Test Volkswagen T-Cross 1.0 TSI 115 CV Sport (video)

Welcome to the test Volkswagen T-Cross. It is the smallest SUV in the house Volkswagen, a vehicle that just landed just a couple of months ago in the segment of the urban crossover, also known as B SUV. And it is that, as you know, there are more and more variations of style and size within the models all the way.

Among other things I must emphasize that the T-Cross is a product “made in Spain”, since it is manufactured in the Navarra factory, together with the Volkswagen Polo with which it shares a platform. On the other hand, it has a starting price of 18.990 euros, which places it as the most expensive among its rivals. We tried it in Sport finish, with the gasoline engine 1.0 TSI 115 hp and 6-speed manual transmission.

A youthful, urban and friendly design

Starting with the exterior, this model is presented with a design that maintains many of the features seen in the Volkswagen T-Roc and, unlike its bigger brothers, it brings some details that convey a more youthful and urban appearance, more "nice"; especially in this unit with the color "Naranja Calatea", the orange pack and level of finish Sports.

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Among the highlights of his front aesthetic we can highlight the large upper grille with horizontal slats covering the brand logo and communicating the LED headlights, as well as a lower part in the shape of a “bone” at the ends of which are the fog lamps. There is no lack of marked lower protections either, which we will find on all four sides of the bodywork.

The part lateral boasts of aesthetics especially for these inch wheels 18 that combine black and the orange tone to match the color of the bodywork. Despite being a relatively small vehicle, its large glass surface stands out, with darkened rear windows. The surround of the windows is in an aluminum tone, the same as that of the roof rails.

I think his most characteristic view is the back. And this is due to the shape of the LED light pilots that are communicated by a wide center stripe black never seen before in Volkswagen. The bumper is also very bulky and, as the German firm is used to, they have resorted to horizontal lines to increase the feeling of width of the car. In this case they have not wanted to leave the exhaust outlets visible, but luckily they have not simulated them either. Let's see inside!

An interior of hard plastics, but with good sensations

Once in the driver's seat, we find ourselves in a highest position that in the Polo shirt , 10 centimeters taller specifically. The steering wheel can be adjusted in height and depth, with adjustments in all directions for the seat and also lumbar adjustment. The seat belt also has adjustment, something that is always appreciated.

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Behind the leather-upholstered multifunction steering wheel we find the fully digital instrument panel, with a 12,3-inch TFT screen and high quality that shows us the typical travel data, driving assistants, navigation instructions and some other minor details. His vision is quite good, even more so if we consider that it is a car in this B-SUV segment.

At the same height as the frame, but in the center of the dashboard is the touch screen for the infotainment system, which is 8 inches. Its operation is really good, with a great touch, fast fluidity and good graphics. Many of the car's systems are controlled from it. It is also compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Otherwise, we find various bulky storage compartments distributed throughout the cabin, wireless charging surface and a dual-zone climate control that is easy to operate. On the controls of the climate control there are some buttons, highlighting the driving modes and another to activate the automatic parking system.

Continuing with the design, this unit has the “orange design” pack, which is made up of the two-color wheels mentioned above, specific upholstery seats and some interior trims in orange, such as the entire central "plate" of the dashboard (with black vinyl), the contour of the center console and a small lower part of the steering wheel. This package (for 665 euros) carries a very striking and personal touch to the Volkswagen T-Cross.

Regarding the quality perceived inside, virtually all plastics are hard, finding only soft materials in the armrests of the front doors and in the central armrest. The adjustments are good, although it is true that if we press on the molding that surrounds both the instrument panel and the central screen, the odd creak is heard. These "crickets" have not appeared by themselves during the march.

Surprising interior space, its main strong point

One of the sections where this Volkswagen T-Cross has surprised me the most is in the habitability. For a car that is only 4,11 meters long, the interior space is very well used in every sense. In the front seats, two corpulent adults can travel without problems, especially because of their height.

Four occupants of 1,80 meters, or even slightly taller, can travel in total comfort. In the rear seats highlights both the longitudinal space for the knees and height for the head. A fifth occupant will compromise the comfort of the second row, because by width it will be fair; something totally normal in cars of this segment.

Note that the rear bench seat can slide longitudinally by 14 centimeters in order to distribute the space between this row of seats and the trunk. I, with my height of 1,76 and the front seat adjusted to my driving position, have practically a span to rub with my knees on the backrest. If we move the sidewalk completely forward, I still don't get to play, but comfort and practically all mobility is lost.

Generous and adjustable trunk

La trunk capacity is 385 liters when we have the rear bench placed in its rearmost position, which is already quite a good volume (5 liters more than a Volkswagen Golf current). If we slide it to the most forward position we get a volume of 455 liters, which is a very large capacity considering, again, its exterior length. We can place the floor at two different heights and also fold down the seats, reaching up to 1.281 liters.

Mechanical range: logic, but not enough

Turning now to the offer of mechanics in this Volkswagen T-Cross, at the moment, it is not too wide. We have two versions of gasoline, with a block 1.0 TSI of 95 and 115 hp, and a single diesel option, with a propellant 1.6 TDI by 95 CV. The 1.5 hp 150 TSI engine with cylinder disconnection is expected to arrive soon.

Regarding the gearboxes, the two 95 hp mechanics are necessarily linked to a 5-speed manual transmission. The 115 TSI comes standard with a 6-speed manual gearbox, although you can also opt for the 7-speed DSG transmission for 1.210 euros more. The traction is always in the front train, there are no 4 × 4 versions.

Engine 1.0 TSI 115 hp manual 6v

The tested unit incorporates the most powerful of all the options with the 6-speed manual transmission. This 1.0 hp 115 TSI gives all its power to 5.500 turns and has a maximum torque of 200 Nm between 2.000 and 3.500. The approved combined consumption is 5,9 litersIt takes just over 10 seconds to go from 0 to 100 and its top speed is 193 km/h. Sufficient performance for a car that will make most of its journeys in urban environments. And now, having seen all the theory, let's drive it!

At the wheel: Good touch, good rolling

Let's talk a little bit about its driving dynamics. The first thing to note is that we are in a slightly raised posture, which is an advantage for driving around the city because it allows us to better see what we have at each angle, something that is also helped by the large glass surface, the front and rear parking sensors and the reversing camera of this unit.

En city, the 115 hp gasoline engine moves loosely enough to the T-Cross, not needing more power. However, if we like to practice agile driving or when climbing a mountain pass at a normal pace, we will have to resort to changing from time to time and do not drop the engine below 2.000 rpm because below that range the response is a bit poor. In any case, the shift feel is good, so it's not a big problem either.

By dual carriageway, the engine is enough to maintain 120 km/h when we encounter a slope or at most we go down a gear so that the sensation is not that of having the engine “drowned”. The same thing happens when making incorporations or overtaking in secondary, it is better to rev the engine a little by stretching the gears to do it with greater solvency and safety.

Regarding comfort and ride quality, it is clear that a 3-cylinder does not reach the refined touch of a 4-cylinder, but in this case it is well isolated in terms of noise and vibrations from the engine. It is only noticeable when starting from a standstill or when driving at low speed, in first and second gear. On the other hand, if we talk about aerodynamic noise, to be a car in this segment, it passes with flying colors.

With regards to suspension It seemed to me that in curves it holds the bodywork very well and tilts are barely noticeable, but it also a dry tad from behind when going over potholes and speed bumps. It's not excessive, it's not serious at all, and I think it's also largely due to the 18-inch wheels, which are very attractive but impractical for this type of car. Probably with smaller tires it will be slightly more comfortable. Be careful, this does not mean that it is excessively hard, not at all. It's a comfortable car.

Finally, let's talk about consumption. As normally happens in this type of car, with low-displacement turbo engines, consumption varies a lot depending on our driving. In a normal and mixed driving it is usual to be around 6,2 l/100 approximately, being about 5,5 at stable rates on the highway and somewhat higher than 6,5 while strolling. Correct data considering the type of car it is. After 600 kilometers of testing, the computer has registered a total average consumption of 6,1 l/100 km.

Conclusions

It's time to draw conclusions after a week with this Volkswagen T-Cross. There have been things that I quite liked and others that I didn't like at all. Starting with the good news, I would highlight the ability to customization and the fact of having a design more cheerful than we are used to at VW, but above all the space interior and load capacity despite being a small car. Also that it has a good rolling quality.

Actually this model, in my opinion, only has one negative point; but that negative point is quite big. is the price. It is true that the series is already good with a good supply of equipment, but it hurts that a 4,11-meter car boot at 18.990 euros in its lowest finish and with the least powerful engine. There are options like the Hyundai Kona or even the Seat Arona that still do not reach the level of this T-Cross, but that defend themselves very well and with a more affordable price. This unit, for all the options and packages, exceeds 25.500 euros...

Equipment Volkswagen T-Cross

Edition

• 16-inch steel wheels
• Body color door handles and mirror caps
• Halogen headlights
• LED taillights (less turn signals and reverse)
• Radiator grille with chrome foil
• Mats in the front and rear seats
• Folding rear bench seat with longitudinal displacement of 14 cm
• Double height boot floor
• 12 volt socket in front
• Multifunction steering wheel
• Isofix in the rear seats
• Fog lights and cornering light
• 2 USB sockets
• 6 speakers
• Lane departure warning assistant
• Automatic lights
• Fatigue detector
• puncture repair kit
• Exterior mirrors electrically adjustable and heated
• Front Assist with city emergency braking

Advance (add)

• 16-inch alloy wheels
• Black roof bars
• Height-adjustable front seats
• Storage bags on the back of the front seats
• Storage drawer under the passenger seat
• Leather handbrake grip and gear knob
• Decorative inserts on the dashboard
• Front central armrest with height and length adjustment with hole and USB sockets
• Safelock central locking
• ACC adaptive cruise control (up to 210 km/h) and speed limiter
• Front and rear parking sensors
• Courtesy mirror on the sun visors
• phone interface

Sport (adds)

• 17-inch alloy wheels
• Roof bars in silver anodized
• Full-LED headlights
• chrome package
• Fog lights with chrome trim
• Sport comfort front seats
• Ambient lighting
• Specific seat upholstery design
• Digital instrument cluster
• Fresh air intake with active carbon filter
• Dual zone air conditioning
• Driving profile selection
• Rain Sensor

Volkswagen T-Cross Prices

Editor's opinion

• Editor's rating
• 4 star rating
• Excellent

^€18.990 a ^€24.440

• 80 %

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• Volkswagen T-Cross 1.0 TSI 115 HP Sport
• Review of: Diego Avila
• Posted on:
• Last modification:

• Exterior design

  Publisher: 85%
• interior design

  Publisher: 80%
• front seats

  Publisher: 80%
• rear seats

  Publisher: 85%
• Trunk

  Publisher: 90%
• Spring Suspension

  Publisher: 65%
• Consumption

  Publisher: 70%
• Comfort

  Publisher: 75%
• Price

  Publisher: 35%

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Gallery Volkswagen T-Cross

Volkswagen T-Cross

• Plazas 5
• Power 95 - 150 hp
• Power: 95 - 150 hp
• Consumption: 5,4 - 6 kWh/100km