Volkswagen T-Cross review

You’ll have no problem fitting in the front of the T-Cross if you’re tall. Leg room is as generous as it is in a Polo and – as with the Arona – being a high-roofed SUV, there’s plenty of head room as well. It’s not exactly cramped width-wise, but the slightly wider VW T-Roc offers more elbow room between you and your passenger.

Interior storage is plentiful. There’s a sliding drawer under the driver’s seat, a large glovebox and door bins, a height-adjustable armrest plus a multitude of trays, cubbies and cup holders for all your odds and sods.

By the standards of the small SUV category, rear space in the T-Cross is very impressive. There’s more leg and head room than you get in the back of the Arona; enough for a couple of six-footers to be comfortable, even when sitting behind their equivalents in the front. If you regularly need to seat three adults in the rear, though, the wider T-Roc is more generous on shoulder room.

A definite bonus is its relatively unobtrusive central floor tunnel. It allows the middle passenger to slide into their seat without too much obstruction, and doesn't force them to sit legs akimbo with a wide hump to straddle.

This is a T-Cross strength. Every model offers the flexibility of sliding rear seats that let you prioritise boot space or rear leg room depending on need  – the closely related Arona doesn’t offer this feature. The difference this feature makes is marked, too; with the seats in their furthest-forward position, you could fit another carry-on suitcase or two into the boot. Or with them pulled backwards, legroom for rear passengers is positively palatial by the standards of this class (see above).

It would be even handier, though, if the rear bench didn’t just slide in its entirety. If it was split, you’d be able to expand the boot while still allowing maximum leg room for at least one rear passenger. Some more expensive SUVs offer this feature. The rear seatbacks do split in the usual 60/40 pattern, though, for those times when you need to accommodate bigger loads.

Meanwhile, the front seat passenger benefits from the same height and lumbar adjustment as the driver, as standard. There’s no way to recline the rear seats, though.

Once again, the T-Cross impresses. We’ve already mentioned its sliding rear seats and, even when slid fully back to maximise rear leg room, the boot capacity is 385 litres. That’s bigger than many of its rivals’ and roomier than a VW Golf’s. It’s enough for a buggy or a decent haul of holiday luggage and, if you slide the seats forward, expands to 455 litres. That’s more boot space than you get in the bigger T-Roc.

Another bonus is its height-adjustable boot floor (standard from SE trim), which allows you to create a separate space beneath the main boot compartment. When raised, it levels out the step in the floor that’s formed when you fold down the rear seats. It’s not available in conjunction with the Beats Sound pack, though, due to the space occupied by its subwoofer.