However, the Opel brand, along with Isuzu, has gone to great lengths to affirm its commitment to South Africa.
The now Peugeot-Citroën (PSA)-owned Opel brand made good on its promise to retain South Africa as a key right-hand drive market, by launching a new product to a segment in which it already has a competitor. Enter the Crossland X, which joins the Mokka X in the bustling B-SUV segment. I had a chance to drive the model in Johannesburg recently.
Opel design
Despite the fact that its powertrain and platform is shared with Peugeot-Citroën products, the Crossland X has managed to retain an exterior design that is unmistakably Opel. Up front, we see a familiar Opel grille with chrome design elements along with large and sharply-styled headlights, while at the lower-end of the bumper, we find black plastic cladding and a silver front skidplate on higher-spec models.
In side profile, the black cladding continues around the lower edge of the car while two lovely character lines give the side a highly stylised look. Taking cues from the Adam albeit on a seemingly larger scale, the rear section of the Crossland X gets a ‘floating’ roof effect (which can be had in a contrasting colour on top-spec models) where the light clusters appear to separate the mid-section of the car from the roof.
The design is what impressed me most about the Crossland X. It should get customers into Opel showrooms to see what it’s all about, which is half the battle won I’d imagine.
Interior packaging
From the first time you set foot inside the Crossland X, you’re greeted by a mixed bag of current Opel and PSA parts. The instrument cluster and range of infotainment systems are straight from the Opel stable.
The base and Enjoy-spec models get a seven-inch touchscreen IntelliLink system with Bluetooth/ USB/Apple Car Play, which also comes with a multi-function steering wheel and six speaker sound system. Top-spec Cosmo models get the eight-inch IntelliLink system with added navigation, two USB ports and a colour screen for the driver information cluster.
Various switches and indeed, some of the plastics appear to have been taken from the PSA parts bin. Overall though, the interior features good build quality despite the odd poor quality surface, and is quite roomy for a car that competes with the likes of the Renault Captur and Mazda CX-3.
The marketing lingo provided by Opel during the media presentation included the fact that the Mokka X is more of a traditional, sporty SUV whereas the Crossland X is more of a family-oriented SUV with MPV qualities. This actually made more sense the more I drove it.The boxy design of the Crossland X makes space for rear passengers impressive for a vehicle in this segment.
The Cosmo model I drove also had independent rear seats which can be folded, moved backwards or forwards depending on preference, making an already impressive boot even more capacious.
Driving Crossland
Underneath the bonnet of the Crossland X is the familiar PSA-sourced 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol motor in two states of tune. The base model gets a naturally aspirated mill with 60kW/118Nm, while the turbocharged models get a far healthier 81kW/205Nm. Both are claimed to be efficient with the former achieving claimed 5.2 litres/100km and the latter 4.8 litres/100km.
At launch, I only had the opportunity to drive the top-of-the-range Cosmo fitted with a six-speed automatic gearbox, which is the only model within the range to get the self-shifter with the rest featuring a five-speed manual.
I found the powertrain to be sufficient in the Crossland X, but had a feeling that the non-turbo model would be underpowered. I also feel that Opel should offer a more budget-friendly automatic model, with its rivals offering auto options for some R50 000-or-so cheaper.
In terms of ride and handling, I found the Crossland X to be composed enough for a family car through the bends, but the ride quality a bit lumpy, especially along some of the roads we tackled in the northern Gauteng area.
Standard safety
There’s one area in which the Crossland X really does shine, and that’s in the standard safety equipment department. There are ABS and six airbags as standard, LED daytime running lights, Hill Start Assist, cruise control with speed limiter, automatic headlights and Traffic Sign Recognition across the range. As you move up to the Enjoy and Cosmo variants, expect automatic wipers, a rear-view camera, Park Distance Control and fog lamps.
Service plan and warranty
The Crossland X range comes with a five-year/ 120 000 km warranty and a three-year/ 60 000 km service plan.
Pricing
Crossland X- R265 000
Crossland X Enjoy - R305 000
Crossland X Cosmo - R345 000
Crossland X Cosmo AT - R360 000
