T-Cross Town Traffic Beater

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Volkswagen’s T-Cross is the fifth model in their SUV family. It sits below the Touran, the Tiguan Allspace and the Touareg in the range and is based on the VW Golf. Its rivals are super mini based small SUVs, with the Mazda CX-3, the Renault Captur and the Citroen C3 Air Cross it’s main competitors. We would be here all day if we were to talk about every single SUV alternative on the market but for now we’ll stick with these for comparison. We’ve tested both the 6 speed Manual ‘Life’ in Energetic Orange and the DSG R-Line in Makena Turquoise.

Special mention : The sliding rear bench isn’t available on all of the VAG group models. Volkswagen manage to push a reasonably sized SUV with a small 1 litre, 3 pot engine. The interior space is admirable.

Needs work :  There’s a gap left between the boot and the rear bench (when folded) which will require improving. Beats Stereo should be standard.

Specs: As tested

Max Power 115 BHPPetrol / Auto & 6 Speed Manual
0-100 km/h in 10 secondsRoad Tax €200
Starting price €23,995.00
as tested €39, 956 (Turquoise)
€ 31,901 (Energised Orange)
Boot litres 385/455 – 1,281 litres

So is the T-Cross just another SUV that will fade into the background or has it got the potential to really stand out?

The T-Cross comes in four trims, based on a 1 litre, 3-cylinder engine and there’s no four-wheel-drive option. The styling is typical small SUV, although the full width light at the back looks quite smart. Volkswagen makes much about the multitude of different ways you can personalise the T-Cross. The paint choices include an upmarket looking silver, an Energetic Orange and this Makena Turquoise Metallic (both €703).

Volkswagen offer a number of optional packs in addition to the base model (€23,995.00), the Life (€25,995.00), Style (€28,295.00) and R-Line (€29,495.00). There are some scratchy plastics here and there but the general fit and finish is good. You get a really lovely chunky steering wheel and with the auto you get just a standard gear lever. All cars get a touch screen with a glass finish to it so it looks really quite upmarket. As we’ve come to expect from Volkswagen, it’s a solid motor that does everything asked of it.

Top spec cars get digital dials, which you can option if you really want but it’s expensive and the standard dials do a perfectly fine job.

The entry level T-Cross comes with an 6.5″ touchscreen, 16″ ‘Dublin steel wheels’ and sliding rear seats based on a 1.0 litre 95 hp petrol engine. The ‘Life’ model adds 16″ Belmont Alloy wheels, adaptive cruise control, Apple Carplay/Android, LED headlights, Sat-Nav, Parking Sensors (front and rear) Sports Front Seats with lumbar support and climate control. The R-Line adds more muscular body styling, 17″ Sebring alloys and digital dials.

In the rear there’s a huge amount of knee room for a small SUV, spacious foot wells aid this and thanks to the square shape, there’s lots of headroom as well. You can fit three people on the rear bench, which is perfect for short journeys.

In a similar way to the Citroen C3 Air Cross, you can slide the rear bench forwards and backwards for a bit more extra boot space. However, doing this results in virtually no knee room when pushed to it’s furthest in the cabin. This then leaves a gap between the boot floor and the seats for bits to fall into. With the optional variable boot floor, when you raise it into its highest position it unfortunately still doesn’t cover the gap. It’s got the largest boot in its class, the rear seats are straightforward to use, just lift the catch and the spring-loaded seats fold down immediately. With this layout, an awful lot of luggage can be pushed, Tetris style, into the boot.

When it comes to engines, there’s a 1-litre, 3-cylinder turbo petrol that comes with 95 or 115hp. There’s a 5-speed manual for the 95 and the choice of a 6-speed manual or a 7-speed DSG auto for the 115 hp engine.

The 1.0 litre 115hp petrol auto is confident around town and it provides good enough acceleration on the motorway as well. It’s relatively economical – you should get mid-40s mpg and at across limits between 111 and 115 g/km of Co2. Just like the engine, the gearbox is perfectly adequate and the steering, while not communicating a huge amount of feel it goes where you want it to and it doesn’t make a huge fuss.

Noise suppression inside the cabin is good and there’s a relaxing feel to the drive. The ride is good on the 17″ Sebring wheels, which means it doesn’t clatter badly into potholes. The consequence of that is, when you turn into a corner there is a bit of body roll, but this is not the kind of car that you’re going to be hurling into corners.

It’s a small SUV that’s designed to appeal to small families. If that’s what you’re after, then the T cross is going to be on your small SUV list. The T-Cross is an attractive likeable small SUV, the sliding rear bench should probably be updated in the next version but apart from this the T cross is spacious and well-made. The thing is, as with a lot of premium marques, that a lot of rivals do the same job for less.

If I had to choose, I would pick the Energetic Orange with R-Line options and Beats audio as the perfect combination, and with the manual gearbox as it’s just so much more fun. It’s very light and easy to drive in the city, as long as you’re not carrying too much on board, you’ll fly through the traffic.

R-Line Standard Spec:

17” Sebring alloy wheel
Leather wrapped multifunction steering
wheel
8” ‘Composition Media’ radio system
Adaptive Cruise Control incl. speed limiter
App Connect
Voice control
Lane keeping system ‘Lane Assist’
Forward collision warning ‘Front Assist’
Hillstart assist
Blind spot monitor
Rear Traffic Alert
Passenger protection system
Power-adjustable and heated exterior mirrors
‘R-Line’ front and rear bumpers
Radiator grille with ‘R-Line’ logo
‘R-Line’ badging on sides
Exhaust pipe in grained black design
Black wheel housing flarings

Optional Extras:

Metallic Paint
Technology Upgrade (Incl. ‘Discover Media’, Rear View Camera,
Winter Package and Car-Net Guide and Inform)
18″ Nevada Alloy Wheels
Anti-theft Alarm Plus
R-Line Interior
Keyless Access
High Beam Control Light Assist
Active Info Display
Beats’ Sound System
Wireless Charging

Optional Extras: €4,643
OTR* Price for Display Model: €35,313

Standard Spec ‘Life’

  • 16″ Belmont alloy wheels
  • Leather wrapped multifunction steering wheel
  • 8″ ‘Composition Media’ radio system with 8 speakers
  • Adaptive Cruise Control incl. speed limiter
  • Climatronic air conditioning
  • App Connect
  • Voice control
  • 2 USB interfaces
  • Black roof rails
  • Front fog lights incl. static cornering light
  • Lane keeping system ‘Lane Assist’
  • Forward collision warning ‘Front Assist’ with
  • autonomous emergency braking
  • Hillstart assist
  • Blind spot monitor
  • Rear Traffic Alert
  • Passenger protection system
  • Power-adjustable and heated exterior mirrors
  • Optional Extras
  • Metallic Paint
  • Technology Upgrade (Incl. Lights and Vision Package
  • Park Distance
  • Control and Mirror Package)
  • Design Pack “Energetic Orange” for ‘Life’
  • Car-Net Guide and Inform
  • Navigation System “Discover Media”
  • High Beam Control ‘Light Assist’
  • App Connect w/ Media Control

Colour

ENERGETIC ORANGE (METALLIC)

Optional Extras

€2,738

OTR* Price for Display Model

€29,163