Volkswagen T-Cross Review: How good is VW's smallest SUV?

Volkswagen might be somewhat late to the small crossover party, but with the new T-Cross it is at least turning up in style. In this CarGurus review Sarah-Ellen Brown takes a closer look at VW's rival to the likes of the Nissan Juke and Seat Arona to see just how good it is.

Pros
Funky SUV-like styling
Easy to drive
Roomy interior by class standards

Cons
Many rival compact crossovers are cheaper to buy
VW's new-car warranty is no match for Kia or Hyundai
Disappointing interior quality

The CarGurus verdict
The small SUV category is packed with talent. So while the T-Cross is worth careful consideration, it's not a clear class leader. The Ford Puma is more fun to drive, and the Skoda Kamiq is roomier. What's more, the finish in the cabin is disappointing when you consider that the T-Cross is more expensive than many rivals; there are just too many hard and shiny plastics on show.

On the other hand, the VW T-Cross is practical, with reasonable cabin space, a healthy luggage capacity, and extra flexibility thanks to the sliding rear bench. It drives well, and rides comfortably so long as you avoid the big 18-inch alloy wheels on high-spec cars. The engines are very good indeed, especially the petrols, which combine healthy performance with modest fuel consumption.

Perhaps the clincher is the way the T-Cross looks. These things are subjective, but we think the VW is one of the best-looking compact crossovers. And in such a fashion-conscious sector of the market, that counts for a lot.

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[joess]

She got straight to the relevant points. Very good review

[sparkford]

Thanks for a good initial review. Really liking this car and it R line spec and with running boards looks the business . The UPGTi engine and manual box is a fine combination imo. Does everything it says on the tin, with class and not too much financial outlay. Great for a young growing family. Who needs a Chelsea tractor at 3 x the cost .
Well done VW.

[alanwayte]

I had one recently when my golf 7.5R was in for service, I thought the quality of the interior plastics was very poor

[uwebeck]

hi, can you make a video how to get the clock displayed in the dashboard with (VCDS). has a Vw t-cross style + from 2019. etc. Uwe Beck.

[TheMisterBu]

That's not a light bar at rear, it's a reflective strip !And this thing about hard plastics, FGS we don't sit on them !

[cyclon]

Really interested in buying this car!
Do you know whether with me, my wife and three high school youngsters and the boot full of luggage the 1.0 115 TSI with manual 6 speed gearbox would be adequate for motorways?
Also engine weatherstrip where windshield wipers are, looks too narrow at the sides, are there adequate sink holes there to avoid water ingress in the engine bay?

[tonywalls]

Good day going forward please can you review the VW T - cross DSG ( Direct shift gear box ) seven speed automatic standard which i purchased in October 2019 when the car was launched in South Africa value for your money in Rand then was R334, 600.00 the manual was under R300, 000. Rated best small SUV family car in S.A. Thanks Sarah for your review

[joess]

One major issue that everyone seems to miss including VW conveniently, is that the T cross only has 40 litre fuel tank capacity. That's a smaller tank than some smaller cars. Meaning filling up more often and less range of miles. It's a major flaw and vw doesn't even mention it on its brochure.

[jbs]

Sorry but I won't suggest anyone to buy vw tiguan. I had bad experience with vw and audi group . In January 2018 I purchased nearly new vw tiguan, it had about 6k miles on it and I drove it up to 23k, I ended up selling it in 2020 to a car dealer  I sold the car for very cheap price and it did not even cover my deposit money. How ever when I owned the tiguan I did not get to drive it much, in fact I could not trust the car to travel for long distance as its gearbox started to break down every now and then,   cars front axcel started to make chunky sort of noise, it earned most of miles out of 23k miles just driving  from vw garage to home and then back to garage . It was so annoying that i was paying for an suv but i was driving polo ( courtesy vehicle), i needed a car as i work in healthcare care sector, but my tiguan let me down and decided to break down when covid 19 was on it's peak and my patients needed me the most and I could not get to work because bloody car broke down every day and vw could not facilitate a courtesy vehicle anymore during peak of pandemic . I had to rely on taxi as my car was at vw garage for maintenance  and I was still paying monthly instalment for vw tiguan plus mentally harassment caused by vw tiguan After sale service was also hilarious as when ever I got my car back from vw garage they either scratched interior or exterior or atleast other additional faults . It was my dream car because i worked so long to buy a decent suv for family but I ended up paying more for nightmare, I went to Audi dealer to buy new a6 and there deal was so expensive they did not havw any option to support key worker to buy new car and  that is where  I lost my hope in Audi but on the other hand bmw group managed to hook me up with  a great and cheaper deal on 5 series m port plus model due to my work in healthcare . Finally bmw fulfilled my dreams but unfortunately vw and Audi failed to satisfy a care worker   who sacrifice his life on looking after people in pandemic and have only one dream which is to have a nice and decent car .  
Sorry for negativity.

[forzabowe]

What a tacky looking car. I always thought VW were classy?