√2022 Volkswagen T-Cross 85TSI Style review

Volkswagen’s compact SUV has lost a little of its lustre, the victim of recent price hikes and tech deletions. But does it still stack up in a growing segment?

How much does the Volkswagen T-Cross cost in Australia?

The 2022 Volkswagen T-Cross is a case of giving buyers what they want.

Compact SUV? Tick. Millennial and Gen-Z friendly tech gadgets? Yep. Stylish urban-focussed design? You betcha.

But what the gods of compact SUVs giveth, they taketh away.

The broader Volkswagen range has been subjected to three price rises over the last nine months, the company citing inflationary pressures and increased production costs as the main culprit.

The T-Cross hasn’t been immune from the accountants’ red pens, creeping up in price by $900–$950 since January depending on the model.

It’s a mercifully short model range, the T-Cross’s, with just two variants to tempt buyers in the compact SUV segment.

The T-Cross 85TSI Life serves as the $30,750 (plus on-roads) entry point into the range, while those who value more equipment will need to find an extra $3000 for the car we have on test here, the range-topping 85TSI Style with a sticker price of $33,750. That translates to around $36,990 drive-away.

But, as is often the case, our test car came with some options. The gorgeous Reef Blue metallic paint adds $600, while the $2600 R-Line Pack brings some extra cosmetic goodies like 18-inch Nevada alloy wheels, a racy dashboard panel, carbon-look cloth sports seats with microfibre inserts, aluminium pedals, privacy glass on the rear windows, front and rear R-Line bumpers, and R-Line scuff plates.

Total price? Try $40,286 drive-away, throwing it into the ring of a bustling compact SUV segment where circa $40K is increasingly the price to pay for a well-specified urban warrior. Don’t believe us? A Mazda CX-3 Akira auto asks for $40,928 drive-away, while Toyota’s compact soft-roader wants $41,958 drive-away for its Yaris Cross Urban model.

In this company, the Volkswagen T-Cross stacks up well, both on price and equipment levels. But is the circa $40K drive-away price justified? Let’s find out.

Key details	2022 Volkswagen T-Cross 85TSI Style
Price	$33,750 plus on-road costs
Colour of test car	Reef Blue
Options	R-Line Pack – $2600 – 18-inch alloy wheels – Aluminium pedals – Black headlining – Rear privacy glass – R-Line scuff plates – R-Line badging – Carbon Flag cloth seats with microfibre inserts – Race decorative dash panel – Body-coloured bumpers and lower side cladding – R design black textured front and rear bumpers – Leather steering wheel with paddle-shifters Metallic paint – $600
Price as tested	$36,950 plus on-road costs
Drive-away price	$40,268 (Sydney)
Rivals	Mazda CX-3 \| Kia Stonic \| Toyota Yaris Cross

How much space does the Volkswagen T-Cross have inside?

Frankly, for a car costing close to $40K on the road, you’d expect a more refined interior.

Yes, there are some textured garnishes that lift overall ambience. And yes, the design is modern and clean.

But, the materials throughout – other than in the optional R-Line seats – are conspicuous by their lack of refinement, with harder, scratchy plastics the order of the day. For a brand that has built success on the back of its semi-premium Euro aspiration, it’s a little disappointing.

The seats go some way to lifting cabin ambience. Finished in what VW calls Carbon Flag sports cloth with microfibre garnishes, they look youthful but more importantly offer decent support and comfort. Manually adjustable, though.

Dual-zone climate control is operated by VW’s schmick and slick haptic-touch slider bar, which falls easy to hand and is intuitive to use. And it has a neat party trick. Simply hold your finger down anywhere on the slider bar for around a second, and the ambient temp will reset to a cosy 22 degrees.

A big no-no, though: the haptic slider is not backlit, making it, let’s say, difficult to adjust on the move at night, Volkswagen penny-pinching laid bare.

Practical items include a pair of cupholders and generous door pockets. A smallish central storage bin with padded lid – about the only yielding surfaces in the T-Cross other than the seats – is big enough to swallow the usual accoutrements of day-to-day life.

The second row is where the T-Cross starts to shine in a segment not exactly famous for its second-row comfort. Volkswagen has packaged a decent amount of space for second-row passengers with good room in all key areas. The seats are comfy, too, although that’s about all that can be said for second-row passengers who miss out on amenities like air vents, the ability to charge devices, and even cupholders.

It’s better news in the cargo area where the T-Cross offers an impressive-for-the-segment 385L. That expands to 1281L with the second row of seating folded away in 40:60 split-fashion. For context, the best-seller in the class, the Mazda CX-3, has 264L/1174L at play.

A space-saver spare wheel lives under the boot floor.

	2022 Volkswagen T-Cross 85TSI Style
Seats	Five
Boot volume	385L seats up 1281L seats folded
Length	4108mm
Width	1760mm
Height	1583mm
Wheelbase	2563mm

Does the Volkswagen T-Cross have Apple CarPlay?

An 8.0-inch touchscreen anchors the T-Cross’s infotainment system that, in this entry-level spec, is devoid of inbuilt satellite navigation.

Smartphone mirroring is standard. We found – wired, not wireless – Apple CarPlay quick to connect and responsive. There are two USB type-C plugs for connectivity and charging. There’s also a wireless charging pad, somewhat incongruous without wireless smartphone mirroring.

Volkswagen has finally moved into the digital age, adding DAB+ radio at last – huzza! – along with AM/FM.

But other than providing access to some of the car’s vital statistics like trip data, the touchscreen appears to be little more than a host for your smartphone.

Driver information is via a pair of old-school analogue dials – speedo and tachometer – while a small digital screen nestled between displays basic driving data. It’s not the last word in high-technology, the fonts pixelated and the dearth of information noticeable by its absence. There is a digital speed read-out, though.

Those wanting a more immersive driving information experience from their T-Cross will need to plump for the $2200 optional Sound & Vision Package that bundles in a 12.3-inch digital driver display and satellite navigation, as well as wireless smartphone mirroring and a premium Beats sound system. It’s a box worth ticking if you value technology.

Is the Volkswagen T-Cross a safe car?

The Volkswagen T-Cross range was awarded a five-star ANCAP safety rating in 2019, scoring highly in all key areas of testing including an impressive 97 per cent for adult occupant protection. Child occupant protection came in at 85 per cent, while vulnerable road user protection scored 81 per cent. The T-Cross’s safety assist systems were rated at 80 per cent.

Volkswagen’s bundle of safety technologies – including autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, lane departure and lane-keeping assist, and adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go function – are standard across the T-Cross range. Rear cross-traffic alert and blind-spot monitoring are conspicuous by their absence, quietly deleted from the range due to the ongoing chip shortage.

A complement of six airbags cover both rows, although the Volkswagen T-Cross misses out on the front-centre ’bag – which reduces the risk of head clashes in an accident – becoming increasingly standard in today’s new cars.

	2022 Volkswagen T-Cross 85TSI Style
ANCAP rating	Five stars (tested 2019)
Safety report	Link to ANCAP report

How much does the Volkswagen T-Cross cost to maintain?

Volkswagen covers its entire range – including the T-Cross here – with its standard five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty. That’s par for the industry where five years’ surety is now regarded a minimum.

Service intervals are every 12 months or 15,000km, whichever comes first. Volkswagen’s prepaid ‘Care Plan’ packs run to $1300 for three years or $2100 for five years of servicing. That’s a decent saving over pay-as-you-go servicing, which will run to $1465 (three years) and $2866 (five).

Comprehensive insurance runs to $884.70 per annum on a comparative quote from one of Australia’s leading insurers and based on a 35-year-old male driver living in Chatswood, NSW – insurance estimates may vary based on your location and driving history.

At a glance	2022 Volkswagen T-Cross 85TSI Style
Warranty	Five years, unlimited km
Service intervals	12 months or 15,000km
Servicing costs	$1300 (3 years) $2100 (5 years)

Is the Volkswagen T-Cross fuel-efficient?

Volkswagen says the T-Cross 85TSI will use 5.4L/100km of premium 95-octane unleaded on the combined cycle.

Our week with the little SUV, covering a broad spectrum of daily use, returned an indicated 6.8L/100km. Its CO2 emissions are rated at 123 grams per kilometre.

The fuel tank capacity is 40L.

Fuel Useage	Fuel Stats
Fuel cons. (claimed)	5.4L/100km
Fuel cons. (on test)	6.8L/100km
Fuel type	95-octane premium unleaded
Fuel tank size	40L

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What is the Volkswagen T-Cross like to drive?

There’s a lot to like about the 1.0-litre, three-cylinder turbo petrol under the bonnet of the Volkswagen T-Cross 85TSI. It outputs, as the name suggests, are 85kW and 200Nm. Mated to VW’s seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission sending drive to the front wheels, the T-Cross can cover the sprint from 0–100km/h in a claimed 10.2 seconds.

While that sounds pedestrian by today’s standards, we’d wager it’s enough to suit most buyers’ tastes.

While it feels sprightlier than its benchmark 0–100km/h time suggests, the dual-clutch automatic isn’t the sharpest iteration of this type of gearbox tech.

In normal driving modes, there is some hesitation from standstill resulting in a lurching take-off. That’s alleviated by flicking the gear lever in ‘S’ for sport mode, but really, for everyday driving, this shouldn’t be necessary.

On the move, the transmission is fine for the most part, but can be caught napping when a surge of acceleration is needed. Under normal driving conditions, though, it’s perfectly acceptable, standing-start hesitation notwithstanding.

The T-Cross’s small dimensions and lightweight nature make for an easy inner-urban driving experience. Tight confines are handled easily while parking remains a cinch, the T-Cross slipping into tight spaces with poise and purpose.

Out on the highway, at cruising speeds of 110km/h, the T-Cross can feel a little laboured, certainly in terms of getting up to speed. With 200Nm under the right foot, we’d venture the responsiveness from the engine and transmission could be a little better.

Once at speed, however, the little Vee Dub settles into a relatively easy gait.

The ride is acceptable without being outstanding. There’s some fussiness around town over minor road imperfections, but it’s not bone-jarring.

Larger obstacles – such as speed humps – elicit a sharper response, but the T-Cross does a commendable job of settling back down quickly. Overall, it handles most road conditions with a level of comfort you’d expect at this end of the compact SUV market.

Road noise remains nicely isolated from the cabin, despite the presence of those optional 18-inch alloys – part of the R-Line package – under wheel.

As a city car on the road, the Volkswagen T-Cross feels about on par with the rest of segment – small enough to navigate urban confines comfortably, zippy enough to not feel too laboured, and with just enough mumbo and refinement to cruise comfortably, and for the most part quietly, out on the open road.

Key details	2022 Volkswagen T-Cross 85TSI Style
Engine	1.0-litre three-cylinder turbo petrol
Power	85kW @ 5000–5500rpm
Torque	200Nm @ 2000–3500rpm
Drive type	Front-wheel drive
Transmission	Seven-speed dual-clutch automatic
Power to weight ratio	69kW/t
Weight (tare)	1236kg
Spare tyre type	Space-saver
Tow rating	1100kg braked 630kg unbraked
Turning circle	10.6m

Should I buy a Volkswagen T-Cross?

In a segment that often values style, sometimes at the cost of substance, it’s pleasing that the 2022 Volkswagen T-Cross has enough of both measures to be a genuine contender.

Price creep has, however, dulled some of the gloss of the T-Cross, more so for the fact that features that were once standard are now either expensive options or deleted from the spec sheet altogether. In mitigation, VW is not alone here, the global chip shortage the main culprit.

Also dulling some of the T-Cross’s stylish shine is that recalcitrant dual-clutch automatic transmission, which mars what would otherwise be a charming, if not exactly thrilling, driving experience. Nevertheless, those buyers swayed by style will no doubt overcome any gearbox foibles.

Still, the T-Cross packs a stylish punch, and that’s often enough to get buyers across the line.