Category Archives: Vauxhall

Electric/hybrid, Manufacturer, Motor reviews, SUV/4X4, Vauxhall, Vehicle type

Grandland on a charge

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Vauxhall Grandland Plug-in Hybrid

Review by Bill McCarthy

Vauxhall is continuing its journey towards electrification with a hybrid technological tour de force.

The Grandland is the firm’s first four wheel drive plug-in hybrid SUV with electric performance in more ways than one.

Now part of the PSA group, it is part of the the French firm’s wider drive to electrification, with Vauxhall aiming to go fully electric by 2024.

In typical hybrid style there is more than one power unit, three in this case.

The combination comprises a 200hp, 1.6-litre turbocharged direct injection four-cylinder petrol engine with two electric motors delivering a combined 109hp and powered by long-life13.2kWh lithium-ion battery. 

Added together, this delivers a stonking 300bhp and 520 Nm of torque or pulling power, indicating it would be an ideal towing vehicle with a 1.25 tonne capability.

It has a muscular yet stylish look with alloy-effect door sill covers, 19-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels, black roof and door mirror, bright front and rear skid plates and neat light clusters and foldable door mirrors with puddle lights.

The interior feels well put together with a logical instrumentation and controls set up and nice soft touch finish, which is just as well because the starting price is just under £37k, with this top spec model a shade over £48k.

 For that you get a car with the full bells and whistles of creature comfort, connectivtiy and safety kit. It features alloy-effect sports pedals, leather seat facings and heated front seats with the driver eight-way electrically adjustable, 3D instrument cluster and alloy-effect door sill covers.

The eight-inch touch screen houses the infotainment system with premium audio system, Navi 5.0 IntelliLink system with voice control, and smartphone and Bluetooth® connectivity, wireless charging for mobile devices and Vauxhall Connect assistance.

In typical hybrid style there is more than one power unit, three in this case.

 As an SUV it is naturally practical, but boot space is compromised slightly to accommodate the large battery to a maximum stowage area of 1,523 litres.

Vauxhall says the hybrid is mostly aimed at business users and PCP users who will account for around 75 per cent of sales. It is available in SRi Nav trim for just £399 per month on Personal Contract Hire.  The customer pays an initial rental of £8,379.

The new power combination also delivers theoretical consumption with  204mpg, when all the planets are aligned, and just 34g/km CO2, which puts it into a 20 per cent Benefit in Kind bracket. The reality is, if you are constantly doing less than 30 miles per day, you can charge it up overnight and rarely see the inside of a petrol station.

Performance wise, acceleration is electrifying. It can hit 60mph in just 5.9 seconds which is in real hot-hatch territory, as quick nearly as a fully blinged up hot hatch I drove recently, if not quite having the handling capability. It literally races away from a standing start and on top a top speed of 146mph where permitted.

Having said that, it does feel assured, with the all-wheel traction kicking in on demand. Not a full fat off-roader, it should be more than capable on muddy tracks, fields and in tricky weather conditions.

A front electric motor is mated with an electrified eight-speed automatic transmission, while the second motor and differential are integrated into the electrically-powered rear axle, providing the all-wheel traction on demand.

There are four driving  modes – electric, hybrid, AWD and Sport. 

In pure electric mode, the car has a range of 35 miles.  In hybrid it automatically selects the most efficient method of propulsion. Switch to sport and you have a real flying machine.

It comes with a 3.7kW on-board charger, with an optional 7.4kW version also available. The ‘e-Save’ section of the infotainment system allows the driver to determine how much battery needs to be saved for entering zero-emissions zone. The driver can choose to save six or 12 miles of range, or reserve all of the battery energy. 

In addition, regenerative braking captures kinetic energy during deceleration allowing electrical energy to be returned to the battery and stored. Vauxhall will also offer devices for fast charging at public stations, as well as wallboxes at home. With a 7.0kW wallbox, customers can fully charge the battery in less than two hours.

Vauxhall has also introduced an exclusive charging offer where customers will receive a free six-month membership to the Polar charging network, providing an easy, convenient and reliable means to charge their vehicle away from home.

 This vehicle is a clever piece of engineering with its three power units and gearbox setup that delivers blistering performance with major economy savings.

Meanwhile, the electric revolution continues apace with the imminent new Corsa-e and Vivaro van.

Family hatchback, Manufacturer, Motor reviews, Vauxhall

Astra still in ascendancy

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Vauxhall Astra Elite Nav 

By Bill McCarthy

There are some cars names that become part of the English language.

Names like Golf, Focus and Clio and you automatically know which firm is the manufacturer.

Same, of course, with one of the most well-known, the Astra, and yes for the picky ones, it’s a Vauxhall.

 A legend in the C segment, it is a testament to its quality and longevity that it appeals to both the private and fleet market in large numbers, even with the rise of the ubiquitous SUV/crossover.

Now celebrating its 40th anniversary with a new model, it has sold  over three million sold in the UK over since 1979 and in a startling statistic, Vauxhall says that more than 25 per cent of British motorists have either owned or driven an Astra.

 The latest model has really thrown the gauntlet down to challengers, with smart, but not radically different appearance, a host of hi-tech developments and new petrol and diesel engines that offer reduced emissions and fuel consumptions of up to 21 per cent.

It is also bucking the trend diesel trend with a clean and efficient powerplant. The 1.5 litre unit comes with choices of 105ps or the 122ps on this model, mated to a slick, six-speed manual gearbox.

That it is  efficient is beyond doubt, producing  CO2 emissions as low as 90g/km for lower benefit in kind taxation and official mpg of around 60mpg.

I tested this out on a full tank which included high-speed motorway driving for hours on end as well as urban pottering around, completing well in excess of 400 miles to be left with just under a quarter tank.

A sterner test has come via the WLTP Challenge designed by Fleet World to test and prove vehicles’ real-world fuel efficiency Here the Astra hit  85mpg  when tested over a 215 mile UK run.

All of this is helped b a slippery body which has a class leading drag coefficient figure of just 0.26.

In addition an  engine compartment cover, deflector-shaped rear axle control arms and radiator grille automatically open and close  independently of one another, further improve the frontal airflow. The CO2 reductions are delivered by the emissions reduction system consisting of a passive oxidation catalyst, AdBlue injector, SCR catalyst and Diesel Particulate  Filter. 

 It looks good on the outside although you would have to look hard to see changes to grille and glare-free LED light clusters and 17-inch alloys, but and the interior on this higher end model remains quality, with  soft touch trim,  leather seats and steering wheel, both of which are heated,  and a high quality feeling throughout. 

Centrepoint is the eight-inch touchscreen which contains the Multimedia Navi Pro system controls major function including infotainment, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone connectivity and top notch navigation system, plus  voice command and Bluetooth. 

Standard equipment is impressive with this model offering extra bells and whistles like new forward and rear cameras and electronic climate control.

The engine in this model proved to have pace as well as economy. Quick off the mark and hitting 60mph in just under 10 seconds. It has the distinctive three pot thrum when accelerating, but is a quiet and refined motorway cruiser.

 Handling has improved thanks to a chassis upgrade, with new dampers provide greater control, even on poor surfaces, while the steering has received a new calibration. The upshot is that it feels composed and agile when cornering, which extremely important when facing rivals of the quality of Golf and Focus. 

Safety kit as you would expect is comprehensive with active and passive systems and include full complement of airbags, stability control, assisted braking together. In addition, a new digital front camera which recognises vehicles, but can now process even more traffic signs and show them as symbols on the display. 

The digital rear view camera  on this model is also more powerful, and works in conjunction with the new Multimedia Navi Pro infotainment system.

As a hatchback it is obviously practical with boot  space 370 litres, expanding to 1,210 with the seats folded.

The latest model starts at  £18,885 on-the-road with PSA now owning the brand, it may not be too long before we see an all new model featuring PSA underpinnings. In the meantime the Astra is still a strong performer in what is perhaps the most competitive of segments.

Factfile

Price: £24,850

Mechanical: 122PS, 1,496cc, 3 cyl turbo diesel engine driving front wheels via six-speed manual gearbox

Max speed: 130mph

0-62mph: 9.8 seconds

Combined mpg: 62.8 mpg

Insurance group: TBC  

CO2 emissions: 95g/km

Warranty: 3yrs/60,000