First Opel / Vauxhall Crossland X Review Suggests It's Got French Quirks

The big one is the fuse box on the wrong side, something UK reviews of Peugeot and Citroen models never shut up about. But the similarities come as no surprise, as the Crossland X is based on Peugeot's 2008 and its engines are shared too. The review from Carwow recommends going for one of the 1.2-liter turbo engines instead of the diesel, but that's really up to you.

Perhaps the most interesting conversation we can start using this review regards the comments about styling. James Batchelor says the Crossland X "looks like an MPV with a raised ride height. It doesn't look like a proper SUV like a Renault Captur does. But overall, it's better than the Vauxhall Meriva."

The only part where we disagree is about the Captur looking like an SUV because it too is MPV-like, but he did say this stuff is subjective.

Most buyers prefer small SUVs over MPV precisely because of the looks, so the Crossland X might have shot itself in the foot. Or has it? Any mature buyer would see that this has a bigger trunk and that it's done away with the Meriva's stupid suicide doors. But we should also look at the unsuccessful Fiat 500L compared to the 500X or the fact that Renault replaced the Modus with the Capur. Tell us what you thin!

It would be cool to see just how much the Crossland X contributed to GM selling Opel. The Americans bought stock in PSA about five years ago but abruptly cut their ties. A few collaborative projects remained, however, including this one and the Grandland X. Crossovers built on Peugeot's platform could have revealed Opel's hidden potential.

In Britain, the Crossland X starts at £16,555, making it £2,285 more than the Meriva it has replaced, a car which Opel had to develop pretty much by itself. So they could be looking at tens or even hundreds of millions of profit.