Volkswagen T-Cross long-term test

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 926 List price £32,100 Target Price £32,100 Price as tested £33,310 Official economy 49.4mpg Test economy 42.7mpg Options fitted Clear Blue metallic paint (£770), 18in Misano alloy wheels (£440)

25 May – The small kid on the block

In the school playground, there was always someone who got overlooked. Not because they weren’t clever, capable or easy to get along with, but because they stood next to louder, taller, more attention-grabbing classmates. That’s more or less where my new company car – the Volkswagen T-Cross – finds itself.

In the Volkswagen SUV line-up, there’s an abundance of cars to choose from. There’s the sleek Volkswagen Taigo, the extremely capable Volkswagen T-Roc and the big, practical Volkswagen Tiguan. Then there’s the sheer abundance of small SUVs to choose from elsewhere, including the Ford Puma and Skoda Kamiq. 

However, out of all of those cars, the T-Cross quietly caught my attention. I think it could fit easily into my life, being a small, practical and affordable small SUV. That’ll be important for me because I live – and commute – in London by car, but also regularly travel out of the city for work and weekends away.

Over the next six months, I’ll be putting plenty of miles on the T-Cross, not just by commuting in it, but with trips to Devon and Italy already in my diary. With that in mind, I wanted a car with plenty of creature comforts, which is why I’ve opted for top-end R-Line trim. It’s not cheap, but it does come with plenty of equipment, including rain-sensing windscreen wipers, automatic LED headlights, front and rear parking sensors, wireless phone-charging, heated front seats and ambient interior lighting.

Being a sporty trim level, it also comes with sports front seats (with adjustable lumbar support), switchable driving modes and sharper exterior styling. But, to help the car stand out a bit more in the What Car? car park, I’ve also added the optional Clear Blue metallic paint (£770) and 18in Misano alloy wheels (£440).

The engine I’ve chosen is the entry-level option with R-Line trim. It’s a 113bhp 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol engine that’s paired with a seven-speed automatic gearbox. While it’s not as fast as the entry-level engine in the Puma (0-62mph takes 10.3sec), the performance is more than enough for what I’ll be using it for. I could have gone for the 148bhp 1.5-litre four-cylinder unit, but considering it’s a £1505 premium, I thought I’d save my money. 

Fuel economy was another reason why I chose the entry-level engine because, on paper, it can officially average 49.4mpg. That’s better than the 47.8mpg the 1.5-litre engine can manage and, in this day and age, keeping running costs low will be important. I'm looking forward to seeing how I get on here, both in town and on my road trips.

So far, the T-Cross has proven to be a pleasant car to drive. It feels suitably polished and grown-up, with nicely weighted steering and a progressive brake pedal. The ride, even with 18in alloys fitted to my car (the largest available), is reasonably supple, too, while body lean is minimal. It’s surprisingly fun to thread through crowded city streets.

The interior, much like the exterior, is a thoroughly conservative affair. There’s a lot of black plastic, but thankfully – after quality was improved with the car’s facelift in 2024 – most of it feels plush. There’s some squidgy plastic on the dashboard, while on the doors, there’s padded faux-leather around the grab handle. It’s not all perfect, with some hard plastic on the door tops and lower dash, but everything feels well screwed together.

As for infotainment, my car comes with an 8.0in touchscreen. It’s not as sharp or slick as the systems you get in the Puma or T-Roc, but it’s refreshingly simple to use. I’m also a fan of the physical volume knob, although it’s a shame the shortcut buttons alongside the screen are touch-sensitive. The climate controls are also touch-sensitive, which I’m not convinced by at the moment, but we’ll see how I get on with these over the coming months.

The reason why I chose the T-Cross over the sleeker Taigo is the extra practicality it offers in the back. The T-Cross has a taller, boxier shape and sliding rear seats, the latter of which is a rare feature in this class. The boot is a good size, too, at 385 litres with the seats all the way back (or 455 with them pushed forwards). My road trips will certainly be a good test for this.

So then, after my initial impressions, the T-Cross certainly feels a bit like that overlooked child from the playground: quietly capable and perhaps deserving of more attention than it gets. But once the miles start piling up, will it continue to prove itself, or will I have wished I’d put my money elsewhere? After all, even the quiet ones have to prove themselves eventually.

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