Opel Crossland X: Destination Paradise
OPEL CROSSLAND X
DESTINATION PARADISE
Words by Andrea Balti
Photography by Andy Williams
A famous Italian pop song is called just like that and I must admit that I do not even like it so much. But what makes me think is that in fact we often ask ourselves whether it is more important: the trip or the destination, ending up to put in the background where we are going, at least when we are trying to review a car. The very moment you arrive – at the hotel for example – and you park the car, as a matter of facts, it coincides with the precise moment you get out and your time at the wheel ends. I have always contradicted friends and colleagues, because if the choice of destination proves to be wrong, or led us to a place far from pleasant, the whole journey and everything around it would lose its meaning. The destination is the first thing you think about when you have to relax for a weekend or a holiday. The first places that pass us through the head are obviously those we prefer, those where perhaps we have already had some good times or why not, some places that have always been in our mind like a woodworm, but that for one reason or another we do not have never visited.
While I’m packing my last backpacks, with the awareness of not having luggage problems, I look out of the big window of my living room, the new Opel Crossland X is parked in the courtyard. Having the task of replacing the Meriva, excellent from the first generation but certainly not aimed at a young audience, has already scored a good shot with a completely new look and the raised body of a crossover, so popular today. The white of the bodywork plays with the black of the roof, which starts from the pillars edged with a beautiful chrome profile that gives elegance and softens the side line. I’m not talking about an exotic SUV costing hundreds of thousands of Euro, but a small car that can be really bought and used by anyone, in this case with the engine you will prefer if you are kind to spend several hours in traffic or on the motorway. The 1.2 petrol is in fact a small 3-cylinder, which combined with the LPG system ensures fantastic mileage and consumption: just 5.1 liters to travel 100km, thanks also to the reduced weight that slightly exceeds the ton. Traction is obviously on the front wheels and we have a five-speed manual transmission combined with a precise clutch that does not tire your left leg even after sitting in traffic for hours.
Leaving the city I appreciate the excellent visibility on all sides, except for the lower part of the front pillars that cover a little, the steering is soft and the sat-nav is accurate and does not miss a shot. And then there is plenty of space, on board as in the luggage compartment, where I finally do not have to sacrifice anything home. The Crossland X, as the name suggests, wants to travel and discover new places and so I point towards the Alps, still covered with some snow and ready to welcome the last days of skiing of the season. The reduced power of the small engine doesn’t annoy, because for once the hurry has remained at the office and I can enjoy the comfort of the seats, result of a careful study thanks to a team of German orthopedists, thus driving for over 500km without stopping not even for a coffee. There is the connectivity expected from today’s standards and despite having preferred an automatic transmission, to further emphasize on board easiness, I am equally pleased to find the gearshift lever and a third pedal rather than a lazy automatic that would hardly accommodate my requests, especially when the road climbs and more effort is required to the small powertrain.
After a considerable number of hours driving I am here, but I still do not want to stop, not yet, so after quickly unloading my luggage and checking in at the hotel, I get back behind the wheel and decide to continue for a good hundred kilometers, climbing to 2,200 meters (or something more), parking the Opel on a soft mat of snow. Looking around and I really feel like I’m in Heaven. Everywhere I look I see blinding white surfaces, interrupted only by the road of the Foscagno pass, which connects Bormio to Livigno. You breathe a different air than usual, the cold plays creating strange shapes with ice and the Crossland X proves to be a perfect car for the city and for those moments when the only destination you have in mind is a heavenly place like high mountain passes.
Time to come back to the hotel and I immediately throw myself on bed – after all I’m no longer a kid and the effort begins to be felt. Satisfied and ready for a weekend of total relax, aware that the return trip will be a joke thanks to a surprising car that offers everything at a very low price. The Crossland X with LPG system starts at about € 21,000, while a specimen with specs like this under test and then equipped with satellite navigation, smartphone connectivity, head-up display and several aesthetic options and driving aids, costs just 4 thousand € more. Not bad, right? In a few words, have you chosen your next destination?
OPEL CROSSLAND X
Layout – front-engined, front wheel drive
Engine – 3 cylinder 1.199cc – petrol/GPL
Transmission – 5-speed manual gearbox
Power – 81 hp @ 5.750 rpm
118 Nm @ 2.750 rpm
Weight – 1.174 kg
Acceleration – 14 sec.
Top Speed – 170 kph
Price – from € 21.450 (petrol/GPL)