Volkswagen T-Cross long-term review: report 10

The car Volkswagen T-Cross 1.0 TSI 115 SE

Run by Millie Mangwanya

Why it’s here To see if Volkswagen’s smallest SUV is worth the extra over the Polo on which it's based

Needs to Not feel out of its depth on the motorway, be comfortable on long trips and prove more practical than a hatchback

Mileage 7620 List price £20,995 Target Price £20,153 Price as tested £22,580 Test economy 36.6mpg Official economy 47.1mpg (combined) 

17 June 2020 – Progress is a good thing

If you’re looking at all the SUVs on the road and thinking, “I’d love one, but couldn’t afford to fill it with fuel,” this might interest you.

Cast your eyes over our previous reports and you’ll know the T-Cross is in the hands of a key worker, Millie, because her old, but very faithful, Mk4 Volkswagen Golf 1.6 petrol was written off. Her journey to work and back is around 80 miles, and the old Golf would, on average, require a tank of petrol every week.

The T-Cross is proving a lot more frugal. Its 1.0 TSI 115 engine is drinking so much less, in fact, that Millie’s stretching the period between fill ups to almost every two weeks, if she’s working her usual number of shifts. As an added bonus the T-Cross has a smaller petrol tank than the Golf, so the price of each tank is less, too.

Now, this isn’t a scientific test, we know. It's specifically Millie's view compared with her old car, but it backs up the notion that modern, turbocharged engines are more efficient. And it's also one of the reasons why she's now thinking about buying a new T-Cross herself, once this one goes back.

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