Just too pricey: The VW T-Cross

The Volkswagen T-Cross has been the brand’s most successful SUV since entering the local market in 2019, selling over 36 000 units. 

It came in as the “real makoya” (real McCoy) in the compact SUV space because it gave you the clearance and height needed for a big car but still the same nippy drive you were used to in the VW Polo. 

It also came onto the market at a reasonable R334 600 for the Comfortline and R 365 000 for the Highline. 

In 2024, VW released the new T-Cross with a refreshed look and some updated features.

The new car was initially released in three derivatives: the Life 1.0 TSI 85kW DSG, the Style 1.0 TSI 85kW DSG and the R-Line 1.0 TSI 85kW DSG. VW added two more in February: a 1.0 TSI 70kW Base and a 1.0 TSI 80kW Base. 

The Mail & Guardian jumped into the T-Cross Style 1.0 TSI 85kW DSG.

The exterior

From the outside, you can definitely spot that the T-Cross has grown up. It has stopped resembling an oversized Polo from the front and looks more like the Tiguan’s baby brother. 

The new LED headlights, which are connected by a lightbar in the front, make the vehicle attractive, especially in the evening. The back follows the same principle, with the taillights connected by a LED strip. However, the latter does feel too large but it’s not difficult to look at. 

The T-Cross has maintained its popular box shape. As the saying goes, if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it. 

The interior 

When you jump inside, you are greeted by a very neat dashboard. From the infotainment screen down the centre console, you have all the buttons you need, two USB-C ports and a sufficient amount of storage space.

There’s also a fully digital cluster and an 8-inch infotainment screen that is equipped with both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. 

The denim seats are comfortable but I was uncertain if there was just too much denim. At times, it felt like I was being hugged by a pair of Levi’s. 

The plastic on the inside of the doors is very hard. The problem with this is that it gives the interior a cheap feel. I certainly don’t mind it in an entry-level vehicle but the derivative of the T-Cross I was in is not. Considering the price, it felt like the inside of the doors could have been slightly fancier. 

Space wise, the interior offers you enough to comfortably fit and transport a small family. The boot has 385 litres of space, which is far more generous than a Polo, so it will do the job for a small family as well.

The drive

The 85kW T-Cross certainly has enough power to get by. The one thing that really impressed me when navigating the highways of the East Rand was the handling. 

The drive was smooth and the engine was responsive on the open road, although it did feel a touch sluggish on take-off when I was driving in the suburbs. 

The T-Cross is very light on fuel. VW claims 5.6 litres/100km. I drove this vehicle mostly in suburban areas, which should increase its consumption, and I did two longer trips on the open road, so I expected a much higher fuel use than the claimed figure. I was surprised to see that the T-Cross sat at an average of 6.2 litres/100km. 

Safety

The T-Cross carries a 5-star Euro NCAP rating, with a score of 97% for adult occupants and 86% for children.

It comes standard with six airbags, electronic brake distribution, brake assist, traction control and an anti-lock braking system. Park distance control for both front and rear is also standard on the vehicle. 

You can opt for a Travel Assist Package which includes predictive adaptive cruise control with a traffic function, cornering assist, lane assist, autonomous emergency braking and pedestrian monitoring.

Pricing and verdict

The T-Cross Life 1.0 TSI 85kW DSG comes in at R462 200, the Style 1.0 TSI 85kW DSG (tested) at R501 300 and the R-Line 1.0 TSI 85kW DSG is priced at R533 100.

Overall, when driving the updated T-Cross, everything was comfortable and there was not much to complain about, but I also don’t think there was enough to justify the half a million rand price point. 

For a flooded compact SUV market, the price feels too high, especially when other brands are giving more features than the T-Cross can offer and doing it below R500 000. 

It is also probably why VW released the base variants in February with those starting at R400 700, making them slightly more affordable.