Presentation and test drive Opel Crossland X, the city car dressed for the countryside

Last May the first units of the Opel Crossland X began arriving at the brand’s dealerships, and in that time the crossover entry point to its range has already accumulated close to 2,000 orders.

Following the Opel Mokka X (a 2016 restyling of the Mokka, plain and simple), this is the second model with which Opel enters the lower end of the growing SUV segment, while in October the Opel Grandland X will arrive, competing among compact SUVs.

Positioned by size and price below the ‘individualist’ Mokka X, the new Crossland X is instead a more family-oriented alternative, in line with other market realities. Not surprisingly, demand continues for compact and versatile cars (the Opel Astra and the Meriva covered both needs, each in its own way, in the brand’s line-up), but now those who seek a greater emotional component also don’t want to give up the advantages of a practical car, as demonstrated by the strength of models such as the Renault Captur, Peugeot 2008 or the upcoming Citroën C3 Aircross – which Opel is beginning to produce at its Figueruelas plant, like the Crossland X – and the SEAT Arona.

Exterior design

The compact body dimensions reveal the undeniable urban vocation of the Opel Crossland XThe compact body dimensions of the new German crossover (4,212 millimetres long, 1,765 mm wide and 1,605 mm high) reveal the undeniable urban vocation of the Opel Crossland X. Some of its features retain an undeniable family resemblance, such as the front with the pronounced grille and the inverted wings on either side of the logo, the headlights (with optional LED technology) engraved in a wing shape, or the blade line along the sides.

Others, however, set it apart from its siblings, such as the option of a roof in a different colour (Mineral Black, Steel Grey or Alpine White) which can be combined with the 9 shades available for the rest of the body.

The rugged look is reinforced, in addition to the height, by pronounced wheel arches and front and rear underbody protectors. The rear lights have been placed higher to give a greater sense of height.

Interior design

If the design of the Opel Crossland X is a real success from the outside – it drew many looks in the towns where the presentation took place, around Zaragoza – the interior shows the effort the Rüsselsheim company is making to improve perceived quality.

The dashboard design is perhaps unremarkable, but the simplicity of its lines has the advantage that one gets the feeling that everything is more or less where it should be, starting with the 8-inch touchscreen – Opel calls it IntelliLink – of the information and entertainment system, from which the efficient connectivity device Opel OnStar is controlled.

The rear seats offer longitudinal adjustment of up to 15 cmThe well-judged combination of materials, with pleasantly soft-touch surfaces in strategic places, is reinforced by fittings that make a good first impression. This applies to both the front seats, which are very roomy and fitted with ergonomic seats certified by AGR (Aktion Gesunder Rücken e.V.), and especially to the rear seats.

These rear seats come with the option of longitudinal adjustment (150 mm), which lets you choose between more legroom or expanding the boot capacity from the initial 410 litres up to 520 litres, clearly superior to those of the new Opel Insignia Grand Sport.

The armrest hides a flap for storing long objects, and if both sections of the backrest are folded down (60/40) the result is a generous 1,255 litres of boot capacity. A double floor, the Flex Floor, is also available as an option, providing a flat surface with the rear seats folded while also offering a space to hide objects.

There are, however, slightly less successful details, such as a footrest for the driver with which I didn’t quite feel comfortable – due to its size and position – the sometimes slightly slow operation of the IntelliLink (at times the rear-view camera took a while to show the image when reverse was selected), or the reflections on the instrument display screen, which at certain moments made it hard to read the information on the cluster.

Fortunately, the test unit had the head-up display, so the most relevant driving data was always available.

Dynamics and engines

The platform of the new Opel Crossland X is part of a joint development with the PSA Group, which also supplies the mechanical units. Weight has been reduced in an effort to improve efficiency and dynamic behaviour. In any case, this is a car whose urban focus has led to soft suspension settings, with good capacity to absorb irregularities. Without having tested its limits, the first impression is that it behaves in a noble and predictable way on the tarmac.

The engine range includes three petrol and two diesel enginesThe engine line-up, available only with front-wheel drive, consists of three 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol engines and two 1.6-litre turbodiesels. The entry-level variants are the modest 1.2 MPFI (naturally aspirated) with 81 CV of power and 118 Nm of torque, and the sensible 1.2 Ecotec turbo with direct petrol injection delivering 110 CV and 205 Nm. Both come standard with a 5-speed manual gearbox, but the turbo is available with an optional 6-speed automatic (between 1,047 and 1,088.55 euros, depending on trim). Above them sits the 130 CV version of this 1.2 Turbo (paired with the 6-speed manual gearbox), which is the one we drove, and it showed good response at mid-range revs, as expected from the 230 Nm of torque the brand claims.

As for the diesels, they use the proven 1,560 cc engine in two power and torque configurations: one with 99 CV and 254 Nm with a 5-speed gearbox (an Ecotec variant is also offered, more efficient but with lower performance), and another with 120 CV and 300 Nm.

Equipment and prices

The new Opel Crossland X is available with two trim levels: Selective, the more basic, and Excellence. Prices range from 18,042 euros for the Selective 1.2 MPFI to 22,427.10 euros for the Excellence with the 120 CV 1.6 diesel engine.

All of them come as standard with 16-inch alloy wheels, front and rear electric windows, air conditioning, cruise control, LED daytime running lights, a multifunction steering wheel, or the OnStar system with IntelliLink screen. The Excellence versions add a dual-zone climate control, rain sensor, the Flex Floor, two-tone bodywork (black as standard), or the illuminated and cooled glovebox, among others.

Among the most notable options are the navigation system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity (600 euros), the head-up display (400 euros), front and rear parking assistant (500 euros) or the fixed panoramic roof (including silver roof bars, 915 euros).