What is it?
“It’s an opportunity, not a risk,” according to Vauxhall.
Releasing a car that is marginally (by which we mean a whole 63mm) different in size to another car in its line-up may look like the result of a muddled thought process, but the Vauxhall Crossland X supposedly fulfils a different brief to the 'larger' Mokka X.
Built on a new PSA platform (Vauxhall's deal to use it predates PSA's takeover of Opel) that will also underpin the next Citroën C4, the Crossland X is only available with front-wheel drive and offers more interior space than the Mokka X, even though it's slightly smaller.
The Crossland X more of a mini-MPV than SUV - it is an indirect successor to the Meriva - whereas the Mokka X is more of the latter, but the Crossland X still rivals the same segment of cars that includes the Renault Captur, Nissan Juke, Peugeot 2008 and Suzuki Vitara.
Vauxhall believes the young family market looking for practicality and versatility will gobble up the Crossland X offering. It may prove to be right. After all, although the Mokka X is by all accounts a thoroughly disappointing car dynamically, it became one of the best-selling new cars in the UK.
For the Crossland X, the main lump of sales will come from retail buyers drawn in by low list prices, and the 108bhp 1.2-litre petrol will take the biggest portion of sales. This 1.6-litre entry-level diesel – which sits below the more powerful 1.6-litre 118bhp diesel – will be the most popular oil-burner, thanks to its appeal to the fleet market. We’re testing it in mid-spec Elite trim.
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mouthful
Oh dear
When Autocar do another list of ugly cars in 10 years time, anything with that Ugly C Pillar which is also on the new Astra should feature highly.
What a waste of development capital
Bishop wrote:
It doesn't look like they spent very much though, does it.
If you have to call it Cross-something just so people even think it is a crossover and not just an ungainly hatchback, it's gone a bit wrong. Getting 'Land' in there like it's capable of going anywhere that isn't paved is also not particularly cool.
Vauxhall's naming department seems to have gone completely mad of late. Can't wait to see the response of the wider public to the "Grandland" name when it appears.
I don't think the long term future is very good for Vauxhall/Opel after the buyout. If you're betting the farm on simply taking hand-me-downs from PSA and making them less attractive, you're dead in the water in a car generation or two.