VW'S SUPER-POPULAR T-CROSS HAS BEEN UPDATED - AVAILABLE Q1 2024
Volkswagen’s T-Cross is the company’s entrant in the increasingly popular compact SUV segment, and it’s proven to be extremely popular. The car seemed to be an easy one to create thanks to it using the shared MQB A0 platform that forms the base of the Polo Mk6. It was launched in 2019, and when you consider all the absolute madness that went on with that global pandemic that caused millions around the world to take a massive cut in income or even a total job loss, the compact VW’s success is actually pretty damn impressive. As of August 2023, the newcomer to the segment racked up over 1,200,000 sales worldwide. It makes sense then that the company would continue to improve on the car, and it was just three months ago that the world was introduced to the latest update. That new version that was previewed is now ready for customers and the first deliveries are pegged to start in the first quarter of 2024 in Europe, and that means SA shouldn’t be far behind. Those wanting one will already be able to place orders so that they’re among the first to take delivery. Unlike the Mk8 GTi and 8R, we’re pretty confident there won’t be any supply issues. The new version sees updates to all facets of the small SUV, and internationally there will be three turbocharged petrol-fed versions of the T-Cross available. In SA there are currently two, so we’ll see if the lineup is expanded or not. Likely not as there’s still a massive range of VWs available in the same price bracket and we never get all the same things as other markets.
The updated T-Cross features a new sharpened design with new LED lights all around, and the interior features a new dash panel with higher-quality surfaces as well as a new infotainment system. The interior layout remains the same, it’s still versatile with seating for five and has a movable rear bench seat. The extended infotainment equipment of the top models includes a touch display with a diagonal of 23.4 cm, a 25.4 cm Digital Cockpit Pro, App-Connect for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto in both wireless and wired, as well as a mobile phone interface.The T-Cross offers a luggage compartment capacity of between 385 and 455 litres thanks to the boot configuration and the 60:40 split seats and there’s 1,281 litres of space when you do some Tetris with the seating. To appeal to active types, there’s an increased drawbar load for more versatility when transporting e-bikes, you can now load up to 75 kg, up from 55 kg. There’s a new Travel Assist for improved longitudinal and lateral vehicle control and it can also include speed limits, bends and roundabouts in its control interventions. Lane Assist helps keep the T-Cross in its lane, and if optioned with the DSG transmission it will also feature automatic stop-and-go operations.The base model features a 70 kW lump and the two higher-spec models get an 85 kW lump and a 110 kW lump spread across four trims: T-Cross, Life, Style and R-Line. The latter is obviously the one we’d take because it has a 7-speed DSG transmission, but only because there’s no true R version. A few new colours have been added to the mix; Grape Yellow, Clear Blue Metallic and Kings Red Metallic. Local pricing should be announced soon, but it should be similar to current models, the top of which is the R541,900 R-Line.
Take a look at the YouTube video from a few months back when the new T-Cross was introduced to the world. The compact SUV proved to be an extremely popular car and has amassed an amazing number of sales since the model was introduced, and this updated version looks set to add to the worldwide tally of sales. All we want is a proper R version though: New Volkswagen T-Cross: World Premiere | Volkswagen
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