Volkswagen T-Cross (2019-2026)

Considering the price range of this little vehicle, it doesn’t represent value for money. It is very basic inside and out. The stop start feature is jerky and causes your brain to slam into the back of your skull when it finally kicks in and gets going. Even with it turned off the T-Cross still hesitates to accelerate off the mark. By the time it… Read more

gets off the mark it jerks forward and then you must hit the brakes to avoid slamming up the back of the car in front of you. These jerky movements make you look like a learner driver.

There are no lights in the sun visor mirror, there are no air conditioner vents for passengers in the rear seats, the driver and passenger seats upright backrest adjuster is controlled by an annoying time consuming turn wheel, there are no side reading lights in the rear, my ice coffee bottle doesn’t fit in the centre console cup holder, it takes expensive 95 petrol and is expensive to service.

Now for the things I like about the T-Cross, I like the conservative look of the exterior, it doesn’t stand out and crave attention. I like the analog air conditioner controls, I like the ride height, the front seats are hard and comfortable and the car feels spacious inside.

I also like how the rear window control locks still let the driver operate them the driver side master switch when engaged. That way I can wind them up without my children overwriting me from their switch in the back. It could probably be considered child abuse in the middle of summer due to the T-Cross not having A/C vents in the back.

All in all, the T-Cross is an overpriced for a car in this range, there is much better value from Korean and Japanese equivalents. The T-Cross could have been great car but unfortunately it is not.

Efficient car – This car is great for driving around the City. It's very efficient and very easy to drive. I love how small it is to park around busy city but at the same time spacious inside to carry larger loads. Servise is also every 15k. We got the full package with too of the line speakers and they are absolutely stunning. Show details

Surprisingly splendid spacious small 2WD SUV – My new car was not the one I went shopping for when my Mazda 3 SP25 was recently written off. Since August, 2022, I was planning to update in May/June 2023 and had test-driven four prime candidates that had good to excellent reviews from motoring journalists. 1. Hyundai i30 sedan (formerly Elantra) 1.6L turbo sedan 2. Kia Cerato Sports Plus… Read more

sedan/hatchback 3. Subaru Impreza Premium AWD 4. Volkwagen Polo 85TSI

The showrooms were pretty much empty of any of these four vehicles in the first week of December 2022 when I needed to shop for a new vehicle. The closest of the desirable models was in Adelaide SA, not Newcastle NSW.

A local VW salesperson called back and said, "The Polo you like might be out of stock until April 2023, but I have a VW T-Cross here now if you want to think about it. Come and drive it. It's just like a Polo but about 75-80mm 'taller' and aimed at the people who want an SUV or crossover vehicle. You won't be disappointed as it outperforms the Toyota Yaris Cross, the smaller Hyundai and Kia SUVs and the two smallest Mazda SUVs."

I drove the demo model for an hour that afternoon. It soon belied the tiny 1-litre European turbo. I drove it all over the hilly Newcastle beach roads, the steep inner-city streets and the devious suburban twisty hillside roads. The 7-speed DSG 'automatic' gearbox was smooth at all times. (I actually had to watch the tachometer to see that it was changing gears.)

The next 45 minutes at the dealership involved some Q&A from me and sorting out the couple of options I wanted. Realising that I was going to have to wait 4-5 months for one of my listed, previously test-driven models, I was sold on the idea of a new car for the xmas holidays. I left a deposit and an order for the T-Cross 85Life with the upgraded Sound package and the advanced active Safety package from the "upmarket" 85Style version.

A couple of days later, I collected my car (built July 2022) ... optioned up to a driveway price of just under $35.5k (thanks to no trade-in and payment in full by bank transfer).

Am I pleased? Yes! Just over three weeks of ownership has impressed me immensely. I was not an SUV 'type' buyer at all before this car.

PROS (in my opinion) ===== * Runs on the smell of a moist oily rag (not the 5.4L/100km 'combined' average claimed by VW). I was able to get 5.1L/100km on the local freeways and 7.3L/100km around the city and suburbs. This week (Saturday 24th-Saturday 31st, I needed 23.7 litres to refill the 40L tank after driving 355km ... so 6.68L/100km overall. $44.45 using the recommended 98RON premium fuel.) * Quite manœuvrable and relatively light on its feet. The T-Cross is not a sports sedan like a Mazda 3 or VW Golf but is NEARLY as impressive on the road. * The Active Safety Package added to the Passive Safety installations is a great extra comfort to a driver. Active emergency braking and active cruise control are brilliant. The all round proximity monitoring works on the highway and in the car parks; you know when you are too close to almost anything or anyone. * The seating is designed around "fuller figured" European bodies. My 98kg 1.75m body is comfortably cocooned with great headroom and driver positioning. My tallest grandkids are already 1.75m and taller and fit with good head-space and knee-room in the rear. * Vision is brilliant - easy to see outside from all seats. * Lots of USB-C ports front and rear and a flat charging tray for smartphones * Four huge door packets and two generous front-seat pockets. * Excellent luggage privacy screen

CONS (IMHO) ===== * I'm not a fan of compact spare tyres. There is room in the rear-wheel well for a full-size spare ... so Volkswagen, why not offer it? * Really only a four seater ... no rear drink-holders and not enough room for anything but a very small person in the rear-centre. * That 1.5-2.5 second lag for the paused engine idle to resume after a traffic-light stop takes some getting used to. It can be turned off or bypassed but I like to think I'm trying to be greener and to save an extra few hundred millilitres of fuel each month. * VW recommends using only 95RON (or higher) fuel. I have been using Premium 98RON which can be 25c-35c per litre more to buy. (Wide reading suggests that the 13%-15% extra cost comes with about 6%-7% cleaner running and fuel economy.) My brain's jury is still out but I am looking for a good balance.

If you have a LOT of time to find a nice sports sedan in your favourite colour and configuration, then go for something on that list of four that I have test-driven and loved.

If you want a 2WD SUV, go for this Volkswagen model. The T-Cross should tick many, many boxes for small families or couples or older Australians like me who only do 2-4 long trips per year these days.