With the exit of General Motors from the motoring arena in SA, the future of the well loved Opel brand has been in question. At the launch of the all new Opel Crossland X at Langhams in Fourways, we got the low down on their future plans. Opel will forthwith be distrubuted by Unitrans, and backed by their extensive dealer network. However , the actual retailers of the brand with be the well known Williams Hunt franchise. 35 dealerships have been earmarked to sell just Opel models, but a number more will sell both Opel and Isuzu trucks in the future.

But onto the Crossland X which is a compact SUV/Crossover playing in the B-SUV segment, the fastest-growing part of the local market which has seen volumes tripling in the last four years. The Crossland X will be a great addition complementing the MOKKA X, closely followed by their bigger sibling the Grandland X, in Q1 2018.

Exterior Styling.

The Crossland X is a sexy looking little car, its fairly big for a compact Crossover at 4.2 metres and has a wheelbase of 2.6 metres, making it one of the largest in its class..

The floating roof – available in contrasting colours in the Cosmo – also has the effect of reducing the height while the rear aerofoil extends the rear roofline for a flowing effect.

The grille has the Opel ‘blitz’ with chrome winglets extending outward. The large light clusters are fitted with LED daylight running lamps, which follow the grille detailing outwards and upwards and then ‘hook’ around the upper extremity of the light clusters.

The body perimeter is surrounded by tough, black plastic cladding, adding width to the wheelarchs and also giving the effect of blacking-out the sills to lower the stance. Rear light clusters are high-mounted and distinctive, with the lenses mirroring the double wing design used in front.

Into the Cabin.

The Crossland X is very spacious feeling inside as well as being comfy as well. The dash is a like a shelf and would be great for game drives etc. The rear seats have a 60/40 downturn and the nice thing is that one seat can actually slide back and forth , to give a bigger boot space.

It has raised seating, which is very popular presently, and has security advantages as well.

Seats are of a particularly supportive design and are ergonomically certified by AGR – an independent association in Germany which run a campaign for healthier backs. They thus provide a perfect driving position for all shapes and sizes; thanks also to standard height adjustment, and cushion length adjustment.

The steering wheel has a handy amount of buttons that control a plethora of issues.

• Urban crossover vehicle ideally priced and positioned for a growing family
• Generous luggage space and seating flexibility married to compact footprint
• Premium feel at value-for-money prices
• Advanced infotainment/multimedia systems
• Widest range of standard and optional ADAS systems
• Zesty and efficient three-cylinder petrol engines
• Four derivatives and three trim levels

Engine & Transmission
Opel’s turbo engines are great and the Crossland X has a delightful little 1.2 L turbo that feels way more zippy than its 81 kw belies. It has a pleasant little rumble which many 3-pots do and the auto gearbox changes are very fluid. The torque output is 205NM and has fuel consumption figures of 5.2 l/100 km and 116 grams/km, and 4.8 l/100 km and 109 grams/km for non-turbo and turbo versions respectively.

Advanced Driver Assistance Features
Opel’s strategy to “democratize” technology starts with the advanced safety features that are available in the Opel range. All drivers – not just those of expensive derivatives or premium brands – deserve to have as many advanced safety and driver assistance systems available to them. At least, that’s how Opel feels about the subject.
To this end, the following are fitted to the Crossland X:
• Cruise control with speed limiter
• Hill Start Assist
• LED daytime running lights
• Front, side, rear and head airbags (Six in total)
• Auto-on headlights
• Traffic Sign Recognition

Enjoy and Cosmo derivatives add the following:
• Rain-sensing wipers
• Rear view camera
• Auto-dimming rear-view mirror
• Park Assist Control (front and rear)
• Front fog lamps

The following can also be specified on the Cosmo:
• Adaptive Forward Lighting LED headlamps comprising: High Beam Assist, Cornering Light, Auto-Levelling Lights. Includes full LED rear lights.
• Advanced Park Assist (the vehicle takes charge of steering functions, the driver only required to use the brakes and gears)
• Head-up Display
• Safety Pack comprising: Automatic Emergency Braking with Pedestrian Detection, Forward Collision Alert, Driver Drowsiness System, Side Blind Spot Alert

Connectivity
Part of “democratizing” technology includes the connectivity/multimedia sphere in Opel Vehicles. In the Crossland X Owners can look forward to a choice of intuitive 7- or 8-inch touch screens which once synced, mirror one’s smartphone – whether it be Apple or Android. There are two systems to choose from:

R 4.0 IntelliLink (Standard on Crossland X and Crossland X Enjoy)
The R 4.0 IntelliLink’s success is based on how it combines modern connectivity with comprehensive media access via Apple CarPlay, and safety-aware voice and steering wheel controls, rounded off with a 7-inch colour touch screen.

Connectivity and Media Access
• Music playback via USB, Bluetooth or Apple CarPlay 

• Standard AM/FM radio or optional DAB radio 

• Film and picture viewer via USB 


• Steering wheel controls 

• Bluetooth hands-free calling with access to phone book and call list 

• Voice pass-through using the voice control of the connected phone 


The Crossland X is sold with a fully-comprehensive 5-year/ 120 000 km warranty and roadside assistance programme, a 5-year/ unlimited mileage anti-corrosion warranty and a 3-year/ 60 000 km service plan. Service intervals are 15 000 km or twelve months for all derivatives.

Pricing

Model Price
Crossland X R 265 000
Crossland X Enjoy R 305 000
Crossland X Cosmo R 345 000
Crossland X Cosmo Auto R 360 000

In summary I believe the Crossland X has a place in the crowded Crossover market and will find buyers that like the Opel brand. Hopefully the brand has the support that it deserves going forward.