Vauxhall Crossland

Vauxhall's little Crossland SUV no longer has an 'X' designation but it now looks a more appealing proposition. Jonathan Crouch takes a look.

Ten Second Review

Vauxhall has decided it needs not one but two small SUVs in its product portfolio, this little Crossland model sitting just below the second generation Mokka crossover in the company's crossover line-up. This is a facelift of the car we first saw back in 2017 as the 'Crossland X', but the more engaging front-end styling gives it an up-to-the-minute feel.

Background

So, yet another small SUV to add to all those in the PSA Group's bulging crossover portfolio. Some of that Gallic conglomerate's latest little Crossovers are based on its most sophisticated CMP2 platform - cars like the Peugeot 2008, the DS 3 Crossback and the Vauxhall Mokka. Others - like the Citroen C3 Aircross - sit on much older underpinnings and this Crossland is one of those, mainly because it's merely a facelift of a car launched in 2017.

Still, fashion-led crossover customers shopping in the popular segment for small SUVs won't care too much about that, particularly now this car has such a striking look, courtesy of the same 'Vauxhall Vizor' front end that's given this model's Mokka showroom stablemate so much extra pavement presence. Let's take a closer look.

Driving Experience

Surprisingly, there are dynamic as well as cosmetic changes here: well a few anyway. New springs and dampers aim to cure the slightly wayward low speed handling characteristics of the original model and the revised steering system should deliver a bit more feel at the helm. The agility of the previous car is trained - as is its range of engines, which continue as before apart from a range of efficiency updates.

That means most folk will continue to choose the familiar PSA Group 1.2-litre three cylinder petrol unit, available in normally aspirated 83PS base guise (with 5-speed manual transmission) or in turbocharged 110PS form (which now gets a 6-speed rather than a 5-speed manual). Plus there's a 130PS version of this unit which must be had with an auto gearbox. The 1.5 Turbo D powerplant continues and the manual variant has an 11PS power increase (to 110PS); the diesel auto has 120PS. Finally, we need to mention that, like many cars in the SUV 'B' segment, this one can't be ordered with any kind of 4WD system.

Design and Build

Some facelifts offer merely a minor wash 'n brush-up. This isn't one of those. This rejuvenated Crossland features Vauxhall's latest design language, including the bold new Vauxhall Vizor front-end that was first introduced on the MK2 Mokka. A single module now runs across the face of this compact SUV, containing LED lights and the latest Griffin logo. At the back, smarter dark-tinted tail lights and a high-gloss black tailgate surface give the Crossland a wider stance. As before, you can choose a variant with a contrast-coloured roof, if you want more of a sophisticated, personalised feel.

Budget obviously ran out a bit when it came to the cabin because that's pretty much as it was before. So as before, the centrepiece of dash is an Intellilink infotainment screen in either 7 or 8-inch sizes. The rear seat can't do anything clever like slide or recline but the standards of leg and head room it offers are still very class-competitive. Out back, there's a 410-litre boot.

Market and Model

Prices start at just over £19,000 and Vauxhall reckons that over 65% of sales of this car will be to private buyers. Who'll find this car priced around £1,200-£1,700 below its Mokka showroom stablemate. As before, there's an emphasis on petrol power in the line-up, all the green pump-fuelled engines being 1.2-litre three cylinder units. A premium of around £1,200 over the base engine gets you a Crossland 1.2 Turbo with 110PS and a 6-speed manual gearbox. Find a further £2,200 or so on top of that, you can get yourself the same unit with 130PS and an auto gearbox.

As for diesel power, well we'd question whether you really need it, given the relatively small annual mileages likely to be covered by this kind of car. If you really are set on black pump motoring, then you'll need a budget starting from just under £21,500 for the base 110PS Turbo D diesel, now with 6-speed manual transmission. Another £2,100 or so will be necessary to get this 1.5-litre engine in its pokier 120PS guise with a 6-speed auto gearbox. There's a choice of six trim levels - 'SE', 'SE Nav Premium', 'SRi Nav', 'Elite', 'Elite Nav' and 'Ultimate'. Even base 'SE'-spec gets you 16-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights and 'Apple Carplay'/'Android Auto' smartphone-mirroring.

Cost of Ownership

Because this Crossland doesn't sit on the PSA Group's latest CMP2 platform, it can't offer that conglomerate's latest EV technology, so unlike Vauxhall's only slightly larger small EV, the Mokka, there'll be no full-battery-powered version of this car. And no hybrids of any kind either. Still, light weight has always been a Crossland virtue and that spells very competitive efficiency figures nonetheless. Let's get to the WLTP-rated figures. The base 1.2 83PS normally aspirated petrol version manages up to 47.1mpg on the combined cycle and up to 139g/km of CO2. The turbo petrol 1.2 110PS model replicates the fuel reading and marginally improves that CO2 stat to 138g/km. For the 1.2 130PS auto variant, the figures are 44.1mpg and 143g/km. The diesel delivers 58.9mpg and 126g/km in manual form.

You'll also need to know that Vauxhall includes a three-year, 60,000 mile warranty as standard, a package that can be extended up to five years and 100,000 miles at extra cost. A year's free breakdown cover is also provided, along with a six-year anti-corrosion guarantee. Service intervals are at 20,000 miles or every 12 months, depending on which comes round sooner and you can opt for a service plan that lets you pay monthly to spread the cost of regular work to your car. As part of this, Vauxhall offers discounts on wear and tear items, such as brake pads and windscreen wipers.

Summary

The visual facelift changes have at least made this car feel a bit more like a Vauxhall than before. And what matters more is that they've given this model a bit more pavement presence for when you park it outside the gym. That's what matters in this segment. In short, this is the kind of model Vauxhall needs to make. The rest is down to you.

FACTS AT A GLANCE

CAR: Vauxhall Crossland

PRICES: £19,060-£27,490

CATEGORY: SUV SUPERMINI-BASED (B-SEGMENT)

INSURANCE GROUPS: 8E-18E

CO2 EMISSIONS: (1.2 110PS) 138g/km (WLTP)

PERFORMANCE: (1.2 110PS) 0-62mph 10.6s / Max Speed 117mph

FUEL CONSUMPTION: (1.2 110PS) (combined) 58.9mpg

BOOT CAPACITY: [litres] 410-1,255

WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: length/width/height mm: 4212/1825/1597mm