller people to sit comfortably in the front. Rear headroom is also good and although there’s less legroom, it’s still reasonably spacious. We’ll provide lab-tested measurements in our full review.
Sports seats are fitted to GSe models. They’re not electrically adjustable, but we found them both comfortable and supportive.
Vauxhall says that the GSe has 390 litres of boot space, which increases to 1,528 litres when the rear seats are folded. As with all cars, we’ll see if these claims are true once we’ve lab tested this car.
Like the regular Grandland, the rear seats fold in a 60/40 configuration and even though the boot is some way above the ground, the load lip is relatively small. A hands-free electric tailgate is standard on GSe models, which makes loading the boot easier.
How economical is it to run?
As with most other PHEVs, the manufacturer claims that the Grandland GSe is remarkably economical, with a lofty official fuel economy figure of 235.4mpg. However, this is dependent on keeping the battery topped up. Our lab tests will reveal what happens to fuel consumption when the battery is empty.
How safe is the Vauxhall Grandland GSe?
All Vauxhall Grandland models have a five-star Euro NCAP rating, with the rating for the original Grandland X that was crash-tested back in 2017 being applicable across the range.
As a top-of-the-range model, the Grandland GSe has a comprehensive amount of safety equipment, all of which comes as standard. This includes a 360-degree camera, traffic-sign recognition and adaptive headlights, along with blind-spot monitoring, adaptive cruise control and autonomous emergency braking.
Like other Grandland models, it comes with six airbags.
Vauxhall Grandland GSe: Which? first drive verdict
Price: from £43,700
Pros: Practical, comfortable seats, powerful drive
Cons: Mixed suspension comfort, gearbox can be jerky, confusing touchscreen
The Vauxhall Grandland GSe has lost none of the practicality of other Grandland models, but is starting to get long in the tooth as its interior isn’t as up to date as other cars in the Vauxhall range. It's certainly engaging to drive and promises a decent electric driving range, but isn’t the cheapest or most modern-feeling PHEV SUV available.
source https://www.which.co.uk/news/article/vauxhall-grandland-gse-2023-first-drive-review-adKk92l7Pqid