Grandland X Hybrid4: Vauxhall's first PHEV has Frankfurt debut

Vauxhall's first full plug-in hybrid, the Grandland X Hybrid4, has appeared at the Frankfurt motor show alongside the new Corsa supermini. 

The electrified compact SUV is is now available to order in four trim levels, with prices starting from £35,590. Each is equipped with a 296bhp petrol-electric powertrain that entails significant benefit-in-kind tax savings for company car drivers. 

Entry-level Business Edition Nav Premium trim offers the most attractive financial incentive, representing a saving of £145 per month over the 1.5-litre diesel-powered Elite. Standard at this level are an intelligent speed limiter, blindspot monitoring, an electric parking brake, electric mirrors and a heated windscreen. 

The price rises to £40,300 for SRi Nav trim, which adds a DAB radio, front-mounted childseat fixings and automatic emergency braking. Elite Nav, at £42,200, and Ultimate Nav, at £45,450, round off the range with extra driver assistance systems and interior equipment. 

The compact SUV's PSA Group-developed plug-in hybrid system features a 196bhp 1.6-litre Puretech petrol engine and two 108bhp electric motors powered by a 13.2kWh lithium ion battery. The front motor is integrated into an eight-speed automatic gearbox, with the second motor at the rear giving all-wheel-drive on demand.

The same system is being introduced in other PSA Group models based on the LMP2 platform, including the Citroën C5 Aircross, DS 7 Crossback, Peugeot 508, Peugeot 508 SW and Peugeot 3008.

The Grandland X Hybrid4 is capable of 32 miles of electric-only running, and Vauxhall says it can be charged in less than two hours from a 7.4kWh home wallbox. It also features regenerative braking. It achieves 176.5mpg on the WLTP combined cycle, accelerates from 0-62mph in 7.0sec and emits just 36g/km of CO2.

Vauxhall will offer the SUV with its Free2Move Service, which will give access to 85,000 charging points across Europe, with a trip planner to find charging stations included within the sat-nav system. The Grandland X Hybrid4 also features the latest version of the the Vauxhall Connect telematics service.

As part of the PSA Group’s wider electrification plans, Vauxhall will offer electrified versions of its entire product range by 2024, with plug-in hybrid powertrains for larger models and fully electric versions of smaller machines. It will launch an electric version of the new Corsa later this year and has confirmed fully electric versions of the next Mokka X small SUV, Vivaro van and Vivaro Life people carrier.

While the Grandland X Hybrid4 is Vauxhall's first mainstream hybrid model, from 2012-15 it sold the Ampera, which featured an electric motor with a back-up petrol engine to recharge the battery. The Ampera was later reworked into a full electric model, but this never came to the UK.