Volkswagen T-Cross (2018) Review
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Volkswagen T-Cross (2018) At A Glance
On average it achieves 75% of the official MPG figure
Given the breadth of Volkswagen’s range, the T-Cross was a late arrival into the compact crossover sector in 2018. Up against the likes of the Nissan Juke and Renault Captur, the T-Cross mixes style with practicality in a package based on the Polo’s mechanical bits. Running costs are gentle on the bank balance and the T-Cross can save you further by acting as a family’s sole transport, which not many compact crossovers could claim to manage.
Looking for a Volkswagen T-Cross (2018 on)?
Register your interest for later or request to be contacted by a dealer to talk through your options now.
The T-Cross is Volkswagen's answer to the likes of the Nissan Juke and Peugeot 2008 - a small crossover that's designed to be practical, good to drive and have a dash of style too.
Of course there's no shortage of small crossovers on the market, but the T-Cross makes a strong case for itself as the best around with a practical interior, excellent refinement and a great 1.0-litre engine. It's even reasonably priced against the competition, with prices starting at around £17,000.
Think of the T-Cross as a crossover version of the Polo and you get the idea of its size. Its compact dimensions disguise a surprisingly spacious interior though. While its small size makes it great in supermarket car parks, it's big enough inside to make this a viable family car with space for kids in the back and a decent sixed boot too - larger than a Ford Focus in fact.
While the interior is solid and well built, there's quite a lot of hard plastic which is a little disappointing given the 'premium' image. There are a few other small things like the exposed bolts for the base of the back seats.
Thankfully, driving the T-Cross is an easy experience. It's safe and feels very reassuring at motorway speeds where it happily cruises along with little road or wind noise. But what makes the T-Cross stand out is the excellent 1.0 TSI engine - available in two versions.
The three-cylinder unit gives the T-Cross some much needed character and has a surprising turn of pace for such a small engine. That combined with a slick manual gearbox means the T-Cross can actually good fun if you go for the more powerful engine. There is also a 1.6 TDI but unless you're doing mammoth mileages, but it's not particularly refined with lots of noise and vibration making its way into the cabin. We'd recommend sticking with the petrol, as the diesel feels like an afterthought.
Thanks to the entry-level S model, the T-Cross has a competitive starting price against its rivals. Indeed, the T-Cross will tick a lot of boxes for buyers who want a vehicle that is comfortable, practical and enjoyable to drive but still compact in size. It makes an ideal family motor and is cheap to run too. We think it's the best small crossover on the market right now.