Electric/hybrid | On the road

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.

Audi e-tron

By Bill McCarthy

Driving electric cars from time to time do come with problems. Well, one really, where do you charge it? That was certainly the case 10 years ago when driving the first Nissan Leaf.

Things have taken a massive, if not quantum leap forward. With charging points becoming more and more common on roads, car parks and service stations, and offering fast charging in around 30 minutes, it has reduced the stress almost completely. Battery technology has also moved on at a pace.

Luckily, a charging point was installed in front of the office a couple of months before it I took delivery of the e-tron.

Just as well because a car like the Audi with all the electric bells, whistles and hi-tech gizmos, uses a lot of power. Recharging at either of the two charging points to 80 per cent capacity from a fast charger, takes around 90 minutes. Use a home charge kits and you will get a full charge in under six hours. It can, in an emergency be plugged into a normal socket, but charging takes over a day. It also has the facility, where available, for an 80 per cent chare to take around 20 minutes.

Out and about, the road charging point used contactless payment, all pretty painless.

At first glance you could be forgiven for thinking the e-tron was a Q5 or Q7, at a smidge under five metres long it sits between both, with only subtle flashes and badges indicating this is an all electric, four wheel drive, with a motor on each axle, adaptive air suspension and all the bells and whistles executive motor.

The two electric motors operate as an electric all-wheel drive system, powered by a 95kWh lithiu ion battery, driving the SUV free of emissions, and almost silently.

This gives it a 2.5 tonne beast brilliant acceleration, via the CV transmission, hitting 60mph in under six seconds with the so called engine overboost, a kind of electric kick down and, for those fretting about range, at least 248 miles in the WLTP cycle

Add to this a recuperation system that recharges via braking and deceleration which can be controlled via the steering wheel paddles

It is a smart looking car with an imposing presence yet sleek design, sitting on 20-inch alloy wheels and features LED headlights with LED rear lights, dynamic front and rear indicators and the now familiar light strip across its rear end

The interior is a plush and comfortable place to be with electrically-operated heated leather seats, thick carpets and high quality soft touch plastics throughout. Typical Audi quality.

The so-called ‘virtual cockpit’ dominates. This consists of two touch screens which can be customised to individual taste. It houses the latest MMI or multi-media interface brain of the car, which controls major functions like navigation, infotainment and connectivity for smartphones and a high-end sound system

The range of kit is comprehensive with driver aids such as head up display, parking camera and a whole host of safety kit.

On the road the car is well balanced and handles sharply for such a weighty beast. The steering is responsive while the air suspension soaks up the worst our roads can offer. When conditions get tricky, the four wheel drive kicks in, switching drive from mainly front wheel to sending traction to both axles.

It fairly whispers along, obviously engine noise is absent, while the cabin is well insulated from road noise from those large wheels.

Luxurious it may be but it is also like all SUVs is practical with both 660 litre boot space and with the seats folded, 1725 litres is available plus there is a large central storage bin.

There’s more, the and the lack of an engine means there’s extra space in the engine compartment..

In normal set up it will hit 60 in 6.5 seconds, but floor it and you get the equivalent of kick down, where the so-called overboost pushes up the power from 355 to 402bhp and it hits 60 in 5.7 seconds.

It’s just the start of Audi’s electric revolution. It’s a hell of a good one.

FAST FACTS

Audi e-tron quattro 55

Price: £70,805

Mechanical: 405bhp (max). electric motors driving both axles via auto transmission

Max speed: 124mph

0-62mph: 5.9 seconds

Range: 239 miles

Insurance group: 50E

CO2 emissions: 0g/km

BiK rating: 0%

Warranty: 3yrs/60,000 miles