The Vauxhall Crossland X is an unexciting and utilitarian option in the increasingly crowded and interesting family SUV section of the market. Designed for versality, value for money and space, it’s the smallest SUV in Vauxhall’s range slotting in beneath the slightly larger (and soon-to-be replaced) Mokka X and the considerably larger (and big-selling) Grandland X.

The Crossland X might look like a Vauxhall through-and-through, but it shares its platform, engines and much of its technology with the first-generation Peugeot 2008. This joint effort was created before the Peugeot Citroen Group (PSA) took ownership of the Vauxhall brand, but now they are partners, all future Vauxhall SUVs will be based on French technology.

• We rate the best hybrid SUVs for 2020

Measuring up at 4.21 metres long, the Crossland X’s rivals include the aging Ford EcoSport and popular second-generation Renault Captur, as well as the consistently big-selling, and UK-built, Nissan Juke. Is Vauxhall’s small family SUV a serious contender, and should you buy one over its rivals? Read the Parkers in-depth review to find out.

That tough mini-SUV styling

The Crossland X has largely predictable styling, even though under the skin, it’s a pure front-wheel drive hatchback, with moderately raised ground clearance. With Vauxhall’s signature LED daytime running lights, chrome detailing and the floating roof – a styling feature shared with the now-discontinued Adam – it successfully ticks the family SUV box that so many people want right now.

Being a ‘ruggedised’ SUV-crossover, there’s the usual side-cladding, high-mounted rear lamp clusters and raised suspension. Vauxhall has aggressively priced the Crossland X (as it has with the slow-selling Insignia Grand Sport), majoring it on value, and hopes to repeat the success of the Mokka X, which is consistently one of the UK’s top 10 best-selling cars.

What’s it like inside?

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The Crossland X is available with specially designed AGR-certified seats up front (which means they’ve been built with the German Campaign for Healthier Backs, prove comfortable enough, if not quite up there with Volkswagen’s Ergocomfort seats), and optional adjustable rears can be slid backwards and forwards to prioritise luggage space over legroom.

Its boot measures 410 litres with the rear seats up, and that expands to 520 litres with them moved forward. And folded down completely, luggage capacity increases to 1,255 litres. The interior is dominated by a large 7.0-inch touchscreen (or 8.0 inches for extra cost), and you get the IntelliLink infotainment system, as well as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

It’s a good-looking setup, with the centre console horizontally aligned to the driver for added functionality. High quality finishes are provided with chrome accents around the cluster and air vents, while the centrepiece of the interior is the touchscreen.

However, we were less than impressed with the infotainment system. Its screen was slow to respond to fingertip inputs and it lacked the powerful processing power of more expensive units.

How does the Vauxhall Crossland X drive?

• Read more in the engines section of the review

Here’s the brief version – we found the Crossland X to be an uninspiring drive, with efficient and well-designed engines and lots of interior space. You get lots of standard equipment too, but this can push the price up towards £20k, which isn’t far off the price of a larger and better-developed Mokka X.

Buyers should be aware that it has a very high driving position and the body leans a lot mid-corner, which can be somewhat disconcerting if you accidentally go into a bend too quickly. However, the engines we’ve tried are accomplished and the handling competent enough on UK roads. Ride comfort is finer over smoother surfaces, yet lacks the ability to iron out bumpy roads. 

Our favourite engine is the 130hp 1.2-litre Turbo petrol mated to a six-speed manual gearbox, but this is only available on Tech Line Nav trim and above. However, the 110hp version of this engine is more popular – making up around 50% of sales in SE specification – but we didn’t enjoy driving that one as much. It doesn’t feel as punchy on the move, meaning you need to work the gearbox much harder if you want a burst of acceleration.

Generous standard equipment available

The Crossland X is available in five trim levels – Griffin, Business Edition Nav, Elite, SRI Nav and Elite Nav. Opt for the Griffin and you still get a generous amount of standard equipment, including a 7.0-inch colour touchscreen, Bluetooth, DAB radio, Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, air-con, cruise control and autonomous emergency braking. Upgrading to Business Edition Nav adds a larger eight-inch touchscreen with sat-nav, voice control and a second USB charging connection (SE only has one).

Elite adds dual-zone climate control, ambient interior lighting, driver’s centre armrest, Flex Floor adjustable-height boot floor, 16-inch diamond cut alloy wheels, rear parking sensors, an alarm and tinted rear windows.

SRI Nav adds ambient interior lighting, driver’s centre armrest, Flex Floor adjustable-height boot floor, 17-inch diamond cut alloy wheels, rear parking sensors, an alarm and tinted rear windows. Elite Nav supplements this with an eight-inch sat-nav enabled colour touchscreen, voice control and a second USB charging connection.

Finally, top-of-the-line Elite Nav gets an 8.0-inch sat-nav enabled colour touchscreen, voice control, a second USB charging connection, a premium sound system, leather seat facings, heated front seats and steering wheels, the Versatility Pack (including sliding rear seat, centre rear seat armrest and centre rear seat head restraint), contrast colour roof and the Safety Pack (featuring driver drowsiness system, forward collison alert and autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian detection).

• Click here for detailed engine and model specs

Click through the next few pages to read everything you need to know about the Vauxhall Crossland X including its practicality, how much it costs to run, what it’s like to drive – and whether we recommend buying one.

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