- New Vauxhall Grandland X SUV will feature Driver Drowsiness Alert
- Premium safety systems will feature heavily in the new SUV
- Official launch set for Frankfurt Motor Show in September
- Prices to start from just £22,310 on the road
DETAILS of the new Vauxhall Grandland X SUV are starting to come out ahead of the official launch at the Frankfurt International Motor Show, 14-24 September.
The Grandland X is set to be the range-topping SUV in the Vauxhall stable when it goes on sale around the end of the year. Although we have previously revealed the basic concept the juicier details were safely hidden in a secret location somewhere in the wilds of Luton.
Now Vauxhall has revealed a few of these secrets we can tell you a little bit more.
The latest information emphasises the attention to safety that Vauxhall has built into the new Grandland X. Driver Drowsiness Alert will be added to an already impressive array of safety features including collision warning, automatic emergency braking, and pedestrian detection.
It looks like Advanced Park Assist, Automatic Cruise Control, and a 360 degree camera will also make the list. Whether they are standard or optional remains to be seen.
The new Driver Drowsiness Alert system monitors the vehicle and responds to any erratic driving that could indicate a tired driver. Sudden changes of direction or veering out of lane will trigger the system which then provides audio and visual warnings to the driver. Ignore the warnings three times and the system increases the volume and duration of the alerts to encourage drivers to take a break.
“Driving while tired poses a risk not just for the drivers but for all road users,” said Ian Mitchell, Grandland X’s Product Manager. “The Driver Drowsiness Alert system in the Grandland X can detect the typical signals of fatigue so it can remind drivers to take regular breaks during long journeys, helping to prevent an accident.”
Continuing the safety theme Vauxhall has also revealed that the new Grandland X will be available with optional AFL LED headlights that automatically adapt to the road conditions. This should massively improve visibility whilst driving at night without dazzling other road users.
Customers will also be able to take advantage of Vauxhall’s OnStar personal connectivity and service assistant. OnStar offers a range of services including Stolen Vehicle Assistance – presumably if your Grandland is stolen and not to assist you in helping yourself to someone else’s car – a Wi-Fi hotspot, and automatic updates to the satnav to help weary travellers find a car park or book a hotel room.
It’s nice to know that if the Driver Drowsiness Alert does go off the Grandland X will not only wake you up, it will also find a place to rest your head without you even having to remove your hands from the steering wheel.
We shall have to wait for further details regarding the rest of the car but with the official launch just around the corner it’s likely they will start to come thick and fast.
The only other detail we’ve managed to uncover is that prices for the Grandland X SUV will start from just £22,310. Exactly what you get for the money will be revealed over the next six weeks or so, but regardless of trim levels that could be a very tempting price point for company car drivers.
