Sunday Drive: Volkswagen T-Cross

Sunday, 2 August 2020

VOLKSWAGEN T-CROSS STYLE
Base price: $38,490
Powertrain and economy: 1.0-litre turbo-petrol triple, 85kW/200Nm, 7-speed dual-clutch, FWD, combined economy 5.4L/100km, CO2 124g/km (source: RightCar).

You wouldn't guess that this is based on the Polo platform. It certainly doesn't look like a jacked hatchback.

Vital statistics: 4235mm long, 1782mm wide, 1584mm high, 2551mm wheelbase, luggage capacity 455 litres, 18-inch alloy wheels.
We like: Attractive exterior styling, decent sound system

The interesting orange touches add character to a rather plasticky interior.

We don't like: Hesitant off the line, plasticky interior, uninspiring drive

Volkswagen’s smallest SUV has arrived. How does the T-Cross stack up in a crowded sector?

Those orange wheels look quite good, don't they? A little bit Seat but that's okay.

In a nutshell, the T-Cross is the smaller sibling of the T-Roc, an SUV that sort of debuted last year but only in limited numbers. The Cross arrives in three main trims, the Life, Style and R-Line, with the ‘1st Edition’ sitting between the latter two. That’s what we’re driving and if you’re interested in it, you’ll have to be quick. VW NZ is only bringing 43 in.

The 1st Edition is based on the T-Cross Style with a few extras like orange wheels and mirror caps, special multicoloured fabric sports seats, orange dash inserts that extend to the gear selector surround and the steering wheel and the Beats audio system. If you select black or silver for the exterior colour, you’ll get orange highlights while asking for orange or turquoise paint changes the orange accents to black.

This grubby little thing is the one-litre triple powering the T-Cross. It's not perfect but it makes a great noise.

We'd probably take the T-Cross in a different colour but black definitely lets those wheels pop.

* Road test review: Skoda Kamiq Ambition+

* New Zealand's electric vehicle future

We'll see that new-look wheel on the new Golf, as well as the fully digital dash hiding behind.

* Compact SUVs are becoming a really big deal

* How Volkswagen has turned the Golf into an SUV

T-Cross is based on the Polo but is 54mm longer, 138mm taller and you sit 100mm higher. But this isn’t an exercise in simply jacking up a small hatchback and calling it a day. Volkswagen has given the T-Cross some unique looks, which serves as its major lure for buyers.

The crossover appeals to buyers who want something that stands out on the road, with bright colours and trims to choose from and a rounded-off square motif around the exterior. There is some plastic cladding but it serves to improve the look rather than imply off-road capabilities.

Because this isn’t a baby off-roader, it’s a front-driver with a frugal 1.0-litre triple (in tested form), a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic and 180mm of ground clearance. T-Cross is much happier on the school run.

Though that powertrain, while fairly common among current VAG offerings, isn’t the greatest. The automatic aims to get into the highest gear as soon as possible and stay there, in order to cut back on fuel consumption and CO2 emissions, which results in a laboured engine at low RPMs. Shifting is smooth though, and the powertrain isn’t adverse to some hands-on changing via the wheel-mounted paddles.

Knock the shifter into Sport and things liven up some, with the desperation to get into top gear gone and the engine free to rev a bit higher. It’s not a screamer; peak torque hits at around 2000rpm and all 85 kilowatts are accounted for by 5500rpm, but it has the characteristic warble of a triple to look forward to.

The ride is decent, neither too hard or too soft and the steering is nicely weighted. It’s only okay though, those looking for the ultimate sports crossover on the cheap won’t be inspired by the T-Cross but, to be fair, they aren’t the target.

Easily the most annoying part of the T-Cross is the hesitant nature of the engine when you want to get going. The powertrain takes a good second or two to respond to throttle inputs and the gearbox wants to shift into second after about three metres which results in slow take-offs. Prodding the gas pedal more to get up to speed can result in a turbo-induced lurch. Not pleasant.

The T-Cross suffers from over-plasticisation inside. Soft-touch materials are few and far between and the special orange trim is made from some cheap-feeling plastic. In fact, most of the interior is cheap-feeling plastic, unfortunately.

The steering wheel is nice, this being the first local example of the new-look wheel that will come with the next-gen Golf (due late this year or early next). It integrates the previous stalk-based cruise control buttons into the wheel itself as well as the media controls.

The digital instrument panel is cool though and the Beats audio system (optional on all models aside from the 1st Edition) is a welcome addition.

For the price ($39,990 as tested), we would expect things like active cruise control to be included but you do get wireless phone charging, an eight-inch infotainment screen and plenty of storage.

There are other safety features though, like autonomous emergency braking, pedestrian and cyclist monitoring, lane keep assist and blind spot monitoring. These are range-wide too, only active cruise is optional until you hit the top-run R-Line. ANCAP recently awarded the T-Cross a five-star rating as well.

So, does the T-Cross do enough to distinguish itself in the packed small SUV segment? If exterior design is at the top of your list for new car features, yes. T-Cross might not push the envelope in the way something like the Peugeot 2008 does but it’s pretty adventurous for Volkswagen.

The interior and the powertrain are the biggest hurdles for VW, given that’s what you focus most on when you’re driving. Rivals at the price point include Mazda’s CX-3 ($38,295 for the leather GSX version), Kia’s Seltos EX ($37,990) and, if you don’t mind the jacked-hatch approach, Ford’s $37,490 Focus Active.

Toyota CH-R Limited Hybrid ($38,990) is another option for those keeping an eye on the climate change reports while Hyundai’s Kona 1.6 Turbo is also available in all-wheel drive form for $36,990.

But given most people buy based on what they like the look of, Volkswagen’s smallest SUV is still a viable option.