Vauxhall Grandland X review
The Vauxhall Grandland X is a practical, comfortable, and spacious family SUV that’s great value for money and packed with useful features.
Author: Charlie Harvey
18th Dec 2025 – 8 mins read
The Vauxhall Grandland X is the brand’s largest SUV, designed to offer families plenty of space, comfort, and practicality. It arrived in 2017 as a rival to hugely popular cars like the Nissan Qashqai and Peugeot 3008, and it shares many of its parts with the latter. This is a good thing, as it means the Grandland X is built on modern, proven foundations. It’s a car that majors on being a sensible and comfortable family workhorse. It might not be the most exciting SUV to look at or drive, but it delivers where it really counts. You get a huge amount of interior space, a big boot, and a smooth, comfortable ride that makes it a relaxing car for long journeys. With a range of efficient engines, including modern hybrid options, the Grandland X is a very capable and affordable choice in the competitive family SUV market.
Pros
- Excellent infotainment system that's easy to use
- Very practical with a spacious interior and big boot
- Efficient engine options, including low-emission hybrids
Cons
- The hybrid models can be quite expensive
- The styling is a little bland compared to some rivals
- The interior feels functional rather than exciting
Interior
Dashboard & tech
The inside of the Grandland X is straightforward and sensible. You get a logically laid out dashboard where everything is easy to find and simple to use. It might not have the wow factor of the Peugeot 3008’s futuristic i-Cockpit, but its simplicity is a real strength.
Most models come with a great touchscreen infotainment system that's clear, responsive, and includes features like Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. This makes it easy to connect your phone for music, navigation, and calls. While the design is a little uninspiring, the cabin is a very functional and user-friendly space that’s easy to get along with every day.
Comfort
If you’re looking for a comfortable family car, the Grandland X is a great choice. It’s been set up to provide a smooth and relaxing ride, doing a good job of soaking up bumps and potholes. This makes it a great long-distance cruiser, perfect for family holidays or motorway commutes.
The controls, like the steering and clutch, are light and easy, which makes driving around town and parking a breeze. The seats are supportive, and the high driving position gives you a commanding view of the road. It’s a car that prioritises a relaxed, stress-free driving experience over sporty thrills.
Quality
The Grandland X shares its underpinnings with the Peugeot 3008, and the overall build quality feels solid and dependable. The cabin might feature a lot of dark, hard plastics, but everything feels like it has been screwed together properly, with no annoying squeaks or rattles.
It might not feel as premium or special inside as some of its more expensive rivals, but it gives the impression of being a durable and robust car that's designed to stand up to the tough demands of family life. It’s a case of substance over style, and for many, that’s exactly what’s needed.
Practicality & boot space
Interior space
This is a real strong point for the Grandland X. For a mid-size SUV, it’s impressively spacious inside. There’s plenty of head and legroom throughout the cabin, meaning even tall adults can get comfortable in the front and back seats without feeling cramped.
The cabin is also dotted with generous storage cubbies, perfect for stashing away all the odds and ends that come with family life. The feeling of space and airiness makes the Grandland X a very comfortable and practical car for the whole family to travel in.
Boot space
At 514 litres, the boot in the Grandland X is a really good size for this class of car. It’s more than big enough for a family’s holiday luggage, a bulky pushchair, or a very big weekly shop. It’s a practical, square shape which makes it easy to load and unload.
If you need to carry larger items, the rear seats fold down to open up a huge 1,652-litre load area. It’s a very versatile space that makes the Grandland X a brilliant choice for families with an active lifestyle or those who often need to carry lots of gear.
Driving
Driving experience
The Grandland X is not a car that’s designed to be thrilling or entertaining to drive. If you’re looking for a sporty, engaging SUV, you should probably look elsewhere. Instead, the focus is firmly on comfort and ease of use.
The light steering and soft suspension make it a very easy car to drive, but it does mean there’s not a lot of feedback from the road, and it can feel a bit vague in the corners. It’s much happier at a relaxed pace, where its comfortable ride and quiet cabin can be appreciated. It’s a safe, stable, and predictable car to drive, which is exactly what many families want.
Performance
The engine range is clear and simple. The core options are a 1.2-litre turbocharged petrol engine and a 1.5-litre diesel, both producing 126bhp. They offer perfectly adequate performance for a car of this type, feeling responsive enough around town and capable on the motorway.
For those looking for more power and lower emissions, there are two plug-in hybrid options. There's a 222bhp front-wheel-drive version, and a powerful 296bhp all-wheel-drive model called the Hybrid4. These offer much quicker acceleration and the ability to drive on pure electric power for short journeys.
Running costs
Fuel economy & charging
All the engines in the Grandland X offer good fuel economy. The 1.2-litre petrol can officially return around 45mpg, while the 1.5-litre diesel is even better, with a figure of up to 54mpg. These are very respectable numbers for a family-sized SUV.
The plug-in hybrid models are the stars for low running costs, especially for company car drivers. They have an official electric-only range of over 30 miles, which means many owners could do their daily commute or the school run without using any petrol at all. Just remember you'll need to charge them regularly to get the best economy.
Value for money
The Grandland X is competitively priced and offers great value. Vauxhalls also tend to depreciate quite quickly, which is fantastic news for used car buyers as it means you can find nearly-new examples with huge savings compared to the original list price. For the amount of space and equipment you get, a used Grandland X represents a real bargain.
Reliability & Warranty
Modern Vauxhalls have a much-improved reputation for reliability. Because the Grandland X shares many parts with the well-regarded Peugeot 3008, it should prove to be a dependable choice. From new, all Vauxhalls come with a three-year, 60,000-mile warranty, which provides good peace of mind when buying a nearly-new model.
Safety
Safety features
The Grandland X is a very safe car. It was awarded the maximum five-star rating when it was crash-tested by the safety experts at Euro NCAP, so you can be confident it offers excellent protection for you and your family.
All models come with a good level of standard safety equipment, including cruise control and an electric parking brake. Higher-spec models add more advanced features like front and rear parking sensors, automatic emergency braking, and blind-spot monitoring for extra peace of mind.
Trims & Engines
Trim levels
The Grandland X is available in a wide range of trim levels, all offering good value.
Business Edition Nav: The entry-level model is well equipped with a DAB radio, cruise control, and the excellent touchscreen infotainment system with built-in navigation.
SE Premium: Adds useful features like front and rear parking sensors, automatic windscreen wipers, and front fog lights.
Griffin: This popular special edition comes with stylish touches like dark-tinted rear windows, a contrasting black roof, and electronic climate control.
Ultimate Nav: The top-of-the-range model is available on the powerful Hybrid4 version and is packed with kit, including a premium sound system, advanced parking assistance, and silver roof rails.
Engines
The engine range is focused on efficiency and includes petrol, diesel, and hybrid options.
1.2-litre Turbo Petrol: A 126bhp engine that provides a good balance of performance and economy for everyday driving.
1.5-litre Turbo Diesel: Also with 126bhp, this engine is the most economical choice for drivers who cover a lot of motorway miles.
Hybrid / Hybrid4: Plug-in hybrid models that combine a petrol engine with an electric motor. Available as a 222bhp front-wheel-drive version or a powerful 296bhp all-wheel-drive version (Hybrid4).
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