With the entirely new Opel Mokka, Opel has presented an entirely new family face as well. However, the first car we're able to drive with that...
family face isn't the Mokka. Instead, it's this Crossland. That's right, just Crossland without X. With this facelift, Opel has gotten rid of the X.
It's just Crossland now. And the most important news is found at the front, because it's all about this black strip here. The Opel-visor.
It connects the headlights, and it will be found on the new Mokka and all new Opel-models in the future.
It's not a grille, even though it looks like one. It's fully closed, and it will be on the Mokka as well.
According to Opel, that means the front looks a tad wider. And it actually does. But that's only because of the visor,
but because of the new front bumper as well. The actual grille has moved down a little, whilst it was up here with the Crossland X.
Instead, this is the only part that provides cooling for the engine. It has grown and it's accentuated by these silver elements.
On a simpler trim level, it's black, so it won't stand out as much.
At the rear, there's a lot less news than at the front. Only the rear lights have been darkened, which comes on all versions.
What's not for all versions, is this black element. This only comes with Crossland-versions that have the optional black roof.
What's new as well is this badge. First of all, because X is gone, but it's mostly because of the new font and positioning, just like the Mokka.
And it's quite remarkable that both the Mokka and Crossland exist next to each other. Both are B-segment SUV's.
According to Opel, this is the car for the family man who wants practical usability, whilst the Mokka is more of an individualistic car.
The numbers should back that up, and they do. Nothing has changed about that. The Crossland offers 410 litres of luggage space if you...
put the rear seat all the way backwards. If you put it all the way forwards, you have 520 litres to work with. That's huge in this segment.
I do have to say that you can't really sit here if you put the seat all the way forward, but if you put it backwards, it's not too bad.
Especially when it comes to the legroom. The headroom isn't all that great, but that could be because of the panoramic roof.
On the inside, almost nothing has changed. We now have a wireless telephone charger and the seats supposedly have been updated,
but the dashboard and infotainment system have remained the same. And there really wasn't a reason to change that either,
because it still looks good. It's not groundbreaking or special in any way, but we're used to that from Opel.
But it's tight, timeless, very serious and the finishing is very decent. It's pretty much the same deal with the infotainment system.
There's absolutely nothing wrong with it. There are faster and better systems available however. Also, the Crossland isn't available with a...
digital instrument cluster. Something we see more and more often in this segment nowadays.
Just like the bigger Grandland X, the Crossland X is the result of a previous joint-venture between PSA and GM's Opel.
That means it was looking forward in 2017, because now PSA has taken over Opel from GM.
That means the Crossland is still very fitting to the current situation, just like it means there's no reason to technologically change the car.
The chassis is a tad older than the chassis you'll find under the new Mokka. The Mokka shares its chassis with the new 2008 and DS 3 Crossback,
whilst this is still based on the platform of the Citroën C3 Aircross. The details of the chassis have been altered though.
That's supposed to add more comfort according to Opel, especially when it comes to stability.
And indeed, I can't put in any other way, the drive is very good. It's easy, it feels smooth... I mean, it's not soft, but the movement...
after a speedbump will be processed very quickly. The steering is communicative enough, so it's easy to drive. A true all-rounder.
The same goes for the engine. It's still powered by the 1.2-litre PureTech 3-cylinder, which is available with 83, 110 or 130 horsepower.
Nothing has changed, except for the fact that it emits less CO2. This engine still does its job very well.
This is the 110 horsepower-version which picks up nicely, even at lower revs.
So I can't really think of a reason to choose the 130 horsepower-version over this 110 horsepower-version.
Except for the fact that that is the only petrol-version available with an automatic gearbox. And I can get behind that, because the only...
big problem I have with this car is the manual gearbox. It feels very rubbery and it has quite long strokes. It's not very fun to use.
What's new as well is the IntelliGrip-system, which is some kind of smart ESP-system. If certain wheels don't have a lot of grip,
the system brakes the wheel. Handy for setting off in the snow. We've already seen it on other PSA-SUV's, but the Crossland didn't have it.
But now it is.
This facelifted Crossland is very important for Opel in the Netherlands, because the Crossland X was the number 2-best selling Opel here.
For all of those potential buyers, it's good to know there are some new versions to consider. There's a new sporty version, called GS-line.
Entry prices have risen to €22.000, but those are lure-prices. If you want a well-equipped Crossland, you should think about €25.000.
All prices and versions are available on AutoWeek.nl.