Volkswagen T-Cross Estate

1.0 TSI Life 5dr [2025]

If you're after an SUV, Volkswagen has spoiled you for choice.

It is not the only manufacturer in that position; BMW also offers SUVs in just about every size imaginable.

And why not? SUVs are everywhere nowadays, outpacing saloons and even the traditional family hatchback.

Who wouldn't want more practicality and more space instead of cramming your two-point-four children into the tiniest of family hatchbacks?

The T-Cross may be considered large for a hatchback, but it’s the smallest conventional SUV in the VW range (though pedants may point out that the coupe-styled Taigo is technically smaller, as it's a T-Cross with a chunk removed from the boot).

It is also designed to be budget-conscious, and the VW T-Cross is based on the same MQB platform as the Polo.

Although the VW T-Cross is only four years old, it has recently undergone an overhaul. It boasts a revised interior and some cosmetic styling tweaks to the exterior.

It has always been good-looking, but it’s never really caught on in the UK. That is despite it being a worthy rival to the Nissan Juke and Ford Puma – the former beating the T-Cross in popularity by three-to-one, while the latter outperformed it by five-to-one, going by 2023’s figures.

We will see if the latest version is likely to change that.