Vauxhall says it’s doing pretty well at the moment, with buoyant sales figures and new models attracting further buyers including the latest Crossland X
Tom Scanlan reviews the various models of the Vauxhall Crossland X range
Latest in the line-up is the Crossland X and this is the first offering that has resulted from the PSA (Peugeot Citroen) takeover of General Motors. It’s a B Sector (smallish) SUV or crossover, filling a gap in the company’s line-up below the off-road-capable Vauxhall Mokka X.
Crossland X is not at all, an off-roader and is aimed, quite simply, at two markets: one is the young family and the other is the older couple whose children have left home and who might want to downsize to a sensible, smaller, yet still practical vehicle.
The line-up has a typical marketing range of petrol and diesel engines, and trim and equipment features, with Vauxhall underlining that the cars have a great deal of technology on board as standard features on all models.
The decision to be made by potential buyers has to be based on the looks of Crossland X, and the car immediately scores high points here. Beauty is, as they say, in the eye of the beholder, but I think most beholders will really like this one. It can be personalised, too, as most manufacturers boast these days, with three roof colours available over a dozen body colours, some brand-new to Vauxhall products.
My test day included a go in both the 99 PS and 120 PS diesels, with the two power outputs derived from the 4-cylinder, turbo BlueInjection S/S 1.6-litre engine.
Both versions turned out to be as you should expect these days: quiet and refined. I won’t go quite as far as to say that they yet truly match petrol engines in this respect, but it’s a close-run thing. Also, to be fair, on these test days you sometimes wonder ‘am I driving a petrol or diesel car?’ and the first thing you then do is to look at the rev-counter to check where the red line is.
The 99 PS Crossland X was easy to drive and, provided that big performance is not on your list, it is adequate in terms of acceleration. 0-62 mph, through a five-speed gearbox, comes up in a leisurely twelve seconds; more important is the car’s overtaking capability and here is where diesel engines always score, even this relatively low-powered example.
If that twelve seconds is too long to suffer, then it has to be the 120 PS, which gets there in 9.9 seconds. Top speeds are 112 mph and 116 mph respectively.
The cheapest 99 PS comes in at £18,715 for the SE model. Here it gets a touch confusing, because, at just £95 more it’s the Tech Line Nav, a car that has an 8-inch touchscreen with satellite navigation as standard, whereas the SE can be had with satnav as a £710 option — a no-brainer if ever I saw one. (Correct me if I’m wrong.) Having said that, you can use smart-phone apps to get your directions via a USB cable.
You get the 120 PS in Tech Line Nav form for £19,575. (The Elite spec is the highest and the respective prices are £20,615 and £21,380 with satellite navigation and lots more equipment as standard.)
Driving the 120 PS Crossland X was just a little different from the lesser-powered car in that the speed-sensitive steering felt a bit heavier; I would put this down to the car being thirty kilograms heavier, perhaps some of that in the six-speed, as opposed to five-speed, gearbox. By the way, automatic gear boxes are not on offer for the diesels.
In all respects, both cars handled well and stopped well (the front ventilated discs in the 120 PS are 283 mm in diameter, compared to the 266 mm in the 99 PS), whilst the seats were comfortable and I had no problems with the ride.
On a 38-mile rural drive, with occasional stops and slowing down in villages, the 99 PS car showed a return of 44.0 mpg. I was not able to get a figure for the 120 PS on a quick 9-mile try out, that being too short for the purpose. Certainly on longer journeys that include motorways, the high gearing — 70 mph at perhaps less than 1800 rpm — would get you nearer to the official figures.
These are 78.5 mpg on 16-inch wheels and 76.3 mpg on 17-inchers, while the 120 PS returns an official combined cycle figure of 70.6 mpg.
S/S stands for Start/Stop and is on all Crosslands. Did you know that the system makes seven checks in nano-seconds to ensure that that function is appropriate? In the diesels’ case this includes making sure that the particulate-cleaning process is not at work at that moment. As to the emissions, it’s 93 g/km for both engine versions. VED is at the standard rate of £140 in the second year and onwards.
For company buyers, the 99 PS attracts BIC at 20% and the 120 PS rates 23%.
No manufacturer launches a new car into the market without thoroughly analysing its competitors and potential buyers. Similarly, so should anyone looking to outlay on a new car study the Crossland X’s competition. It’s a tough choice, but this new one, totally Vauxhall on the outside and inside and all PSA on everything underneath, is undoubtedly going to come out fighting.
Car reviewed: Vauxhall Crossland X 1.6 (120PS) Turbo D S/S Blu Tech Line N – On the road £19,575 0-60mph 9.9 secs Top speed 116mph Fuel Economy combined 70.6mpg CO2 emissions 105g/km Engine 1560cc diesel EU6 Max Power 120PS@3750rpm Torque 300Nm@1750rpm Transmission 6-speed manual
Sensible and practical family car
A range of customisation options
Large choice of engines
Tough competition, but will come out fighting
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