SPY PICS: Volkswagen T-Cross exposed

Volkswagen's upcoming new small SUV, the Polo-based T-Cross, has already been driven as a prototype by motoring.com.au, but here are the first, undisguised, photos of the car in its final form as it undergoes pre-production testing in Germany.

The spy pics show the Volkswagen T-Cross, despite the manufacturer's claims it will be way more funky than the brand's other SUVs, is a scaled-down interpretation of the current corporate styling language; very boxy and squared-off, but obviously very efficiently packaged. And, with three-cylinder turbo-petrol engines, it should be an entertaining drive.

Set to be the fourth SUV in the brand's Euro lineup (and the third in Australia, following in the footsteps of the Tiguan and soon-to-be-replaced Touareg), the Volkswagen T-Cross approximates the Golf hatchback in size, making it only slightly smaller than the (Golf-based) sub-Tiguan T-Roc. The T-Cross sits on the same MQB AO platform as the Polo and Audi A1.

In the small SUV segment the T-Cross will be front-wheel drive only and will compete with the likes of Mazda's CX-3, Honda's HR-V, Hyundai's Kona and Toyota's C-HR – also front drivers. This is pretty much the same segment in which the larger T-Roc will sell, but with both front- and all-wheel drive models available.

The Volkswagen T-Roc was originally scheduled to be launched in Australia early in 2019 but, due to supply issues, the timing has been put back to an as-yet unspecified date.

The Volkswagen T-Cross is expected to make its European debut some time during October this year and has been touted as a possible early-2019 arrival in Australia. How that will fit with Volkswagen's enforced delay on introduction of the larger T-Roc remains to be seen.