*post in collaboration with Vauxhall
I’ve always been a luxury traveler, favouring 5 star hotels in cities over camping. That was until last year. Our California road trip made me enjoy a whole new side to adventures. I found that I was embracing the outdoors, and actually, I had way more fun camping in Yosemite National Park than I did in a luxury Las Vegas hotel. Who knew? We traveled around Cali in a 4×4 which had been made into a campervan, supposedly for up to 4 people but we struggled for space with just the 2 of us.
Since our trip, both Charlie and I have been discussing buying a bigger car between us that’s suitable for road trips and adventures here in the UK. We’ve toyed with a few different options but are yet to bite the bullet. Once the house is renovated, we’ll definitely be looking to upgrade and enjoy a more spacious vehicle we can pack our camping gear into and hit the road.
As timing may have it, at the end of summer I was contacted by Vauxhall to ask whether I’d be interested in giving their new Grandland X a spin. I’m no car expert, but I have to say I was excited to give it a go and see how I would get on driving a larger car (I’m used to a Polo!). It’s exactly the type of SUV we had in mind for the near future, spacious, stylish and perfect for taking on our little excursions.
We took the Grandland X on a countryside outing, stopping off at cute and cosy pubs along the way and enjoying being out in the open!
Our initial thoughts on the Grandland X? We loved it! Both Charlie and I found it so easy to drive, and that’s a lot coming from me as I’m not a very confident driver usually. I felt so safe and at ease driving this car, despite the size being much bigger than anything I’ve driven before. It’s actually the largest in the Vauxhall range. Charlie is used to driving a big van for work so he found it a breeze and loved whizzing around the country roads. We both found that we actually prefer driving automatics too, again, I’ve only ever driven a manual so it was all very different but I’m certain the next car I buy will be automatic.
The ride felt smooth and luxurious. We enjoyed all of the different gadgets and I was blown away with some of the features. I love the driver assistance aspects in particular. Lane departure warnings, forward collision warnings, and emergency braking are just some of the features built into the Grandland X. The advanced park assist was a dream come true for someone like me who is bloody awful at parallel parking.
I feel like this SUV is one step away from being a fully self-driving vehicle, and I’m not complaining about it.
Prices for the Grandland X start at £22K which I think is reasonable for an SUV with so many amazing features. I’m no car expert here – but I was extremely impressed.
Would we splash out for one ourselves?
The short answer is yes. We both agreed that this is exactly the kind of adventure car we’re looking for. We’ve had many a discussion since our weekend testing the Grandland X and are hoping to look into one of our own next summer. It’s perfect for homing all of our luggage, camping equipment and future dog. There’s no harm in planning ahead, right…
*the car was loaned to us free of charge from Vauxhall, all thoughts and opinions are my own.