Volkswagen T-Roc and T-Cross here within a year

Volkswagen Group Australia has confirmed it will release not one but two all-new small SUVs to slot beneath the Volkswagen Tiguan within 12 months.

Combined with the new-generation Volkswagen Touareg, which arrives here in May, the new T-Roc small SUV and brand-new T-Cross light SUV will bring to seven the number of models in Volkswagen’s SUV range.

Local confirmation of the Golf-size Volkswagen T-Roc, which will be joined by a 220kW R version as well as a cabriolet, follows the cancellation of initial plans to launch the small SUV in Australia this year due to strong European demand.

On the other hand, the Australian launch of the Polo-size Volkswagen T-Cross has been pushed back slightly from late 2019 to early 2020. That means the T-Roc and T-Cross, both of which are based on the VW Group’s modular MQB chassis architecture, are now due for launch here in the first quarter of next year.

Stand by for our first drives of Volkswagen’s first direct rivals for everything from the Mazda CX-3, Holden Trax and Subaru XV to the Toyota C-HR, Hyundai Kona, Honda HR-V, Mitsubishi ASX and Nissan QASHQAI — and the redesigned Touareg — in coming weeks.

All three new models were presented to media and more than 400 Australian Volkswagen dealers and their staff in Brisbane this week, where VGA product manager Todd Ford said the T-Roc and T-Cross offered a "significant volume opportunity" for the German brand in Australia.

In addition to the three new SUVs, Volkswagen Australia says it will release new Golf Alltrack and facelifted Passat Alltrack crossover models when they become available.

Further afield, the widely rumoured Tiguan ‘Coupe’ has been ruled out and the seven-seat Volkswagen Atlas won’t venture Down Under in its current generation.

However, Volkswagen Australia says it would introduce a full-size ladder-frame SUV based on the next-generation Ford Everest – if it was produced and made available to it as part of the Ford-Volkswagen light commercial joint-venture that is already co-developing the next Ford Ranger and VW Amarok utes.

Details of the Ford-VW LCV JV remain sketchy, but VGA product marketing manager Jeff Shafer said a rugged five-door large off-road SUV could be a hit in Australia.

“Every time there’s an opportunity we look at it,” he said. “We’d have to be confident about pricing and it would have to fit the brand in terms of safety and specifications, but there’s a market for that sort of product here.”

The next-generation Amarok and Ranger aren’t due to be revealed globally until at least 2021, making them likely to debut in Australian in 2022, and the next Everest and – potentially – the all-new Amarok-based SUV unlikely to emerge before 2023.

Also coming from Volkswagen Australia this year is the limited-edition 213kW VW Golf GTI TCR, the swansong version of the current Mk7 Golf before it is replaced next year, and the facelifted Passat sedan, wagon and Alltrack – both in the fourth quarter.

Officially revealed in October and to be launched in Europe next month, the Volkswagen T-Cross is an all-new Polo-size light SUV that will be priced from under $30,000 when it arrives in March 2020.

Available only in front-wheel drive form, the smallest Volkswagen SUV is based on the same A0 version of MQB as the new Polo, with which it also shares its three-cylinder turbo-petrol engines.

The T-Cross “urban SUV” will be powered by the Polo’s 85kW/200Nm 85TSI engine here, where the 70TSI isn't confirmed, matched to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.

Riding just 100mm higher than the Polo, the 4235mm-long T-Cross is claimed to bring segment-leading safety, technology and infotainment, the latter including Volkswagen’s Active Info Display digital instruments as an option.

A range of bright interior and exterior colours (such as Turquoise Green) will be available alongside contrasting mirrors and dashboards, plus alloy wheels up to 18-inch and an R-Line styling package.

Volkswagen is also promising class-leading space and the interior dimensions of a small (not light) car, thanks to a rear seat that slides across 140mm, extending boot capacity from a sizeable 385 litres to no less than 455. The front passenger seat fold almost flat and total cabin volume is 1281 litres.

Standard equipment will include Front Assist with City Emergency Brake (City EB), pedestrian and cyclist monitoring, Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), Lane assist with adaptive lane guidance, Blind spot monitor with rear traffic alert, Park Assist, Discover Media 8.0-inch satellite navigation, App-Connect with 2 USB interfaces, Active Info Display, LED headlights with Light Assist, automatic high beam function, rain-sensing windscreen wipers, automatically dimming rear-view mirror, beats 300W premium audio system and dual-zone climate control air conditioning.

Meantime, the larger Golf/MQB-based T-Roc will be priced from under $40,000 in Australia -- one of the world’s first markets to receive the facelifted version in early 2020.

Unlike the T-Cross, the T-Roc will be powered by the Golf’s 140kW/320Nm 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol TSI engine, matched to a seven-speed DSG auto and 4MOTION all-wheel drive.

Three equipment grades -- Style, Sport and R-Line – will bring unique interior designs and wheel sizes up to 19-inch Suzuka alloys, plus sports suspension, the option of adaptive dampers and Tumeric Yellow metallic paint with a contrasting black roof.

Standard equipment should extend to the same generous safety kit as the T-Roc, plus a slightly larger 445-litre boot (1290L in total), interior ambient lighting, LED tail-lights and daytime running lights, selectable driving modes, auto tailgate, electric park brake and a range of driver aids.

While the jury remains out on the cabrio version, Volkswagen is keen to import the confirmed T-Roc R performance flagship to Australia, which is the world’s biggest R market outside Germany.

Full details, including pricing, will be released for both the Volkswagen T-Cross and T-Roc by the end of this year.

What’s coming from Volkswagen:
Touareg Mk3 – May
Golf GTI TCR – October
Passat sedan, wagon, Alltrack facelift – October
T-Roc – Q1, 2020
T-Cross – Q1, 2020
Golf 8 – Late 2020
Amarok MkII – 2022