Volkswagen begins slow drip of T-Cross reveals

Volkswagen's new compact crossover promises to be 'more than one thing.'

What's the news?

Volkswagen has begun to slowly drip feed us details of its new T-Cross small crossover, the car that will become Wolfsburg's rival to the likes of the Renault Captur, Peugeot 2008, and Nissan Juke.

This is our best look yet at the finalised styling of the T-Cross, showing off relatively simple rear styling which is jointly dominated by a full-width light bar and a chunky rear spoiler. It looks smart, as you'd expect.

Volkswagen is also keen to reveal a little more about the T-Cross and more is actually the watchword. In fact, as Volkswagen puts it, the T-Cross will be "offering more, but nevertheless not costing more" and that it will be "more than one thing."

To achieve that, the T-Cross uses the MQB chassis, as do almost all other Volkswagen products these days, and it will be a relatively lengthy 4,107mm between the bumpers. That should make it quite roomy inside, and Volkswagen has confirmed that the rear seats will be able to slide back and forth, to allow owners to juggle space for luggage and space for legs, according to need.

Volkswagen is also playing up the car's safety credentials, pointing out that it can be equipped with 'Front Assist' which monitors the road in front of the car for potential hazards and which can trigger the autonomous emergency braking system, and a lane departure warning system.

There's also conformation that, unlike its bigger brothers - the Tiguan and T-Roc - the T-Cross will be exclusively sold as a front-wheel drive car, with no four-wheel drive options, although Volkswagen will doubtless follow the likes of Peugeot and Citroen and include a clever traction control system for slippery surfaces.

In the meantime, there's also a video, in which Jürgen Stackmann, Head of Sales & Marketing, and Klaus Bischoff, Head of Design of the Volkswagen brand, talk us through the finer points of the T-Cross...

Once they've finished it, the T-Cross will be launched at this year's Paris motor show and will go on sale by the end of this year.

Published on: July 3, 2018