Volkswagen T-Cross 2020 review

Is the VW T-Cross the best new urban crossover? The 2020 T-Cross has arrived in Australia with a turbo 1.0L engine in several trims, including the T-Cross R-Line as seen here in Makena Turquoise paintwork. Should you buy a T-Cross over a Mazda CX-3 or Hyundai Kona? Let's find out! In this 2020 Volkswagen T-Cross review, Tom checks out a rising star in the small SUV field.
What are your thoughts on the T-Cross? Are three cylinders enough? Are you waiting for the faster four-cylinder version, or for the T-Roc? What about all that hard plastic inside? Comment below!
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Covers the 1.0-litre turbo petrol engine, handling and interior of the Volkswagen T-Cross 2020 / 2020 T-Cross.

[@elizabethrigby2720]

This is going to be my graduation present to myself next year! Upgrading my ‘07 Polo :) can’t wait!

[@kuhlengcobo1268]

I really hope this dream comes true for you hey.!

[@geraldthorley1220]

Excellent review format, very informative and well set out. Excellent presenter. Pls don't stray off the line you have achieved.

[@chasingcars]

Thank you very much!

[@kensouza9239]

Great looking car. Thanks for the review

[@chasingcars]

No worries. Glad you enjoyed it!

[@michaelh4484]

Thanks Tom., i would really like to see this against a Toyota CH-R (who also had a similar minty green colour). That also has 85kw, but what R.Berry did in his review was to start the CH-R on a hill and see how it went. Based on that, it was a no go for me. Sydney is more hilly than Melbourne so I wonder what the T-Cross would have been like in that same situation. I quite like the T-Cross even though it's squared off the headlights seem a bit too rounded / soft in design. But it looks easy to get in and out. What i would have liked in your review is to show us a bit more of the infotainment screen , especially the "traffic" button i saw at the start being that it will be used in the city. Another good review.

[@yawenist]

Great review Tom, glad I've found your channel while deciding between the T-Cross and the Skoda Kamiq. Now apparently the T-Cross 110STI is no longer coming to Australia which is a real shame. I would go with the Skoda Kamiq if the interior is less tacky.. decision, decision..

[@caderaojohncyrus1378]

Good stuff, mate!

[@nextfall1047]

Great review as always. I really love the look of this car, especially with the R line. I've gotta be careful watching your reviews they kinda make me want to buy a new car every month!!! Cheers again

[@chasingcars]

Glad that they’re inspiring, anyway!

[@rowansantiago202]

i guess I am kinda randomly asking but do anyone know of a good place to watch new series online?

[@shepardmadden8931]

@Rowan Santiago I would suggest Flixzone. You can find it on google =)

[@cashwill7119]

@Shepard Madden yup, I've been using Flixzone for years myself =)

[@rowansantiago202]

@Shepard Madden Thanks, I went there and it seems like a nice service :) Appreciate it!!

[@Mikjcal]

That rear reflect bar that goes all the way across joining the two rear lights reminds me of a 1995 Seat Ibiza 😝 But such a nice looking car! Looking at getting one at the end of the year ... Reef Blue so far is my fav colour.

[@malcolmscott4150]

Great review Tom and love the colour but I’d take a turmeric yellow Golf any day :)

[@chasingcars]

At least it’s a colour, hey!

[@ahmedkhalee4045]

Nice review - thank you

[@MLife1972]

Super review as always. Looking forward to a test drive - it could be a fun little car. With these sorts of 1 litre engines, are they OK to take a couple of passengers for a hilly drive, like up to the Dandenong Ranges (not off-roading obviously)?

[@chasingcars]

A couple of passengers would be fine. The 200Nm of torque is fully available at 2,000rpm so it's not having to thrash. That said, if you were carrying a carload quite regularly I'd wait for the 110TSI four-cylinder.

[@MLife1972]

@@chasingcars thanks so much for the quick reply. It's great how you respond with the viewers.

[@indetailcarcaresolutions3770]

Thanks for the review Tom. I am interested in this as we bought a CX-3 last year too and knew this was coming,but not when. Your evaluation of the interior is interesting. Scratchy plastics, but no mention of the fact there is no leather option for the seats or whether they are heated and no mention of the fact that it still has a manual handbrake which limits tech!! As ours is really only ever a 1 or 2 person at most use, the CX-3 Akari we bought seems a much better buy if you want a lux experience. You’ve also failed to mention in both this review and the Polo review that the engine was first used by Audi in the A1 and by Skoda in the still current Fabia and Fabia wagon. If only the Fabia came here with the up specs you can get in Europe! Well done again.

[@chasingcars]

No heated seats, unfortunately - a top-spec CX-3 has more luxury goodies (including electric seats and that soft trim pad on the dashboard).

[@ashalim79]

Just noticed the starter button is on the "other" side of the driver...oversight by VW when they build the Aussie version with the driver on the other side I wonder. And can't believe even the rear armrests are hard plastic! *mind blown*

[@akswalia6588]

great review! passat review coming soon?

[@chasingcars]

Yep!

[@yunustan4981]

It's good your review,, #🇮🇩

[@Neon8787]

Regarding the adjustable rear seats being "a feature taken from larger SUVs", our 2004 Mazda 2 does that!! We've really struggled to find something to replace it in terms of size, space and practicality. Something about modern cars just makes them larger on the outside and smaller on the inside... we eventually caved and ordered a larger car.

[@chasingcars]

Quite right, though it's not a feature you see much these days outside of SUV-land.

[@Neon8787]

Chasing Cars yeah, I’m just frustrated about that I guess. Keep up the good work! I love all your reviews of mainstream cars, and also the use of the term “mainstream”. :)

[@juli8vdberg562]

I went looking for leasing a new car, after having tested quite a few, like Suzuki Vitara, Mazda XC3, Kia Xceed, Skoda Kamiq, Jeep Renegade and Volvo XC40, I also tried VW T-Cross and when sadly my application for XC40 was being declined, which was rather expensive tbh too, I chose for the T-Cross Style with Executive, Winter and Beats package as extra and it really is a lovely nice compact mini SUV for a childless young or old driver, with an active fun life with zero concern on people sitting on the back or too much luggage around, I can't wait to have mine soon and embark on driving around France and Spain or Switzerland and enjoying gorgeous places

[@chasingcars]

Sounds like you are enjoying the car!

[@juli8vdberg562]

@@chasingcars not yet, must be delivered in 2 months still

[@digitaldoc100]

Interesting new offering, and wonder if we will see it in the US anytime soon. Would like it better with a turbo 4 rather than the 1.0T 3 cylinder.

[@chasingcars]

Agreed, the smoother four-cylinder will be a great addition at the top of the range, though the thrummy turbo-three is cool and more capable than you'd expect.

[@limpunsing224]

I prefer a small sedan or hatch for city driving but for this I think the CX 300 is more compelling Nice review

[@chasingcars]

Fair enough! Good that VW are offering a slightly more grown-up option in this new segment, though.

[@limpunsing224]

@@chasingcars Any new offering is always welcome

[@wolvoman1]

Universal location of the start button to save on costs for either LHD or RHD models

[@campbellreither550]

I would buy this car on looks and practicality alone. It’s beautiful! Best reviews on KZbin Tom Baker; thank you. My criticism (that I would need to live with) is the DSG. I’d love a manual! Do you think one will come? I’ve owned VW before, and the continual desire for it to run around in 7th gear is really tiresome. I shouldn’t need to constantly use sport mode. Did you find this an issue?

[@chasingcars]

Thank you very much! I can’t say I am confident that a manual will come - maybe if they introduced a cheaper entry model below the Life, but I don’t think that will happen. As for the DSG, I have become used to that behaviour, but my own DSG-equipped personal vehicle has slotted me into one of the more aggressive of the ‘profiles’ in the software, so it avoids 7th at low speeds.

[@jaredebeling1412]

The next engine coming to Aust is the newer 1.5ltr not the 1.4 as you mentioned in the video. I got that info from the dealer.

[@chasingcars]

Good point.

[@unknowntraveller8633]

I think this is a very handsome vehicle I find I prefer the lines to those of the other cars, but then I am a fan of the new Tiguan and the last models shape as well. I am guessing that if you start to tick the options boxes it will star to really hurt the wallet.

[@chasingcars]

I like the looks as well - looks like a mini-Touareg to me.

[@KiratSingh01]

Great review as always. IMO, Polo is a better VFM proposition (5k cheaper) and this being a new car in the market, I doubt you can snatch a stellar deal which should be highly likely with the Polo. Maybe ditch the extra ground clearance and the need for a boxy polo and get a used Polo GTI :D

[@chasingcars]

I'd go a Polo GTI, for sure - but I liked the T-Cross more than I expected. A very tidy, mature little crossover.

[@KiratSingh01]

@@chasingcars Would you go with the T-Cross or the Skoda Scala? Kinda apples-to-oranges but still share a lot of similarities especially price.

[@chasingcars]

Hmm… I'll wait to make a call on that until I can drive the Scala, which will happen in the next month or two. Notably, the Scala also sits on the MQB-A0 derivative of the MQB platform meaning there will be many more similarities than differences, but let's wait and see.

[@wolvoman1]

Hair drier to warm up the rear T Cross lettering prior to removal

[@96libertytt]

I like it.

[@chasingcars]

Yeah, same. It's a pretty good effort!

[@beastgaming4695]

I don't love small suv but nice review.

[@chasingcars]

Thank you for watching!

[@peterpanousis8458]

Is it really a dry-clutch DSG? Surprising after all the problems they had with the previous dry-clutch in the Golf.

[@chasingcars]

DSG reliability is much less of a problem these days - the design's 20 years old and has been the subject of many revisions.

[@RustyHeartsTOV]

The golf 7 doesn't really had major DSG problems...

[@bluecent]

Surely we shouldn’t be expecting too much in the way of soft touch plastics in a sub 30,000 vehicle with a non nonsense pretence? I’d be more concerned with hard plastics if the fit was bad and the thing rattled. Excellent space utilisation. Any idea on the ID-3 timing for Australia Tom ?

[@chasingcars]

Not the end of the world, but if Toyota can use higher-quality plastics in the C-HR, so can Volkswagen. The good news, though, is that there were no rattles or quality issues noted - but these were brand new cars with only about 600km on the clock. Most cars that make it onto the channel have about 5,000 hard driven kilometres by the time we assess them - I take this to be more like 25,000km in real world distance.

[@bluecent]

Chasing Cars Yeap, the old gently treated press car!

[@TheStigHCE09]

Probably shouldn't but the Polo on which this is based is $5k cheaper and has those soft touch materials. It's just a bit strange since most other SUVs in this segment are at least as luxurious in that sense as the cars they are based on.

[@fireball1970]

Not a big Fan of the tail lights, otherwise great car. Would still prefer a t-roc, kinda curious it hasn't arrived in Australia yet, in Germany it's on the streets since 2 years almost.

[@bluecent]

Fireball Those taillights are clearly polarising. Many think they’re the stand out exterior feature (as I do), but many think they’re too busy.

[@jennifer592]

Does it have Android Auto?

[@yoshimitsu411]

Ownership costs?

[@mtavassoti]

5 Year Warranty??? It's 3 in the UK 😐

[@johnmckay428]

excellent, except no awd or hybrid option, so think I'll still wait for the Yaris Cross...

[@chasingcars]

Yaris Cross will be a really interesting rival for this car.

[@SmellyT0fu]

Video technical feedback: 1) For those shots of Tom sitting in the front and back talking about the interior would be best done with the camera fixed on a tripod rather than a gimbal. The horizontal wobble is annoying. 2) Quality of audio when driving... well you would have noticed the issues.

[@chasingcars]

Unfortunately the mic slipped down my shirt and I didn't realise until it was all far too late! Thankfully, I think what we did get was quite salvageable.

[@SmellyT0fu]

TRAINing the world I’m not having a go at anyone willing to pull their finger out to do great content but feedback to improve on their skills. I’m a regular viewer of CC and I reckon the format is excellent and informative. So I hope no one here has a crystal heart whenever something constructive is put up.

[@SmellyT0fu]

Chasing Cars i know that feeling when you’ve nailed the voice/presentation to only to kick yourself with technical glitches once you get into the video editing stage. It’s the best of a bad situation. 👍🏻👍🏻

[@SmellyT0fu]

TRAINing the world 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@Jayeffhi]

What you rekon over a kia seltos mate?

[@chasingcars]

The T-Cross is a bit smaller but a bit more charming to drive in my opinion - though I'd wait for the forthcoming turbo four.

[@Jayeffhi]

@@chasingcars how do you find the t cross off the mark and in first gear was it really laggy for you? May have been my driving style

[@jnewzealand4677]

The trouble with all these you tube reviews is they always test the top of the Range, always, no doubt because that is what VW wants you to push !

[@chasingcars]

That conspiracy theory is sadly untrue - when a car launches typically the high-spec cars are available earlier. Later, we go and fill in the blanks with lower-end reviews. One is in the works for this month, actually.

[@cheekypepsi8772]

i got the 2019 t cross and.... 2020 came out and the tcross is newer

[@JohnSmith-nz4bn]

With VW down over 60% here in Australia, if you were hell bent on owning a VW (as an owner, I never will again), get all the options thrown in for the base price or walk out. You have nothing to lose.

[@TheYoyoma3]

Why not own it again John

[@JohnSmith-nz4bn]

@@TheYoyoma3 Brisbane (north side) dealership network were not helpful, they used expanding foam to secure a fuel line under the bonnet for a recall, I had the front end suspension components replaced, fortunately under warranty (thank you Townsville dealer for actually fixing it) and the infotainment system will sometimes display radio whilst playing media or vice versa. Oh and PCV valve crapped out too. Then five years later the dieselgate story broke and a subsequent exposé of them using monkeys in exhaust emissions testing to show how clean their cars are post dieselgate. A series called Dirty Money on Netflix goes into it. It's a shame because it's a nice car and drives well, but I don't trust it and I find the company's actions abhorrent. I'll stick to Japanese cars like I traditionally have when I'm in a position to replace it.

[@TheYoyoma3]

@@JohnSmith-nz4bn thanks for the tip

[@JohnSmith-nz4bn]

@@TheYoyoma3 All good. Just remember that's just my experience and thoughts.

[@jr800w]

Driven it and only driveable in the highway/feeway in sport mode.

[@MLife1972]

Look great but doesn't look like the 1.5 is coming anytime soon. Shame.

[@patmuthwa1662]

Better that a polo

[@drazenmiskovic4952]

One person says polo and everyone jumps on the compare it to polo wagon??? My God the stupid world we live in and it's getting worse and worse, I understand if it has some parts that it's built on and shares with polo but they are 2 different car classes.

[@hazeroth]

Love your videos, Tom and CC but you've lost me this time - scratchy hard plastics throughout, no rear air vents and no rear arm rest and STILL "upmarket, European tinge"? I appreciate your effort at being as consistently honest as possible, but perhaps on this occasion your honesty reveals not-subtle-at-all prejudice.

[@chasingcars]

I understand that, but the "upmarket European tinge" remark was in reference to people looking for a car in that style - and of course a "tinge" means just that - a dash, a suggestion, not the full Monty. I'd argue (and did so) that the driving dynamics, appearance, and technology offer (which is still far ahead of any of the Asian rivals) do make it upmarket *with reference to its competitors*. Made sure to provide clear criticisms of the hard plastics, the vent and the arm rest situations, though I think the latter two are definitely abated by the fact that let's face it - anybody who will be using the back seat regularly won't be buying a Volkswagen T-Cross. This is a couple's car, maybe a pet in the back, maybe a baby in a capsule. The Tiguan is going to be the family car. That said, I'll continue to push the criticism of the hard plastics in the T-Roc which arrives soon.

[@kensouza9239]

Chasing Cars Few people just hate everything if it’s got a badge from Europe no matter what.

[@chasingcars]

No no, it’s a fair comment by Kev, but confirming the T-Cross didn’t get an easy ride from us.

[@Zzzxxx1]

1980s...haha well articulated... and i agree it looked dated

[@sturogers2964]

Nice looking car from the outside but the interior is dull and boring. Plus all that scratchy plastic!

[@chasingcars]

A pop of colour inside would be a good addition.

[@sturogers2964]

Tom can you review the Yaris Cross or Yaris GR.

[@douglasyong6939]

Major Audi recall due to DCT, naturally concerned as they potentially share the same dna with VW

[@chasingcars]

Can you be more specific? I've looked into current VAG/Audi recalls in Australia and none apply to the combination of this model year and specific gearbox.

[@jr800w]

Unless it is made in wolfsburg, not buying it.

[@campbellreither550]

JRNexGen I have a feeling it is. It is definitely German made.

[@chasingcars]

It’s actually made in Spain, like the Polo. Not sure it makes all that much difference ... the superb Touareg is made in Slovakia, like the Q7.

[@tadeiaamorim1698]

j

[@maulord4]

Ese coche está al revés

[@deano305]

They’re not offering 110kw engine now 😡

[@vikinkje]

Mazda CX3 much better