Volkswagen T-Cross long-term test: report 2
The T-Cross is one of Volkswagen's smallest SUVs, but is it one of the most capable? Our Used Cars Writer is finding out...
The car Volkswagen T-Cross 1.0 TSI 115 DSG R-Line Run by George Hill, Used Cars Writer
Why it’s here To find out whether Volkswagen’s baby SUV is a capable daily driver and a worthy small sibling to the excellent T-Roc
Needs to Be easy to live with in the city, while being spacious, practical and comfortable on weekend trips away. Good fuel economy is essential, too
Miles covered 1452 List price £32,100 Target Price £31,990 Price as tested £33,310 Official economy 49.4mpg Test economy 42.4mpg
10 June 2026 – All aboard
Every big adventure needs a smaller one to test the waters, which is exactly what a recent trip to Devon represented for my Volkswagen T-Cross. With a far more ambitious drive to Italy planned later this year, this was the first of two major road trips on my car’s calendar, offering an early indication of whether it's equipped for life beyond the city.
The first test arrived when packing the car because, with three passengers and their luggage onboard, it was going to be a squeeze. I will admit, my initial impressions weren’t positive because after packing one large suitcase into the boot, there didn't appear to be much space left over. But then, eureka, I remembered the boot floor is height adjustable.
After adjusting the floor into its lowest setting, the big suitcase and our three soft bags fitted easily below the parcel shelf, which means we didn’t have to slide the second row seats forwards to get more boot space.
As a bonus, there’s a giant well below the boot floor where the optional space-saver spare wheel would go, which gave us even more room. Hopefully I won’t regret not ticking that £260 option box, but so far that space has proven useful. The car does, at least, have a tyre repair kit if I do suffer a puncture.
Space in the back seats is impressive for a small SUV. My two rear-seat passengers, who are both 5ft8in, had head and leg room to spare, which wasn’t the case in the Fiat 600 I ran a couple of years ago. I didn’t have to slide my seat forwards, either, which was great.
Fuel economy was also pretty good. On our 248-mile return journey from Salcombe to London, the car averaged 44.8mpg. Considering the T-Cross was filled to the brim with people and luggage, I think that’s commendable.
However, the car being full did relate to a criticism, because the 113bhp 1.0-litre engine did struggle to pull us along, particularly when going uphill. Considering I don’t carry passengers very often, this isn’t much of a problem for me, but perhaps those who do should consider the more powerful 148bhp 1.5-litre engine.
On the whole, though, I was mightily impressed by the T-Cross and it passed my initial road trip test quite easily. Italy, bring it on.
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