The Volkswagen T-cross
- by Sam Ayres
Meet the Volkswagen T-Cross, VW’S first ever small SUV aimed at urban life and living. Based on the MQB platform, the T-Cross is much more compact than the Tiguan. From the first images we have seen the T-Cross looks fun and funky. While I’m not a fan of the rear, it has a fairly cute overall appeal. T-Cross is shorter than the T-Roc, making it better for city living. Its 4-metre length still provides enough space for 5 people, with the rear row of seats being able to slide 14cm to provide more leg room or more luggage space.
Four engine options are available, three petrol and one diesel. The two 1.0 TSI three-cylinder petrol engines generate 70 kW and 85 kW. T The top of the range model features a 1.5 TSI four-cylinder petrol motor producing 100kW. The singular diesel offering comes in form of a 1.6 TDI four-cylinder engine producing 70 kW. While the T-Cross is a small SUV, I worry that the two 1.0 TSI engine options won’t provide enough meat and leave the T-Cross feeling a little sluggish. Time will tell in this regard.
Standard tech on the T-Cross comes in truckloads. Safety systems such as Front Assist area monitoring system with Pedestrian Monitoring, City Emergency Braking System, the lane keeping assistant Lane Assist, Hill Start Assist, the proactive occupant protection system, and the Blind Spot Detection lane change assist system with the integrated Rear Traffic Alert are all standard. The Driver Alert System, adaptive cruise control and park assist are all optional extras. VW say the T-Cross has the ” highest level of networking and connectivity with the outside world”. We don’t exactly know what that means as yet. What we do know is the T-Cross comes with 4 USB ports. You can never have enough USB ports.
Production of the T-cross will take place in Navarra at VW’s Spanish Volkswagen. BY 2019, Volkswagen is set to invest some one billion euros there to assist the strong growth in the market of compact SUVs, with a 10% increase in job creation.
T-Cross will add to VW’s ever expanding range of SUVs. Whilst it varies around the world, in South Africa we now have Tiguan, Tiguan Allspace and Touareg.
