Small is the next big

The next big thing from Volkswagen is the smallest SUV in its range! The T-Cross is a small car that doubles up as an SUV and there are big hopes from it

Volkswagen understood very early in the game that SUVs would be playing a big role in the future of automobile companies and announced way back that there would be an SUV in every segment. So adding to the Touareg and the Tiguan was first the Atlas for the American market, then the T-Roc, and then finally the smallest of them all the T-Cross. However, the T-Cross is too small to be sold in the US and so VW specially flew in a car from Germany for the LA Test Drives. On the outside, one can already see that Volkswagen has started putting some flair into its designs with the lower edge of the LED headlamps being turned into DRLs and connected to each other by a chrome slat running across the width of the wide grille through the large VW logo in the centre. The fog lamps are large and connected through a black recess that separates the upper and lower parts of the bumper. The sides are more traditional and the rear is typical to Volkswagen SUVs. The interiors are a departure from typical German designs with plenty of relief in the form of large dashboard pads that are co-ordinated with the seat fabric design and colour, including 3D décor. The car we drove also had the VW digital cockpit with an 8in infotainment touchscreen. The rear seat bench can be slid forward or backward by upto 140mm and that helps either maximise luggage space or legroom. From the driver’s seat visibility is good and the TSi engine is eager and with an outpouring of torque from very low revs. The 7-speed DSG is a tried and tested gearbox, quick in shifting and the powertrain is a joy to work with on n the Angeles Crest Highway. The steering while not the best that I have come across on VWs is tolerable as the car itself is very nimble and a pleasure to drive on the twisties. The T-Cross would have been a no-brainer for India except that it is of an awkward size. Neither is it big enough to match up to the compact SUVs nor can it compete with the ones below it because then it would have to compete with the sub-4m vehicles.