Vauxhall’s development under PSA ownership continues, and the Grandland X is is the newest model to benefit from significant investment in real-world emissions testing and new engines.
Replacing the 104g/km minimum, 1.6-litre 120hp diesel option is the latest Euro 6.2-compliant 1.5-litre four-cylinder diesel engine. Emissions now start in a higher BIK band as a result, moving to 108g/km for the SE trim and manual gearbox, though automatic models offer an improvement and move into a lower band.
P11D values range from £22,535 for the 1.5-litre Tech Line Nav, to £34,020 for the range-topping Ultimate. BIK costs for a 20% taxpayer will be under £70/month for the Tech Line or SE specifications; the Tech Line with manual transmission produces 110g/km and falls into a higher tax bracket than the SE.
The 1.5-litre Vauxhall Grandland X is available to order now, for delivery in July 2018.
Smaller engine, better performance for Grandland X
Despite the imposing SUV styling, Vauxhall claims 2.0-litre matching performance from the Grandland X with the new powertrain (though its own 2.0-litre option is significantly more powerful); of more relevance, the 130hp and 300Nm torque at 1,750rpm offers potential for better overtaking performance and refinement than the 1.2-litre petrol engine, which also offers 130hp but only 230Nm.
Compared with the outgoing 1.6 automatic, the power increase, equal torque and switch to an eight-speed gearbox are worthwhile upgrades, and CO2 is in a lower BIK band at 108g/km compared with 112g/km.
In our long term tests Vauxhall diesels have often returned a significant percentage of the claimed fuel economy, so the marked improvement over the 1.2-litre Grandland X – 53.3mpg for the petrol compared with 67.3mpg for the diesel, both in manual form – is likely to be much greater in real world driving. The eight-speed automatic claims better urban economy, too.
