This is the new Vauxhall Crossland X

Vauxhall is swelling its portfolio of crossovers. It’s already got the Mokka X, but this year we’re getting two more. First up is the Crossland X – and this is it. The Grandland X will follow towards the end of this year.

Smaller than the Mokka (it’s a whopping 16cm shorter than an Astra hatch), the Crossland will compete with the Renault Captur and Peugeot 2008. It’s a joint-venture with PSA, so it sits on the small car platform that will also underpin the next C3 Picasso. 

While the Mokka is “for buyers with a taste for adventure” says Vauxhall, the Crossland “has a firm family focus”. It’s 10cm taller than an Astra, has rear seats that slide fore and aft and fold 60/40, and up to 520-litres of boot space. There is also much technology. LED headlamps, a head-up display and various active safety systems like lane departure warning are all available. 

The interior and exterior design are not unfamiliar. It’s not an unpleasant-looking thing – with shades of Astra aplenty – but we’re still not sold on the way the rear lights work with the faux ‘floating’, contrast roof. Inside it’s business as usual. There’s Vauxhall’s new infotainment system, which comes with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, the OnStar concierge service and Wi-Fi for up to seven devices. 

Engines? Expect the usual array of three- and four-cylinder petrols and diesels with manual and automatic transmissions. Tellingly, while Vauxhall takes a whole paragraph to explain its infotainment, the engine and transmission options are covered off in just one, unspecific sentence. 

The Crossland arrives this summer, although we bet we’ll see it in the metal at the Geneva motor show in March.