2022 Volkswagen T-Cross 180 MPI SE: More Than One Thing or The Only Thing You Need?

“I can deliver the T-Cross on April 13. Hope you’re free”, read the message I got on Viber. It came from Stacey Vasquez, who handles media relations at Volkswagen Philippines, under the Automobile Central Enterprise, Inc. (ACEI) branch of the Ayala Group of Companies. She was referring to the 2022 Volkswagen T-Cross 180 MPI SE, which I’ll have the privilege of driving and reviewing during the Holy Week.

A quick check on the calendar showed that April 13 was Holy Wednesday, which meant that I’d be driving my mom Norma to the traditional pabasa (the Passion of Christ done in song) at the Valenzuela City chapel of the Señor dela Pacencia (Our Lord of Mercy), of which my mom is a life-long devotee. Unfortunately, because of the heavy northbound traffic of vehicles crawling towards their vacation spots for the long weekend, the T-Cross was delivered late in the evening so my mom and I had to use our car to attend the pabasa.

Non-traditional Holy Week

“Well, at least I could drive Mama in the T-Cross when we go to various churches for the traditional Visita Iglesia”, I said to myself. But my 83-year-old mom decided that it would be too tiring for her to go from one church to another, especially when she’s suffering from osteoporosis and other ailments. So on Maundy Thursday, I ended up driving the T-Cross with my wife, Shawie to pick up our daughter Vette from her friend’s house, where she spent a week working on a business project, and then we drove through heavy traffic to get some groceries.

“2022 is perhaps the most non-traditional Holy Week I’ve ever experienced in my life”, I confided to my wife. Non-traditional in a sense that we weren’t able to do our traditional religious practices, which we do yearly ever since I was a child. And non-traditional because there was a lot of vehicles on the road even on Good Friday and Black Saturday. It used to be that vehicular traffic in Metro Manila on these holiest of holidays was extremely light because people were either at home observing tradition, or out-of-town, making the most of the long weekend. Either way, I was glad that I was driving the T-Cross during this non-traditional holy day traffic because this VW was a revelation.

Teutonic Form and Function

Volkswagen designs are usually Teutonic in execution and the T-Cross is no exception. Its exterior is a clean and contemporary two-box design where form follows function. It looks small and svelte on the outside but it feels spacious inside. The 2.65-meter wheelbase evenly spaces the front and rear 17-inch 10-spoke 5-lug alloy wheels wrapped with meaty 205/55R17 Hankook Kinergy EX+ tires to give this 4.2-meter-long compact crossover a balanced and purposeful look.

The glossy Syringa Violet paint finish of our test unit makes it stand out in a sea of sport utility vehicles and makes it quite appropriate for the Lenten Season, where churches are traditionally drabbed in purple. With a width of only 1.8 meters, the T-Cross slices through traffic and narrow streets quite easily. Its height of 1.6 meters make it a tad taller than most sedans but lower than the ubiquitous mid-size SUVs, while its ground clearance of 185 mm allows it to easily clear most road undulations. Because of its compact dimensions, the T-Cross is actually easy to drive around tight areas and park in crowded malls.

Space, the Final Frontier…

Getting inside this Volkswagen crossover reminded me of that old Star Trek intro line about “space” except the space I’m referring to is the spacious interior of the T-Cross. The front seats offer adjustability to fit people of long legs while the rear seat offers comfortable head-, shoulder-, hip-, and leg room. The high-back front seats may obstruct the forward view of the rear passengers but the panoramic sunroof offers a great view of the moving sky in lieu of the passing landscape.

There’s 329 liters of space behind the rear seat while the 60/40 split backrest can be folded to increase the loading capacity up to 1,319 liters to accommodate large luggage and other bulky items. In our case, Shawie and I forgot that there was a large box containing a Japanese lantern and other knick-knacks at the back when we bought two weeks’ worth of groceries plus a new Turbo mop and new desk fan. Nevertheless, we got everything into the T-Cross with enough space for Vette to sit comfortably at the back and enjoy the trip home.

Bringing the Fun Back to Driving

Under the hood of the T-Cross is a transversely-mounted 1.5-liter inline 4-cylinder engine with Multi Point Fuel Injection (MPI) that churns out 111 horsepower (113 PS) at 6,000 rpm which is quite thrifty when left in “D”, the normal drive mode. The onboard “Think Blue” computer showed that I averaged 9.6 kilometers per liter against the vehicle’s overall average of 8.2 km/L, which was achieved after 1,105 kilometers and 78 hours and 17 minutes of driving an average of 14 km/h. I was more efficient with fuel consumption because I averaged 17 km/h in the 37 kilometers and 2 hours and 15 minutes that I drove the T-Cross. Proof positive that heavy stop-and-go traffic really takes a toll on fuel mileage.

However, nudging the shifter down takes the 6-speed Tiptronic automatic transmission into “S” or Sport driving mode, which holds the gear changes longer for quicker acceleration and sportier driving feel. Granted, the fuel mileage will suffer but thoughts of fuel efficiency and pump prices are thrown out of the window when the wind rushes into the open sunroof and a sensation of speed is sent to the spine by 145 Newton-meters of torque pushing me back into the driver’s seat. While the T-Cross is certainly not a race car, it can get racy and fun when pushed.

More Than One Thing

To promote the T-Cross, VW Philippines uses the tagline #MoreThan1Thing to show its versatility. After driving it for a week, I tend to agree that it is indeed “more than one thing”. It’s a sedate, secure and safe family car with a robust and strong body structure, front and side airbags, head curtain airbags, plus electronic driver aids such as Electronic Stabilization Program (ESP), Hill Hold Control (HHC), Anti Slip Regulation (ASR), and anti-lock brakes (ABS) with disc brakes on all four corners. It’s really designed for safety.

It has loads of power and convenience features, including USB outlets front and rear to charge gadgets and an infotainment system that includes a Tire Pressure Monitor (TPM) and a vehicle status mode that reminds you of the next maintenance service. A neat feature is the 9.2-inch touchscreen that allows me to change stations (when in Radio mode), or music selections (when in USB or Bluetooth mode), or information menus (when in Vehicle Status mode) with just a wave of my hand. It’s like magic and it’s utterly convenient!

The T-Cross is a multi-purpose vehicle with folding rear seats and enough space to transport five people in comfort or carry the bulkiest of items. It’s also a hip crossover for the younger generation with the two-tone leather-and-fabric seats and stitching and interior panels that are color-matched to the exterior. Best of all, at P1,198,000, it is a reasonably-priced compact crossover vehicle that I found to be “more than one thing”. It may be the only thing you need to get around and enjoy life!

Specifications

Model: 2022 Volkswagen T-Cross 180 MPI SE

Classification: FWD 5-door compact crossover

Price: P1,198,000

Engine type: MPI 180 with Blue Motion liquid-cooled inline 4-cylinder gasoline engine with DOHC, 16V and multi point EFI

Displacement: 1,498 cc (1.5-liter)

Maximum power: 111 hp (113 PS) @ 6000 rpm

Maximum torque: 145 Nm @ 3900 rpm

Transmission: Tiptronic 6-speed automatic with Sport Mode

Steering: Electronic power steering

Suspension: Independent, front McPherson struts, rear composite torsion beam

Brakes: front ventilate discs, rear solid discs

Wheels: 17-inch 10-spoke 5-lug alloy

Tires: 205/55R17

Wheelbase: 2651 mm

Overall length: 4218 mm

Width: 1760 mm

Height: 1599 mm

Ground clearance: 185 mm

Fuel tank capacity: 43 liters

Emission standard: Euro 6

0-100 km/h: 13.3 seconds

Top speed: 185 km/h