SA Road Tests

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Little, not tiny: 2020 Volkswagen T-Cross 1.0 turbo

Polo with a view

Car pics by Quickpic
Pamplona pic by Bernardbill5 at Dutch Wikipedia
Posted: November 17, 2019

The numbers
Base prices: Comfortline at R334 600, Highline at R365 000
Engine: 999 cc, aluminium head and block, DOHC, 12-valve three-cylinder, turbopetrol
Power: 85 kW at 5000 rpm
Torque: 200 Nm between 2000 and 3500 rpm
Zero to 100 km/h: 10.2 seconds
Maximum speed: 193 km/h
Real life fuel consumption: About 7.1 l/100 km
Tank: 40 litres
Luggage: 377-455-1281 litres
Ground clearance: 180 mm
Turning circle: 10.6 metres
Warranty: 3 years / 120 000 km
Service plan: 3 years / 45 000 km, at 15 000 km intervals

Things you may already know: It’s smaller than T-Roc, that’s coming next year, but bigger than Polo and built alongside it at Pamplona, where hotheads run with bulls, in Spain. Americans would love to have it but VWUSA rejected it; they reckon it’s too small.

So you can see what’s going on, VW placed front seat cushions 597 mm above road level and those in back at 652. That’s 100 mm higher up than in sister-car Polo. Should we call it a Polo with a view?

Our 1.85-metre driver, seated “behind himself” for the time-honoured test, declared it acceptable with satisfactory headroom and lots of foot space. His knees didn’t quite touch the seat in front.

While back there he noted a full set of belts and head restraints, a second courtesy light, two USB points, seatback pockets, medium-sized door bins, dual iSize baby chair mountings and a main cushion that can be moved forward 14 cm if additional boot space is needed. That effectively deletes knee room and leaves a gap between load floor and chairs but you can’t have everything.

Two adult backseat passengers, both of medium height, agreed that the seat was comfortable but the restraints weren’t, although a taller rider on a separate trip found belt height satisfactory.

In an odd switch-about, VWSA launched the intermediate models first with a 110-kW R-Line version coming early in 2020 and the entry-level, 70-kW Trendline car somewhat later.
For now we have the 85-kilowatt version of the 1.0-litre turbopetrol motor and two trim levels, Comfortline and Highline. Either can be fancied-up with, among others, an R-Line exterior package; a 300-Watt, eight-channel Beats by Dr Dre sound system with seven speakers; alternative wheels; parking assistant with camera; navigation; and adaptive cruise control with blind spot monitor, folding mirrors, lane assist and front assist. Specific availability varies by spec’ level. The only gearbox offered is VW’s seven-speed DSG.

Our test rig was a Highline with extras: Kessy keyless entry and start at R5050; Beats sound at R8 800; parking package at R8 950; R-Line Exterior with 18” Nevada alloy wheels (same size as standard, just different) with 215/45 tyres; Discover Media infotainment with 3D maps, App Connect, voice control, inductive ‘phone charging and Active Information Display, at R22 850.

Keyless access, satnav and reversing camera are always nice to have and the sound system worked brilliantly. The other toys were easily ignorable although we concede that some folk can’t live without them.

The boot loads at just above knee height and features a light, four lashing rings and two bag hooks. The space may be bi-level on some models but not on our test car because the Beats amplifier occupied the lower layer. Seatbacks split 40:60 and can be released from behind. The spare is a 16” steel wheel, ex Trendline, with 205/65R16 tyre. The hatch is democratic; three pull-down handles cater for everybody
.
We’re usually quite easy to please, performance-wise, but feel that VW might want to re-think the range. Loaded with two moderately hefty adults and supplies for a midweek timeshare stay at a Drakensberg resort, we found the 85-kW motor a little short on grunt. It rated only “OK” for climbing ability and acceleration when the chips are down.

We reckon this should be at entry level, the 110-kW 1500cc motor offered at mid-range and then something special for the top version. But dump the 70-kW, 1.0-litre motor from this line-up entirely. Just an opinion.

Minor reservations apart, this little-but-not-tiny SUV is worth considering as a compact but eminently usable family car; a Polo with a view, perhaps.


Test unit from VWSA press fleet


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This is a one-man show, which means that every car reviewed is given my personal evaluation and receives my own seat of the pants judgement - no second hand input here.

Every test car goes through real world driving; on city streets littered with potholes, speed bumps and rumble strips, on freeways and if its profile demands, dirt roads or goat tracks as well. As a result, my test cars do occasionally get dirty. It's all part of the reviewing process.

I do my best to include relevant information like real life fuel economy or a close mathematical calculation, boot size or luggage space, whether the space is both usable and accessible, whether life-sized people can use the back seat (where that applies), basic specs of the vehicle and performance figures if they are published. In the case of clearly identified launch reports, fuel figures are of necessity the laboratory numbers provided with the release material.

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