So this is the T-Cross R-Line, 1 litre petrol, 115 ps, DSG. It’s the first time I have driven a DSG. And I quite like it.

I’m a bit of a fan of small cars. I’ve owned a few Polo’s and Lupo’s over the years, so when the opportunity arose to have a go in VWs smallest SUV, I was a little bit excited. 

We currently own a VW Tiguan, so we’re quite familiar with VWs SUV range, but the T-Cross hadn’t been launched when we were car shopping.

VW’s Smallest SUV

The T-Cross is ever so slightly bigger than a VW Polo. Just 55mm longer and 97mm taller. Yet inside, it is more spacious. While we were car shopping, we tried a Polo, but we couldn’t fit our daughter in the backseat in her car seat. She fits in the back of the T-Cross just fine. 

VW say that the compact SUV will accommodate up to five adults. They’d have to be a bit skinnier than me though!

The load space is variable and class leading. Thanks to a sliding back seat, capacity can be increased to 455 litres with the seats up… although that doesn’t leave much leg room in the back, so great for the odd trip, but not permanent space. 

This particular model we tested comes with the Beats sound pack upgrade, a £430 extra. While the stereo sounds great, the sub that is mounted in the boot gets in the way of extra storage. You can no longer lower the boot floor. Instead, the sub is mounted to one side and there is a huge empty cavern where the spare wheel should be. I can’t help but feel this space could be better used.

While we’re talking about the stereo… the infotainment system is really easy to use. Pairing up to two mobile phones is straightforward as is keeping them topped up with charge, either through one of the 4 USB ports, or from the optional inductive smartphone charging in the front centre console (a £105 extra).

This model comes with a 10 and a quarter inch active info digital dash instead of a traditional speedometer and rev counter. This can be customised through menus or by driving mode to display useful information to the drivers preference. 

Driver Assistance Systems

As the T-Cross in built on VWs MQB system, it benefits from a large number of driver assistance systems, such as; front assist with pedestrian monitoring and city emergency braking systems, lane assist… (I still find it weird when a car tries to steer for me!), hill start assist, blind spot detection, rear traffic alert systems and adaptive cruise control. 

The model we got to drive is a 1 litre tsi 115PS coupled with a 7 speed dsg gearbox. It is also available as a 1 litre tsi with 95ps and a 1.6 tdi with 95ps. Gearbox options are 5 or 6 speed manual (depending on engine output) as well as the 7 speed dsg.

For a tiny 3 cylinder 1 litre engine, this urban friendly compact SUV doesn’t hang around. It might not be a sports car with its 0 to 62 time of 10.2 seconds, or its top speed of 120 miles an hour… but it can certainly keep up with everything it needs to on British roads. It is certainly nippy enough for me. I don’t feel that it is wanting for more speed. But I guess that’s the difference between someone like me reviewing this car over someone that would regularly review hyper cars!

The elevated driving position feels good and gives a great vantage point without feeling like I’m towering over other road users. During my test drive, I felt the car handled the road well. The ride was comfortable and the steering wheel still felt nicely weighted with the speed sensitive power assisted steering… although the storm I drove through coupled with lane assist did try and fight with me a bit… I felt like I had popeye’s forearms after an hour behind the wheel!

Economy during my testing wasn’t too far off the published figures either. Combined mpg figures are quoted at 43.9 mpg. During my road test through varying conditions, wind, flood waters and motorways, I averaged about 41 mpg… and I wasn’t shy with the accelerator either!

Summary

Overall, I think this is a nice car. Would it be one I’d chose to buy?… yes I think I would.

There is enough room for all my family, with plenty of room in the boot. I doubt I would go for the R-Line though, that’s a fair jump in price. The T-Cross currently starts at £17,670 for the 95ps 5 speed manual is S trim. The model we tested here with all its extras would cost a whopping £10,000 more. And I’d definitely leave the beats upgrade unticked and go for the extra boot storage!