New Opel Crossland X softroader previewed
OPEL has promised to release seven new models in 2017, and here we go with the first - the Crossland X, due to debut at a big party in Berlin this week and in South Africa late in 2017 or early 2018.
It’s the second member of Opel’s X crossover line-up, slotting in just below the Mokka X in the B segment, and will be followed later in 2017 by a C segment sibling, the Grandland.
Despite the offroad connotations of its name, the Crossland is “predestined for urban areas” – which we presume means front-wheel drive only, although Opel has yet to reveal any drivetrain details, beyond a passing reference to petrol and diesel engines with both manual and automatic transmissions.
However, it has the raised seating position and chunky proportions of a crossover, albeit a very compact one. At 4210mm long and 1590mm high, it’s 160mm shorter than an Astra and 100mm higher. Some clever packaging gives it a 410 litre cargo bay, which expands to 520 when the rear seat is moved forward, and to 1255 litres with the 60:40 split seat back folded flat.
Speaking of seats, the Crossland shares its special orthopod-approved ergonomic front seats with the Mokka X, as well as keyless open and start, and OnStar connectivity via Intellilink to Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, on colour touchscreens ranging up 20cm; it’ll even charge your smartphone inductively. Optional driver aids include adaptive LED headlights, a 180 degree rear camera with park assist, forward collision alert, pedestrian detection, automatic emergency braking, driver drowsiness alerts, and even speed sign recognition.