New Volkswagen T-Cross vs Volkswagen T-Roc
The Volkswagen T-Cross has always been upstaged by its bigger T-Roc sibling, but can it turn the tables after its recent facelift?...
The contenders
NEW Volkswagen T-Cross 1.0 TSI 115 Style
List price £27,630
Target Price £26,502
The brand’s smallest SUV handily undercuts the T-Roc on price, and it’s just been upgraded with a smarter interior
Volkswagen T-Roc 1.0 TSI 115 Life
List price £28,330
Target Price £26,832
The T-Roc is one of our favourite small SUVs, with a fine blend of comfort and practicality. It won’t be easy to beat in this test
The small SUV battlefield is incredibly crowded these days, and this is as true within Volkswagen’s own model range as it is in the car market as a whole.
While the Touareg luxury SUV and Tiguan family SUV have plenty of space to breathe higher up in the brand’s line-up, the Volkswagen T-Cross, Volkswagen T-Roc and Volkswagen Taigo rather tread on each other’s toes at the more affordable end of the portfolio. But why so many fish in such a small pond?
Well, to attract as many buyers as possible, Volkswagen has tried to cover off every possible taste. The Taigo – with a hint of coupé about its roofline – is for those who are willing to sacrifice a bit of practicality for sleeker looks. Meanwhile, the T-Cross and T-Roc have more traditional SUV styling, but with the former about 100mm shorter and more budget-focused.
The T-Roc has been our pick of the two so far (indeed, it’s one of our outright favourite small SUVs), but the T-Cross has just had a timely update. Plus, even if you buy it in a higher trim level, it’s still cheaper to buy than the T-Roc. So, can the T-Cross finally outshine its slightly bigger sibling?
Driving
Performance, ride, handling, refinement
Our contenders are powered by the same turbocharged 1.0-litre petrol engine and, unsurprisingly, are closely matched in terms of acceleration (even though our test T-Roc was powered by the now-discontinued 108bhp version of that engine, rather than the latest one’s 113bhp).
The lighter T-Cross sprinted from 0-60mph in 11.1sec in our tests (versus 11.2sec for the T-Roc) in very wet conditions. Volkswagen’s official 0-62mph figures back this up (10.0sec for the T-Cross and 10.1sec for the T-Roc in 1.0 TSI 115 guise). Neither car struggles to get up to speed on a motorway slip road, and they have plenty of pep when a burst of acceleration is required for overtaking a slower car.
Both contenders have precise steering that builds weight in a confidence-inspiring way as speeds and cornering forces increase. Plus, each car has plenty of grip and foolproof, predictable handling. The T-Cross leans a little more through corners, though; it has a slightly more top-heavy feel, whereas the T-Roc is slightly more agile, making it more fun to drive.
The T-Roc is also the comfier of the pair when you’re cruising along. Don’t get us wrong: the T-Cross rides well by small SUV standards, even on the slightly larger (17in) wheels that you get with all but entry-level Life trim, but the T-Roc is one of the very best; it fidgets less at low speeds (especially on the modest 16in wheels of our test car) and is even more cushioned and settled at motorway speeds.
Both cars have the same six-speed manual gearbox, and we like its slick action. Sixth gear is quite tall, helping to reduce engine revs at 70mph, and that’s good news for fuel economy and noise levels. In fact, neither car is loud inside at any speed, but the T-Roc has the edge, with marginally less hubbub kicked up by the tyres and from the wind as it rushes past.
Next: What are they like inside? >>
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