2024 Volkswagen T-Cross review: Full range detailed

Based on the Polo hatchback, the T-Cross light SUV arrived in 2020 along with T-Roc and has since become one of VW’s most popular models.

Despite its small dimensions, the T-Cross offers a relatively roomy cabin and has one of the largest boots in its segment.

It is powered by an economical three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine and has a standard safety tech suite including autonomous emergency braking and parking sensors.

There have been barely any changes to the T-Cross during the last three years, apart from price, though a facelift is due in late 2024 that will bring the styling into line with its bigger SUV siblings.

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VW T-Cross Life

JUMP AHEAD

• Pricing
• Body styles
• Standard features
• Options
• Safety
• Comfort & practicality
• Boot space
• Driving experience
• Fuel economy
• Towing capacity
• Warranty & servicing
• Which version of the T-Cross does Wheels recommend?
• Similar vehicles to consider

Volkswagen T-Cross pricing

The T-Cross range is as simple as you can get while having a choice, with two variants offered from just shy of $31,000.

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What body styles are there?

The T-Cross is only available as a five-door wagon.

It is front-wheel-drive only and is classed as a light SUV, lower priced.

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VW T-Cross Style

What features are in every T-Cross?

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VW T-Cross Life

The entry-level T-Cross 85 TSI Life has cloth-covered seats, 16-inch wheels and manual air-conditioning.

Spend more on the T-Cross Style and you gain:

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VW T-Cross Style

Options

For an additional $2200, you can add the Sound and Vision Package, which adds:

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Digital Cockpit Pro

Paint

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How safe is the Volkswagen T-Cross?

The T-Cross has a five-star ANCAP rating and comes standard with many driver assistance features.

Among these are front and rear parking sensors and manoeuvre braking designed to prevent you from hitting hidden objects or people.

It also comes with standard cruise control, driver fatigue detection, autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, and lane-keep assist.

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Missing from the Life spec are adaptive cruise control, rear-cross traffic alert and blind-spot monitoring.

These were available in a Driver Assistance pack, which was reasonably priced at $1200 but is now only available as a standard inclusion in the T-Cross Style.

Passive safety includes eight airbags, ISOFIX child seat anchors in the outboard rear seats and three top tether points.

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How comfortable and practical is the Volkswagen T-Cross?

Despite its pint-sized dimensions, the T-Cross is a nice place to spend time, with supportive seats and generous equipment levels for the price.

There are a few trade-offs when you step inside, such as hard plastic surfaces on the dashboard and door skins. But there are soft-touch surfaces where it matters, such as the armrests on the doors.

In the entry-level T-Cross Life are firm but comfortable cloth seats with a nice blend of patterns, but the monochrome decor of the interior could do with a little more colour to bring additional visual interest.

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VW T-Cross Life

The upper-spec Style livens the vibe with bolstered seats, more features and nicer materials.

Similarities between the T-Cross and Polo are noticeable as soon as you jump inside. However, there’s noticeably more headroom, and the high-riding seating position is more SUV-like than other light crossovers, such as the Mazda CX-3 and Hyundai Venue.

The additional height also makes getting in and out a breeze and provides convenient access to boot.

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VW T-Cross Style

The compact centre console features a small tub beneath the armrest, with the midsection taken up by two cup holders and a traditional handbrake, which is an increasingly rare feature these days.

You get a bit more storage in front of the gear shifter, where you'll find a couple of USB sockets, and the wireless phone charger if you opt for the Sound and Vision Package.

If you need more storage space, there are decent-sized door bins, a nifty little drawer below the passenger seat and a handy nook under the driver's seat to store the manual and free up room in the glove box.

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Second-row comfort

The fabric rear pew is a little firm but shaped well to provide comfort.

High-set seats offer good front and side vision, which children will appreciate and you can comfortably seat two adults, though there is no centre armrest to lean on.

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VW T-Cross Life

On the plus side, surprisingly ample legroom in the T-Cross puts some bigger SUVs to shame, and there is excellent headroom throughout.

Rear-seat passengers benefit from two USB-C sockets, map pockets on the back of the front seats and door bins.

Curiously, none of the current variants come with rear air vents, but Volkswagen left the housing in place, which lets you know what you're missing while doubling as a handy storage nook.

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VW T-Cross Style

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How much boot space does the Volkswagen T-Cross offer?

The second-row seat can slide 140mm fore and aft to vary the boot space between 385-455 litres.

Folding the rear seats flat expands cargo-carrying capacity to 1281 litres. They also fold in a 60:40 split, which adds flexibility for combining rear passengers with long loads.

Lift the boot floor, and you'll find a space-saver spare wheel and tools.

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I like driving, will I enjoy the T-Cross?

As well as sharing underpinnings with the Polo, the T-Cross has adopted the hatchback's 1.0-litre, three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine.

It's a good little unit but loses some of its spark in the slightly heavier T-Cross, though you're rarely left wanting for oomph, even at highway speeds.

There is a Sport driving mode that changes the engine mapping so it reaches peak power quicker, but it doesn't make too much of a tangible difference.

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Paddle shifters provide some hands-on driving, but it's not exactly sporty. Push the T-Cross on a twisty road, and you'll encounter some body roll.

To be fair, with 10.2-second 0-100km/h acceleration, the T-Cross isn't trying to be a performance car; if chasing apexes is high on your mission list, you're best sticking with the Polo or opting for the sportier T-Roc.

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The T-Cross doesn’t stray too far from the Polo’s dimensions, making it easy to manoeuvre around town while offering a raised driving position with good visibility.

Light but responsive steering makes negotiating tight streets and parking spaces a doddle.

Ride comfort feels composed on most surfaces, and road and engine noise is very low, which lessens fatigue in heavy traffic.

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Which Volkswagen T-Cross engine uses the least fuel?

So far, only one engine is available in the T-Cross range – the three-cylinder 85kW/200Nm turbocharged 85 TSI petrol engine shared with the Polo hatchback.

Under the bonnet of the T-Cross, it consumes 5.4 litres per 100km on the official test (city and country cycles combined).

It’s an excellent little engine around town but in the T-Cross, which is 88kg heavier than a Polo, it feels a touch weak when you put the foot down.

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The 85 TSI is coupled with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, which sends power to the front wheels. 

It selects ratios well but can be quite laggy on take-off, not helped by the fuel-saving start/stop engine function that can thankfully be turned off.

This powertrain is expected to carry over into the facelifted 2024 T-Cross.

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How much can a Volkswagen T-Cross tow?

The T-Cross can tow a braked load of up to 1100kg.

It has an unbraked towing capacity of 630kg and a 55kg tow ball weight.

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How long is the warranty of a Volkswagen T-Cross and what are the servicing costs?

The T-Cross comes with a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty and 12 months of roadside assistance cover.

Service intervals are 12 months or 15,000km.

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Which version of the T-Cross does Wheels recommend?

Both T-Cross versions are very similar, but the 85 TSI Style has some decent extras included in the price to justify the additional $3500 over the Life.

These include adaptive cruise control and additional active safety tech included in the standard Driver Assist package, which represented about a third of the additional cost when it was offered as an option on the Life.

Scraping up an extra $2200 for the Sound and Vision Package brings a very well-equipped light SUV that could get away with wearing an Audi badge.

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What are the main rivals to the Volkswagen T-Cross?

The light SUV segment provides some good little choices against which the T-Cross stacks up well.

• Ford Puma
• Hyundai Venue
• Kia Stonic
• Mazda CX-3
• Nissan Juke
• Toyota Yaris Cross

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