Volkswagen T-Cross 85TSI Life 2020 Review

The 2020 Volkswagen T-Cross Life is the smallest SUV in the German manufacturer’s now comprehensive model line-up, sitting under T-Roc, Tiguan, Tiguan Allspace and Touareg.

It squares off against fellow five-door, five-seat compact SUVs such as the popular Mitsubishi ASX, Hyundai Kona and Toyota C-HR.

Here we’re testing the T-Cross Life, the entry-level model in the range, which is priced at $27,990 plus on-road costs. A 1.0-litre turbo-petrol triple-cylinder engine (85kW/200Nm) and seven-speed dual-clutch auto propel the front wheels.

This is by no means cut-throat pricing. You can get into many rivals for significantly less money, including the ones listed above and three more listed in the specifications section of this test below.

It doesn’t help the T-Cross that it’s made at a VW plant in Spain and therefore incurs an import duty, unlike many rivals that are shipped in from nations with which Australia has preferential trade deals.

Standard T-Cross Life gear includes 16-inch alloy wheels, manual air-conditioning, wireless phone charging, four USB ports, an 8.0-inch infotainment touch-screen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a leather-clad multi-function steering wheel, black roof rails, automatic headlights (that aren’t that great at night incidentally), automatic wipers and an auto-dimming rear-view mirror.

Commendably, there’s also a full-size spare tyre under the boot floor.

There are some significant misses here though, compared to the $30,990 (plus ORCs) T-Cross Style. Although drivetrains are the same, the flagship (well, until the 1.5-litre T-Cross eventually shows up – it has been delayed by COVID-19) gets some additions that make a real difference to the ambience.

These include adaptive cruise control, dual-zone climate control, keyless access and push-button start, higher-grade seats and gear-shift paddles mounted on the steering wheel.

Two option packs are available for the T-Cross: a $1200 driver assistance package (see more on that below); and a $1900 sound and vision package which includes VW’s excellent digital cockpit, sat-nav and a 300W Beats premium audio system. Metallic and pearl-effect paint is a $600 option, while ‘Makena Turquoise’ metallic is $800. You won’t have to shell out extra for white or black.

All T-Cross models are backed by a five-year/unlimited-kilometre factory warranty, and one-year roadside assist.

Service intervals for the Volkswagen T-Cross are 12 months/15,000km. According to Volkswagen’s assured price servicing plan, the T-Cross will cost $2445 to service over the first five years of ownership, or $1246 for the first three years.

Volkswagen also offers up-front ‘Care Price’ plans for the T-Cross, available at the point of purchase. They reduce the respective servicing costs to $1800 over five years and $990 over three years.

That’s a pretty good deal.

The 2020 Volkswagen T-Cross Life comes standard with the expected safety features, and little more.

There are front, front-side and curtain airbags, low-speed autonomous emergency braking (AEB) that works up to 30km/h and includes pedestrian and cyclist monitoring, lane assist, driver fatigue detection, a reversing camera, front and rear parking sensors and forward and reverse manoeuvre braking. The latter is an emergency brake assist that operates at up to 10km/h.

There are also three child seat top tether strap points and two ISOFIX mounts.

All T-Cross models come with a 2019 ANCAP five-star safety rating.

So let’s hop back to that optional ($1200) driver assist package for a moment. It adds adaptive cruise control, blind spot monitor with rear traffic alert, park assist, proactive occupant protection system – tightens your belts, closes windows when an accident is anticipated – and power-folding mirrors.

All up, the pack is a good investment.

The 2020 Volkswagen T-Cross Life is a brilliant example of the modular product development concept Volkswagen has embraced.

The traditional and perhaps most efficient way to describe the T-Cross is as a rebodied high-rise version of the Volkswagen Polo small car. But the story is a little more complex than that.

The T-Cross is based on the same fundamental MQB platform as literally dozens of other Volkswagen Group vehicles of vastly different sizes.

Here’s an example: the T-Cross measures up at 4108mm long, 1760mm wide, 1583mm high and has a 2563mm wheelbase. The low-slung Volkswagen Arteon four-door coupe looks completely different, is 4864mm long, 1869mm wide, 1448mm and has a 2842mm wheelbase. Yet they both ride on MQB.

That’s because this clever piece of tech only requires a transverse engine positioning and a standard relationship with the front axle and pedal box. After that you can ‘plug and play’ the rest. So efficient is MQB it replaces three VW Group architecture sets.

The T-Cross’ triple-cylinder engine from the EA211 family is a relatively new arrival in Australia, first seen here in the now departed Up! (yes, the exclamation mark was part of the name). Back in those days it came with just 55kW, 95Nm and a five-speed manual gearbox. Now you know why it’s gone!

With the aid of turbocharging, the T-Cross’ version of the all-aluminium alloy, double overhead cam, 12-valve, direct injection engine makes 85kW at 5000-5500rpm and 200Nm from 2000-3500rpm, which is 5Nm more than the 2.0-litre naturally-aspirated Mazda CX-3.

With the help of its dual-clutch transmission, the 1.0 accelerates from 0-100km/h in 10.2sec and with the aid of an automatic engine idle-stop system it also claims a 5.4L/100km fuel consumption average on the recommended 95RON premium unleaded fuel.

It’s worth mentioning here that the T-Cross DSG is the dry-clutch DQ200 that has been widely used across the VW Group. It has had a chequered past and was recalled as recently as 2019 (for cars made between 2009 and 2015).

Seeing we’ve just been talking about the DSG, let’s start there with our drive experience of the 2020 Volkswagen T-Cross Life.

Operable in normal, sport or manual mode, this a quick-shifting gearbox with real smarts and undoubted efficiency. Our fuel consumption average came out at 5.8L/100km and the DSG played an important role in that.

But it still has that tip-in throttle hesitancy we’ve been writing about as long as VW’s been offering DSGs for sale. In the cut and thrust of busy traffic – like entering a roundabout – this recalcitrance can go from being frustrating to frightening.

While we’re on the negatives of the T-Cross, let’s plough on.

It’s really noticeable how much perceived quality has been stripped out of this car’s interior. Most surfaces are hard to the touch, there are button blanks in the centre stack, no overhead grab-handles and no rear air-con vents.

Sure, this is an entry-level vehicle but it’s also a $28K entry-level car. Ten years ago, VW set new standards for interior quality at the same price with the MkVI Golf. The T-Cross can’t match it, nor some of its current-day rivals.

That’s cost-cutting and that’s what happens when you have to pay out tens of billions in fines for ‘dieselgate’ transgressions.

Happily, there is a long list of positives that counter the criticisms.

Firstly, the functionality of the cabin is superb. With the help of a sliding bench seat there really is space for four tall-ish adults within this small footprint. Nor is there any shortage of storage pockets and door bins for their stuff.

Even with the bench at its most rearward position there’s still 385 litres of boot space (455 litres with the bench forward). It really exposes the inefficiencies of some rivals (CX-3, looking at you). Max storage is 1285 litres with the rear seat split-folded.

Importantly, the touch points for the driver are substantial, be it the reach- and rake-adjustable steering wheel, the high-resolution touch-screen, the big left footrest or the wide and deep seat, which is really comfortable considering it’s the low-spec model. That helps rebalance the quality perception.

And then there is how the T-Cross Life drives. It’s really, er, lively.

As we’ve learned in recent times there’s no reason to fear small-capacity engines or triples. The T-Cross simply reinforces that.

Okay, it’s no firecracker on big long drags up steep hills, but the response is strong through the low to mid-range and it’s pretty darn smooth too. That 200Nm helps with all this, along with a light 1240kg tare mass.

I would drive it everywhere in sport mode though, just because it makes response that much more immediate.

But perhaps the best bit of the T-Cross is how well sorted it is for Australian roads. It rides with control and without abruptness on its MacPherson strut/torsion beam suspension combo.

That little bit of extra SUV suspension travel and those 16-inch Bridgestone Turanzas with a bit of sidewall all help with that. The tyres also roll along pretty quietly on coarse surfaces.

T-Cross also handles sweetly, happy to carve up a winding road, or duck and dive around the shopping centre carpark with the aid of quick-ish, light-ish electro-mechanical power steering. It can chirp a tyre on acceleration in a corner, but otherwise there’s no signs of front-wheel drive sloppiness.

The T-Cross also provides a great viewing platform thanks to its efficient, boxy shape. Hey, it lacks the origami styling of something like the Toyota C-HR but that has its advantages.

The Volkswagen T-Cross Life is an impressive compact SUV.

The pricing is high but not outrageous, while the perceived quality of the interior is not as good as VW’s past standards.

But it has Tardis-like interior space and rides and drives like a little champion.

It deserves to be considered a serious contender in the segment.

How much does the 2020 Volkswagen T-Cross Life cost?
Price: $27,990 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 85kW/200Nm
Transmission: Seven-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel: 5.4L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 123g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2019)