During the first few weeks with my Vauxhall Grandland, I pondered aloud whether its maker had sacrificed an element of comfort and practicality in search of a more ‘sporting’ drive, and I think I should perhaps explain a little further. For a large family SUV, the Vauxhall rolls very little and corners with surprising poise. Its steering is pleasingly accurate – albeit rather over-light and lacking any semblance of feel – and sharp, although fortunately not quite in the over-sensitive mould of its Stellantis stablemate Peugeot.
The trouble is, this is a fairly tall vehicle that tips the scales at a hefty 2215kg (including the driver), and in order to tie it down to the degree Vauxhall has done, you need to specify some pretty stiff springs and dampers. As a result, the penalty for the Grandland’s surprising agility is a ride that is choppy to the point of being uncomfortable, particularly on poor road surfaces – and let’s be frank, we are hardly renowned for our billiard-smooth Tarmac here in the UK. And it’s not aided by the 20in alloys fitted as standard to all-wheel-drive models.