Volkswagen T-Cross 1.0 is a trendy SUV for young families who live in the city
Volkswagen's latest venture into the SUV market does not break down any new barriers, but it is good at what it intends to be
THIS fine country of ours is in need of a lot right now.
It needs decisive leadership over Europe. It needs to stop paying a fiver for a cup of coffee.
It needs someone to tell the Beckhams no one cares any more.
But what it doesn’t need is another small SUV.
Just like with Brexit though, the Germans don’t give a bratwurst about what we need — they’re going to make our minds up for us anyway.
Introducing the T-Cross, the latest “soft-roader” to invade our shores from Volkswagen — one of 19 it insists it will have on its roster by 2025.
Is it any good? Yeah, sure, if you like. Do you need one? No, of course not.
But the marketplace has spoken, and we’re snapping these things up quicker than Michael Jackson’s albums are getting dumped in a skip, so I’ll leave my anti-crossover prejudice at the border.
Let’s get to the nitty gritty.
First thing you need to know is the T-Cross is a Polo on stilts. Only 54mm longer than the supermini and 108mm taller, it takes its place as VW’s entry-level SUV, sitting below the T-Roc, Tiguan, Tiguan Allspace and Touareg.
At launch it comes with a choice to two one-litre turbo petrol engines, one knocking out 95bhp and the other 115bhp.
Like all manufacturers, Volkswagen knows how to spray perfume over a very normal car. On the launch it rattled off phrases such as “distinctive versatility” and “independent personality”.
I don’t know about any of that, but I can tell you it’s an attractive little thing.
Aimed at the younger end of the market, a lot of love has been poured into its looks — it wins the beauty contest against the Nissan Juke for my money.
But it’s not all style and no substance. The interior is where the T-Cross excels, knocking spots off the competition.
Option it with the virtual dashboard and you’ll be the proud owner of a delightfully intuitive eight-inch touchscreen, complemented nicely by the digital instrument cluster.
Four USB points prove VW has nailed exactly what T-Cross customers are in the market for, and it has even teamed up with too-cool-for-school audio brand Beats for those who want to perforate their passengers’ eardrums.
Boot space is class leading at 455 litres, and while it comfortably sits five, the back seats flatten in a heartbeat to turn it into a real load lugger.
And those engines? The 115bhp is very good.
The novelty of how well a three-cylinder turbo engine performs has rubbed off by now — everyone’s making them — but it’s still impressive how much hustle the T-Cross can muster.
Let’s face it, it’s a city car above anything else, and it dances around tight roads with nimble steering and an eagerness to move.
I would swerve the 95bhp engine though. It lacks the lungs to box off steep hills or high-speed overtakes, and unless you drive so slowly you never get out of third gear, you might find things frustrating.
It also only comes in manual. City car, manual gearbox? No thanks.
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The T-Cross starts at £17,000, a standard Polo is £14,330. If you need the extra space but still want a car that is a doddle to drive, it’s worth it.
And the T-Cross is definitely a far trendier wagon, for what that’s worth.
On the list of things you need, it’s way down at the bottom, but it’s much better value than paying five quid for a flat white at Starbucks.
VW T-CROSS 1.0 TSI
Price: From £16,995
Engine: 1.0 litre turbo petrol
Economy: 57.6mpg
0-62mph: 10.2 seconds
Top speed: 120mph
Length: 4.1 metres
CO2: 112g/km
Jaguar turn back the clock
WHEN you hear the words “rally car” you probably don’t think of a Jaguar.
Toyota, sure. Peugeot, probably. Subaru, definitely.
But these days Jags aren’t synonymous with the high-octane world of rallying.
Seventy years ago, it was different. The Jaguar XK120 – a game-changing car for many reasons – covered the British brand in international glory by winning the 1950 Alpine Rally, piloted by Ian Appleyard and navigated by his wife Pat.
They secured the XK’s reputation as one of the world’s most capable cars by winning the next year, as well as the Tulip rally in Holland – beating another XK120 into second place.
To mark the 70th birthday of this legendary machine, Jaguar’s engineers have been having some fun and turned two F-Type convertibles into full-on rally cars.
If you want to be cynical about it, it’s also a chance to promote the new limited-edition Chequered Flag trim of the road-going F-Type, which Jag will sell you for £62K.
But let’s not be cynical.
Instead, let’s discuss these two mud-pluggers.
On slippery surfaces, more power doesn’t necessarily mean more speed, so Jag used the entry-level 2.0 litre turbo engine, good for 296bhp.
Suspension has been softened, bespoke dampers added, and ride height pumped by 40mm.
A set of rally spec (tiny) wheels not only adds to the look, but completes the tweaks needed to cope with bogs and gravel.
Weight has been stripped to 1,500kg. There’s a roll cage and fire extinguisher, and better brakes. And all those intrusive driving aids have been stripped out.
Oh, and of course there’s a hydraulic handbrake, for spattery, drifty handbrake turns. Is it fun? Hell yes. Not least because it’s rear wheel drive, making it an oversteer monster, shaking its bum from side to side with the smallest of throttle and steering inputs.
Driving it at Jag’s recently re-commissioned rally course at its Fen End facility – where Colin McRae once honed his Prodrive Impreza by putting in lap after lap – it felt every bit the real deal.
Is it good enough to compete? No, probably not.
But as a showcase of what Jag is capable of – and a nod to its rich heritage in rallying – these two beauties are doing a fine job.