Volkswagen T-Cross 85TSI Life 2023 Review

As the smallest offering in VW’s SUV range, the 2023 Volkswagen T-Cross is also the most affordable. But that doesn’t mean it’s cheap.

In the Volkswagen line-up, the T-Cross is currently outsold only by the T-Roc and Tiguan SUVs, with buyers drawn to its pint-size proportions yet high-riding feel.

Pricing starts from $30,990 plus on-road costs for the range-opening T-Cross 85TSI Life tested here, while the Style commands a $2500 price premium.

But our base-spec Life is fitted with a $2200 Sound & Vision Package (more on that in a tick) and comes finished in a $600 Smokey Grey Metallic paint job, bringing its as-tested price to $33,790 plus ORCs.

At that entry price, the little German SUV is pricier than key rivals, including the Hyundai Venue (from $22,000), Toyota Yaris Cross (from $28,000), Mazda CX-3 (from $26,800) and Kia Stonic (from $22,290), all of which outsold the T-Cross last year.

The most affordable 2023 Volkswagen T-Cross 85TSI Life comes equipped with 16-inch alloy wheels, fog lights, rain-sensing wipers, electric-fold door mirrors and auto headlights.

Inside, there’s cloth seats, an auto-dimming rear-view mirror, single-zone climate control with manual buttons and controls, manual-adjust front seats and a leather-appointed steering wheel.

The additional Sound & Vision Package adds a premium Bose sound system with subwoofer and amplifier, full digital instrumentation and satellite navigation.

Every T-Cross is covered by VW’s five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty and services are due every 12 months or 15,000km. You can purchase three- or five-year service plans (Volkswagen Care Plan), priced at $1400 and $2450 respectively.

As with every version of the compact SUV, the 2023 Volkswagen T-Cross 85TSI Life comes with a maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating.

VW’s IQ.Drive assistance suite brings autonomous emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian and cyclist detection, lane assist, driver fatigue detection, lane departure warning, cruise control (non-adaptive), rear manoeuvre braking, front and rear parking sensors and a reversing camera.

However, you’ll have to spend extra and move up to the Style grade if you want LED headlights, adaptive cruise control and park assist.

Safety equipment options that were once offered on the entry-level T-Cross Life – blind spot monitoring and adaptive cruise control – are no longer available.

There’s plenty of tech inside even the most affordable 2023 Volkswagen T-Cross 85TSI Life.

An 8.0-inch central touch-screen comes equipped with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, plus Bluetooth, digital radio and a supporting cast including four USB-C ports and a wireless smartphone charging pad.

The touch-screen features shortcut buttons down one side and a volume knob on the other and is one of the better units we’ve experienced from Volkswagen of late. It’s quick to respond to inputs, intuitive in its layout and brings quality graphics.

Likewise, the digital instrument cluster is a welcome addition, with integrated maps that can be viewed in the centre of the screen and plenty of customisation options.

That said, some buyers can probably go without the pricey Sound & Vision package, as many use smartphone maps and apps like Waze for navigation, and the Bose audio system is good, but not good enough to justify an extra $2200 in our opinion – especially for those not worried about having full digital instrumentation.

The 2023 Volkswagen T-Cross 85TSI Life is one of the few new cars available in Australia powered by a three-cylinder engine.

Just a few years ago, Volkswagen offered a more powerful 110TSI T-Cross with a 1.4-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol, however it was phased out of the compact SUV range when the car-maker introduced the Golf-sized T-Roc 110TSI. 

Now, every version of the T-Cross is powered by the same 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine, producing maximum outputs of 85kW of power and 200Nm of torque.

All are front-wheel drive and come mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. 

VW claims a 5.4L/100km combined-cycle fuel consumption figure for the 2023 Volkswagen T-Cross 85TSI Life, which is recommended to run on a minimum 95RON premium fuel.

Over our seven-day loan period, we managed an average as low as 6.4L/100km, after a mix of urban and highway driving.

Driving dynamics is where the 2023 Volkswagen T-Cross 85TSI Life really stands out from some of its rivals.

The little SUV – which tips the scales at just 1289kg – feels poised and confident on-road with suspension that feels more sporty than soft.

But despite its firmer feel, potholes and road imperfections are nicely damped, thanks in part to its 16-inch wheels and generous rubber.

Steering weight, again, is on the firmer, sporty side of the spectrum, which is better in our opinion than some rivals that often feel overly light and lack feedback.

Just don’t expect loads of athleticism because the T-Cross 85TSI is admittedly quite languid. Put your foot down and its thrummy turbo-triple feels peppy enough to get moving, but it’s certainly no speedster.

In this application, it’s an admirable unit, but we didn’t get a chance to load up our tester with a full set of passengers to really put it to the test. For reference, Volkswagen says it’ll reach 100km/h from a standstill in 10.2 seconds. 

As we’ve discovered in other VW models, the seven-speed DSG isn’t spectacular. At speed, it’s smooth and responsive when shifting manually (whether you’re using the tiny shift paddles on the steering wheel or the gear selector), but at low speeds it’s clunky and slow to respond when shifting from Park to Drive or Drive to Reverse, for example.

Often, you have to wait a second or two for it to engage your selection. Annoying, but not a deal-breaker.

There’s little to get excited about when you hop into the cabin of the 2023 Volkswagen T-Cross 85TSI Life because it’s rather dark and basic.

That’s not necessarily a bad thing, and while the cabin materials feel quite cheap, they’re not overly hard or scratchy. Instead, the buttons, dials and controls all feel hard-wearing, which is a good thing.

It’s easy to find a comfortable driving position thanks to a steering wheel with tilt and reach adjustment, but the driver’s seat feels high-set, even at the lowest position. That’s good for those who enjoy a commanding view of the road ahead and the T-Cross offers great vision out all directions.

The seats themselves are quite firm and could do with some more padding, but thankfully the cloth they’re upholstered in is fairly nice to the touch.

Likewise, all the important touchpoints – manual handbrake and gear selector – are also finished in a faux leather, making them soft underhand. 

The cabin layout means everything is within easy reach, but those who like to rest an elbow on the centre console might struggle with the T-Cross’ small centre console, which sits lower than most.

The centre cup holders up front are also really small. They’ll fit a can of soft drink or small coffee, but not much else.

Big storage bins in the front doors are good for drink bottles and other items, but you can fit smaller things in the centre console or glove box, too.

The 60/40-split folding rear seats are best reserved for smaller people, however two adults will find decent headroom and legroom in the second row and should be relatively comfy on a short trip.

It’s not cheap, but the 2023 Volkswagen T-Cross 85TSI Life is enjoyable to drive and brings an attractive list of standard equipment, even if it misses out on niceties like LED headlights, keyless entry and adaptive cruise control.

But that’s apparently no concern for the circa 60 per cent of T-Cross buyers who opt for the entry-level Life model, according to Volkswagen Australia. Those customers are likely drawn to the German brand’s badge value anyway, but if you can stretch the budget another few thousand, we think the 85TSI Style is the sweet spot in the T-Cross range.

2023 Volkswagen T-Cross 85TSI Life at a glance:
Price: $30,990 (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)

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