Vauxhall Crossland X Review

Very spacious and well equipped, but cheap-feeling and bumpy to drive; the Vauxhall Crossland X is great in some areas and bad in others

Strengths & weaknesses

  • Efficient petrol engines
  • Class-leading interior space
  • Lots of standard equipment
  • Bumpy, uncomfortable ride
  • Cheap interior
  • Noisy

Pick any modern car and the chances are that it will be generally OK and the likelihood is it'll be pretty good.

But Vauxhall’s Crossland X is not like most other cars. It’s exceptional in some areas - leading the class when it comes to standard equipment and boot space. In others, though, it’s not good at all, with a bumpy, unsettled ride that falls below the standard of rivals.

It’s not an obvious formula for success in a car that’s designed to appeal to some of the most demanding drivers on the road: young families who want a comfy, easy to live with car to ferry their children around.

The Crossland X is one of a new wave of small crossover cars, which are slightly longer than superminis - such as the Vauxhall Corsa or Ford Fiesta - but much taller, which usually increases interior headroom and boot space. Unusually, in this case it’s narrower than average, too, making it easy to manoeuvre in busy streets.

The car may look rugged, but it’s designed to stay on the road. There’s no four-wheel drive option and the underside could be damaged by rugged ground, so if you want a car that can venture off-road, this isn't it.

Inside, the Crossland X is spacious for a car of its type, with enough legroom and headroom in the back to allow tall adults to sit comfortably (if not stretch out) and a 410-litre boot that’s larger than those on offer in the similarly-sized Seat Arona and Nissan Juke, but being beaten by the even shorter Citroen C3 Aircross and Renault Captur for capacity. It’s also one of the most practical small crossovers that you can buy, particularly when the optional sliding rear seat is fitted, enabling you to increase boot space at the expense of rear legroom.

It is a case of quantity over quality, though, as cheap plastics dominate the dashboard and are most noticeable around the flimsy glovebox. Despite the standard touchscreen that’s clear and easy to use, a Seat Arona or Mazda CX-3 have less of a cut-price feel and more of a feel-good factor.

Official new prices for the Crossland X are similar to those of other small crossovers, but there are plenty of discounts available. The big savings come with nearly new and used cars which have thousands of pounds knocked off the list price, bringing the cost of 2018 models close to £10,000. At that price the Vauxhall starts to look like a bargain, especially given the amount of space available compared with rivals.

Fuel economy too, is excellent, particularly if you opt for either of the 1.2 Turbo petrol engines. These are small but turbocharged, which boosts power and keeps them frugal. You can expect more than 40mpg in real-world driving, which is close to the class-leading Seat Arona.

But there’s little else good to say about the Crossland X on the move. It feels like it has been built to a price with cheap suspension that struggles to absorb bumps and potholes, sending the car bouncing down the road. It’s a recipe for disaster if you have carsick children, and very unlike modern Vauxhalls, such as the Corsa and Astra which are among the smoothest cars of their type. Consider that used Astras can be even cheaper than the Crossland X and have a similarly large boot and the Astra looks like a smart choice.

No small crossover is as smooth to drive as a normal hatchbacks, such as the Renault Megane and Volkswagen Golf, since their extra height means the suspension needs to be made a little firmer to stop them rolling around when taking corners, but most perform better than the Crossland X, including the Peugeot 2008 which shares its mechanical parts with the Vauxhall.

The Crossland X is noisy too, particularly at speed where wind noise is overwhelming. That may be partly down to the car’s boxy shape, which is good for interior space, but looks more cumbersome than most rivals.

Vauxhall has piled on the equipment, though. Entry-level SE cars come with alloy wheels, climate control and cruise control. The standard touchscreen includes Apple CarPlay and Android Auto for easy control of your mobile phone, while Vauxhall’s OnStar service, offering a WiFi hotspot, and call centre assistance with your journey, is available for an annual £90 subscription.

All but the most expensive cars lack an automatic emergency braking system, which has been shown to cut accidents, but despite this, the car was still awarded a five star safety rating by the independent crash test organisation Euro NCAP. There are two sets of Isofix child seat mounting points in the back.

With the discounts available and high level of equipment, buying a Vauxhall Crossland X can seem tempting but it would take an extremely good deal to outweigh its areas of weakness. Particularly when there are alternatives that do nothing badly, and some - like the Citroen C3 Aircross and Seat Arona, which do a lot of things very well. And if you simply want a good value, practical family car, the Vauxhall Astra is worth considering, too.

 

Key facts

Warranty 3 years / 60,000 miles
Boot size 410 litres
Width 1765mm
Length 4212mm
Height 1605mm
Tax £120 to £160 in first year, £145 thereafter

Understanding Vauxhall Crossland X names

Trim Level Elite Nav

Each Vauxhall Crossland X trim comes with differing amounts of standard equipment. the cheapest and least well-equipped is SE, followed by SE Nav, Tech Line Nav,, Elite, Elite Nav and Ultimate.

Engine 1.2 (110PS) Turbo

The engine size is shown in litres and you may also see the power, which is provided in PS - a virtually identical measure to horsepower. Most engines have turbos to boost power and retain good fuel economy. Diesel models are badged D.

Economy ecoTEC s/s

ecoTEC engines are designed to be more economical, but don’t offer the most power/ S/S stands for stop-start: the system where an engine switches off automatically when the car comes to a halt and restarts when needed.

Gearbox Auto

Automatic and manual versions are available

Vauxhall Crossland X Engines

Petrol: 1.2, 1.2 Turbo ecoTEC, 1.2 Turbo
Diesel: 1.6 Turbo D ecoTEC, 1.6 Turbo

The budget choice for Crossland X buyers is the entry-level 1.2-litre petrol engine. This isn’t turbocharged, so lacks power and needs revving hard to make reasonable progress. That’s bad news for fuel economy and not particularly relaxing to drive either.

Upgrading to one of the petrol turbo engines is worthwhile, despite the £1,300 additional cost of a new model. These are available with 110 horsepower (hp) or 130hp. Both feel far zippier and will return more than 40mpg on a long motorway drive. The Equa Index, which publishes fuel economy figures based on real-world fuel tests, suggests that you can expect an average of 38mpg from both engines - not the 55-59mpg quoted in official figures.

The less-powerful engine, badged ecoTEC is a little slower to accelerate but the difference, compared with the more powerful motor, isn’t particularly noticeable. The ecoTEC engine is also the only petrol that is available with an automatic.

The two diesel engines are noisier but do deliver better fuel economy. The slower 1.6 Turbo D ecoTEC version has an official 78.5mpg figure, but this tumbles in the real world to around 50mpg, according to the Equa Index.

The more powerful 1.6 Turbo D version returns similar fuel economy and performance that’s in-line with the more powerful petrol cars.

 

Fuel

Official fuel economy

Power

Acceleration (0-62mph)

Top speed

1.2

Petrol

54.3mpg

81hp

14sec

105mph

1.2 Turbo ecoTEC

Petrol

57.6 - 58.9mpg

110hp

10.6sec

117mph

1.2 Turbo

Petrol

55.4mpg

130hp

9.1sec

128mph

1.2 Turbo Auto

Petrol

52.3mpg

130hp

11.8sec

116mph

1.6 Turbo D ecoTEC

Diesel

76.3 - 78.5mpg

99hp

12sec

112mph

1.6 Turbo D

Diesel

70.6mpg

120hp

9.9sec

116mph

Vauxhall Crossland X Trims

SE, SE Nav, Tech Line Nav, Elite, Elite Nav, Ultimate

The six trim levels offered with the Crossland X is a fairly restrained number by Vauxhall’s standards but are still not straightforward.

No matter which model you choose, you’re guaranteed a good basic specification. Entry-level SE cars include a 7in touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto for simple control of your phone and certain apps. A digital radio, cruise control, dual-zone climate control, front and rear electric windows, and 16in alloy wheels are also included.

Vauxhall’s OnStar system comes with every Crossland X, providing a WiFi hotspot and tracking if your vehicle is stolen, as well as a round-the-clock call centre that can help with travel arrangements, such as booking a hotel while you’re on the move. A £90 subscription applies for cars over a year old.

Moving up to SE Nav specification adds sat-nav with voice control on an 8in touchscreen to the Crossland X - a hefty £700 upgrade on new cars.

However, it’s worth skipping this model in favour of the similarly-priced Tech Line Nav version, which adds rear parking sensors, an alarm and tinted rear windows, as well as Vauxhall’s Flex Floor, a divider that allows you to adjust the height of the boot floor to create more or less space underneath.

Elite versions have a similar specification to Tech Line Nav, with larger 17in alloy wheels but you’ll need to opt for Elite Nav for the sat-nav system.

At the top of the range, the Crossland X Ultimate builds on Elite Nav specification with a head-up display, a wireless charger for your phone, brighter LED headlights, plus keyless entry and start, for £2,000 more than the equivalent Elite Nav.

It’s also the only Crossland X to come with an automatic emergency braking system as standard. This has proven to be effective at avoiding crashes, but Vauxhall forces new car buyers to pay more for it unless they choose the most expensive car.

Other useful options which aren’t standard on any Crossland X include front parking sensors, a panoramic sunroof, heated windscreen and rear-view camera.

The versatility pack is worth choosing as a £375 option from new, or looking out for on a used model because it allows you to slide the rear seats backwards and forwards to adjust the boot’s capacity. A central armrest is also included.