Hi, it's Kasia Frendl of Motocaina.pl
and welcome from Wolfsburg, where I can show you a new Volkswagen SUV – the T-Cross.
It's standing behind me in the studio.
Unfortunately I won't be able to drive it,
as the first road tests are only set to begin in April of next year.
Instead, today I want to show you what Volkswagen has put into this car and how is it.
"I'm more than one thing" is the worldwide promotional slogan of this model.
The manufacturer claims this car has much more to offer than others in this category,
while not costing that much more.
Stay tuned until the end of this video to find out the base price of this model in Poland.
The SUV segment is the fastest growing one in Europe.
Researchers claim that the market for those compact cars will double in the next 10 years.
This is exactly why Volkswagen is introducing the small T-Cross.
I like those groovings, which make the hood seem longer,
as well as give the front of the car a more muscular and robust look.
Of course, no one will be taking their T-Cross off-road,
even though the name and slightly raised ride height might suggest it,
because the manufacturer has come up only with the front-wheel-drive version.
As default, Volkswagen includes halogen headlights.
The LED lamps meant for daylight driving are then wrapped around the anti-fog lights.
In the higher-tier Life and Style trim variants,
the headlights are LED and have the daylight lamps integrated into them.
Those are safer and, more importantly, project a brighter beam of light.
The most elegant part to be found on the front is the radiator grill,
finished in glossy black.
When first released to the market, T-Cross will be offered with one of four turbocharged engines to choose from:
three petrol and one diesel options.
The two three-cylinder 1.0-litre petrol engines with particulate filter generate 95 and 115 horsepower,
while the most powerful four-cylinder 1.5-litre TSI engine is capable of generating 150 horsepower.
Those are joined by the four-cylinder 1.6-liter TDI diesel engine, that's capable of 95 horsepower.
Depending on the chosen engine option, the torque is transferred to the front axle
either by 5- or 6-gear mechanical gearbox, or the 7-gear dual-clutch DSG transmission.
However, the most interesting part of the T-Cross is the back.
The rear window is covered in shade by the very pretty spoiler, with a glossy black finish.
On the edges there are taillights,
which at first glance might resemble those from the Polo model, but have a slightly different pattern,
and those very cool three vertical marks, which make this car stand out among all the others.
What's very interesting is this horizontal line, which is reflective but not illuminated.
It looks really cool and make the car seem wider when looking from behind.
I like this long light-bending edge called the "arms line",
that extends from the hood to the taillights.
The wheelguards and the doorsteps are covered by the black plastic covers,
that are meant to protect them in small parking accidents –
just another details making the T-Cross city-friendly.
The T-Cross is just over 4-metre long
and while it's built on the same platform as Volswagen Polo, it's longer and higher than it.
It's a tad shorter than the T-Roc, but has a substantial 2.5-metre wheelbase,
which might just mean that it's spacious inside. Should we have a look?
But before we sit behind the wheel, I invite you to the back seats.
Just look how wide the rear doors open:
you will have no problems putting a child seat into the car or the child into its seat.
Furthermore, the long doorsteps will help you avoid getting dirty,
while getting into the car wearing a long evening dress.
Ok, so now we can get inside.
Right now, I'm sitting behind the driver that is 170 cm tall, just like me,
and I have sufficient space for my legs and above my head.
But Volkswagen claims that the rear seats can accomodate up to three adults.
How did they achieve that? The whole row can be moved within up to 14 cm range, creating a lot more space.
I can easily move to the center seat. Obviously the armrest is slightly limiting the space,
but most of the time you sit astride on this spot anyway.
Also, there are two USB charging ports in here – one for each passenger.
So, as you can see, it's really spacious in here.
Another advantage of the movable rear row is that the luggage space can be extended by moving it forward –
from 385 up to 455 litres.
While at the back, the rear seats can be folded down –
either as a whole or partially, divided into a 60/40 ratio.
Folding the seats creates almost a flat surface,
so packing bigger objects will not be an issue.
If we want to move something really long, like a wakeboard board,
a foldable front passanger's seat can be bought as an option,
so such long objects can easily fit in.
Among standard equipment are: Front Assist system with pedestrian recognition,
Lane Assist system, keeping the car in lane, uphill start assist, active passenger protection system,
blind spot detecion and parking assist.
Among the options are: driver fatigue detection, adaptive cruise control and autonomous Park Assist.
Finally, we are getting behind the wheel, where I feel the best.
In front of me, well... a really nice thick steering wheel, covered in leather, that's sits comfortably in hands.
The driving position is quite high, as you might expect in a SUV.
This creates an impression that all the passenger cars are below us.
The bottom edge of the windows extends quite low, giving good visibility around us.
The ability to adjust height and position of the armrest is a definite plus.
What else on the steering wheel? The multi-function buttons,
which allow to change almost every single setting in the on-board computer,
without having to move your hands off the steering wheel.
The compartments have been carefully planned:
they can be found in the central console, under the armrest, inside the doors and between the back seats.
There are also cupholders.
A large space for various bits and pieces can be found in front of and under the passenger's seat:
that's where a drawer can be found and used either to store the manual or a pair of the flat-sole driving shoes.
If we want to keep something within arms reach, there are also pockets on the back side of the seats.
On the upholstery and the dashboard there are decorative 3D elements.
There will be a lot of them to choose from, which will be a cool way to personalise a car.
Wireless phone charger is also one of the options, in case you forget your cable.
Also, there are two USB ports in here, so both passengers can charge their devices at the same time.
What else? The highest-tier Style trim variant adds ambient lighting,
which I really like, as it makes the night driving more pleasurable.
In front of the driver, instead of the standard two dials and a small screen between them,
we can choose to have an over 10-inch Active Info Display, which can be configured to our liking.
It's a digital twist on the standard setup. For example, you can see the detailed ride information,
devote the whole screen just to navigation, monitor live parameters of all the driver-aid systems,
or see the currently played songs and browse through your phone contacts.
All of the above options can be displayed on the full screen or just the part of it,
if, for example, we want to keep an eye on the map the whole time.
The centre column is dominated by the optional 8-inch touchscreen,
enhanced by the very useful proximity sensors.
I already know the Discover Media navigation from the other Volkswagen offerings:
it's intuitive and works perfectly fine.
If you intend to pair your smartphone with the T-Cross,
you will need a hardware key that will allow it to communicate with the navigation system
and enable you to control selected smartphone apps from the car's touchscreen.
The CD player reads the MP3, AAC and WMA file types. By default it comes equipped with six speakers
and can be connected to a wide range of input devices.
But much more pleasing to your ears will be the Beats™ system:
a subwoofer with deep base and a 300-watt, 8-channel amplifier will for sure put you in a good mood.
The Volkswagen T-Cross, in an already well-equipped base trim, will cost 69 790 PLN.
This is the price for the 95-horsepower 1.0 TSI engine.
There will be three very attractive styling packages to choose from,
as well as three feature trims: T-Cross, Life and Style.
The car will be possible to be had in one of 12 colours, including this nice blue one.
The first road tests are planned for April 2019 but I already invite you to see them.
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