Facelift Volkswagen T-Cross base models finally priced

Unveiled in its pricier derivative form at the Kyalami Festival of Motoring last year, Volkswagen officially detailed its new entry-level T-Cross variants at its second product Indaba held at its factory in Kariega in the Eastern Cape on 5 February.

What to expect

Part of a five model line-up and not the initially planned six, the new additions consist of the unbadged base model powered by the familiar 1.0 TSI engine, albeit in two states of tuning.

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Mentioned but not shown at the Kyalami showpiece, the new most affordable model develops 70kW/175Nm delivered to the front wheels though a five-speed manual gearbox.

The claimed top speed is 180 km/h with 0-100 km/h taking 11.5 seconds. Fuel consumption is a claimed 5.9 L/100 km.

As with the rest of the T-Cross range, opting for the seven-speed DSG raises the respective outputs to 85kW/200Nm.

In this guise, the claimed top speed increases to 193 km/h, while the 0-100 km/h sprint time falls to 10.3 seconds. Also down is fuel consumption at 5.6 L/100 km/h

Although supposed to have been introduced with the base-spec pair, the Life, with the 70 kW engine and manual gearbox, has fallen by the wayside, leaving the 85 kW model as the sole mid-spec option available.

Spec

Unsurprisingly specced lower than the Life, the base T-Cross still comes standard with the eight-inch touchscreen infotainment system, a multi-function steering wheel, rear parking sensors, a pair of type-C USB ports and a two-speaker sound system.

Expanding the spec sheet includes an eight-inch Digital Cockpit instrument cluster, auto on/off LED headlights, cloth seats, Hill Start Assist, a tyre pressure monitor and 16-inch steel wheels with plastic covers.

Opting for the 85 kW model meanwhile brings LED headlights and daytime running diodes, heated and electric mirrors, Electronic Stability Control, rear parking sensors and Driver Attention Alert.

Price

Set to go on-sale in the second quarter of the year similar to the facelift Golf 8.5 1.4 TSI, the new T-Cross models will again be covered by a three-year/120 000 km warranty as well as a three-year/45 000 km service plan.

• T-Cross 1.0 TSI 70 kW – R400 700
• T-Cross 1.0 TSI 85 kW DSG – R418 200
• T-Cross 1.0 TSI 85 kW Life DSG – R471 400
• T-Cross 1.0 TSI 85 kW Style DSG – R511 300
• T-Cross 1.0 TSI 85 kW R-Line DSG – R543 800

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