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Vauxhall's made a new SUV!

Do crossovers get any more safely styled than this? Meet the Grandland X

Published: 18 Apr 2017

Stop the internet, because Vauxhall’s launched an SUV. This is the Grandland X, and if its smaller Mokka X sibling is anything to go by, it’ll sell by the absolute truckload. Prepare to see a lot of them, basically.

Though whether you’ll know what you’re seeing is another thing. For all Vauxhall’s talk of ‘sculptural artistry’ and a ‘breakthrough C-pillar’, it’s a pretty safely styled vehicle. And a world away from the striking Peugeot 3008 whose platform it’s based upon. (Peugeot bought Vauxhall recently, don’t forget…)

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There’s plenty of tech on board, at least. Like the Peugeot, there’s a five-mode Grip Control system, to maximize the traction of its front-wheel-drive setup. There’s plenty of safety tech, too, including Advanced Park Assist, Automatic Emergency Braking and Driver Drowsiness Alert. If only the latter could help out passers-by, too.

You’ll also get swish LED headlights and heated seats front and rear, as well as front seats with approval from an actual organisation that assesses ergonomics. So it should be comfy. There’s also Vauxhall’s OnStar system, which allows you to use its call centre for everything from car park searches to hotel bookings.

Being related to the 3008 means it should be plenty big and practical enough inside, though it’s a shame the Peugeot’s bold interior has made way for a considerably more conventional effort.

Something, if you’ve not gathered, we’re feeling about the car as a whole. The small SUV market is packed right now. And what with the Seat Ateca, Mazda CX-5, Nissan Qashqai, Renault Kadjar, VW Tiguan all being very good, and many rivals not far behind them, it takes an awful lot to stand out.

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Reckon the Vauxhall does? Or will its familiar badge and plentiful dealers do enough to send the Grandland X skyward in the sales charts, right up to where the Mokka X resides?

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