Wolfsburg, Germany - These are the first official renderings released by Volkswagen of its new compact SUV, the T-Cross, which will slot into VW’s SUV range below the T-Roc and Tiguan.
First seen as a ‘study’ at the 2016 Geneva show, the chunky little crossover has since been greenlighted for production, with its world debut pencilled in for the third quarter of 2018, with the tagline ‘More than one thing’ - in fact, VW Claims that is not so much a vehicle as a program, based on the modular transverse matrix (MQB) platform, and with the emphasis on versatility.
It will be a true world car, designed and built for Europe, but slated for release in China and South America as well and yes, it will be coming to South Africa, although VWSA wouldn’t be drawn on when.
Front-wheel drive only
Details are sketchy at this stage but two parameters are, apparently, already set: The T-Cross will be exactly 4107mm long overall - 54mm longer than the current Polo, but 148mm shorter than a Golf 7 - and it will be available only in front-wheel drive.
To make the most of that 54mm, the rear seat bench can be moved fore and aft, for either more knee room or more luggage space, and in the video it looks as if it’s a little taller than a Polo, so it will probably have significantly more cabin volume.
Wheels will be big, styling chunky and spec level high - standard driver aids across the range will include ‘Front Assist’ ambient traffic monitoring and lane departure warning. As soon as we know more, so will you.