Volkswagen Polo vs Volkswagen T-Cross

What's the difference?

The Polo GTI faces tough competition in the form of Hyundai’s recently arrived, very good, and well-equipped i20 N, as well as Ford’s sleek and super-capable Fiesta ST. But as mentioned at the start, VW occupies the hot-hatch high ground with the GTI badge, and this upgraded Polo is loaded with features, dynamically outstanding and on the leading edge in terms of safety. Time will tell if the higher price, higher spec strategy is the right one, but there’s no doubting this updated Polo GTI is a compelling package.  

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with meals provided.

There are so many new little SUVs out there and it might be easy to think they’re all the same - a tiny cheap SUV is just a tiny cheap SUV. But I’m convinced the Volkswagen T-Cross isn’t like the others.

Yes, it’s tiny and relatively cheap, but it can do more than most of the others from the storage and space it offers to the value-for-money and its level of refinement. Then there’s the way it drives - which can’t in my books be matched by any of its rivals.  

The sweet spot in the range is the entry grade Life. At $35K drive-away the value is best and with no difference in engines between the grades there are no huge reasons to step up higher in the range unless you have the money.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with travel, accommodation and meals provided.

Not exactly a massive change to the exterior of the Polo GTI with this mid-life refresh, but sharp-eyed car spotters will notice a new front bumper treatment including a revised lower grille, defined by a body-coloured border and flanked by LED driving lights.

The headlights have also been reshaped to mark the arrival of standard matrix LED beams, with the signature horizontal red keyline moves from the centre to the bottom edge of the upper grille. A continuous LED strip across the nose stands the car apart after dark.

Previously part of the GTI’s ‘Luxury Pack’, the ‘Faro’ design 18-inch alloys fill the wheel arches nicely, and overall the car’s compact, tightly wrapped body and finely chiselled lines are familiar.

At the back, the LED tail-light clusters have been extended laterally into the hatch door, but the car’s fundamental shape is unchanged. 

Inside the dash layout is the same, although the centre of the sports steering wheel has been massaged into a more organic shape with the airbag/horn now an oval rather than a circle.

The rest of the interior is relatively understated in typical VW fashion, the neatly sculpted sports seats trimmed with traditional ‘Clark’ tartan cloth on the cushion and backrest centres. And ‘Kings Red’ inlays in the dash, centre console and front door trims, are a reminder of the car’s heritage and sporty intent.

The T-Cross is Volkswagen’s smallest SUV at 4.1m long and even though it’s closely related to the little Polo hatchback it looks more like a mini version of the Tiguan.  

It might be tiny and relatively affordable but it has Volkswagen’s premium looks and sharp styling, with creases in the panels so crisp it looks like somebody just ironed it.

This update has brought new front and rear bumper designs, and new styling to the LED running lights and tail-lights. That’s typically how car companies do exterior design updates, inside the styling changes are pretty minimal, too.

There’s new dashboard design and new media screen, but again the design and quality feels refined and high quality, which I can't say goes for a lot of this car's rivals.

The entry-grade Life misses out on the cross design tail-lights of the Style and R-Line, and gets hubcaps rather than alloy wheels like the other two grades.

At just under 4.1 metres long the Polo GTI is a decidedly compact hot hatch, but thanks in no small part to a relatively lengthy (2.6m) wheelbase, interior space is impressive.

The driver and front passenger have plenty of breathing room, and the rear is remarkable. At 183cm, sitting behind the driver’s seat set to my position, I enjoyed ample legroom, and more than enough headroom.

Width is another story, because while two adults will be fine in the back, there isn’t enough space for three to sit in comfort for any length of time. 

Storage options in the front include a small lidded box between the seats (which doubles as an adjustable armrest), two cupholders and various oddments spaces in the centre console, as well as the wireless charging bay in front of the gearshift. 

There are also pockets in the doors with room for (medium) bottles, a decent glove box, a shallow drawer under the passenger seat, and an overhead drop-down tray for glasses.

Map pockets on the front seat backrests, and small bins in the doors add extra practicality, but there’s no fold-down centre armrest or individual ventilation control for rear seaters. 

For connectivity and power, there are two USB-C ports in the front, plus another two in the rear, as well as a 12-volt socket in the front centre console.

Boot space is a healthy 305 litres (VDA) with the 60/40 split-folding rear seats upright, that number growing to 1079L with them folded down. 

Tie down anchors are handy for strapping loose loads, while shopping bag hooks help keep smaller bundles under control. And be aware, the spare is a space-saver.

You really should take a look at my video to get an idea of how good space and storage is in the T-Cross. I’m tall at 189cm but I can drive with plenty of elbow room and legroom. The front seats also have really long bases which offer great under-thigh support, too.

Legroom in the back is great for the class and I can sit behind my driving position without my knees touching the seatback, while headroom is excellent, too. The second row also slides on rails to increase the boot side which is enormous for the class at 455L.

The second row doors also have large apertures making entry and exit easier.

Cabin storage is great with giant door pockets in the front and back, a wireless phone charger with four USB-C ports (two in the front and two in the second row).

There are three grades in the T-Cross line up, the entry level Life which lists for $33,990, the Style for $37,490 and at the top of the range is the R-Line for $40,990.

At the time of the launch of this updated T-Cross, Volkswagen was doing drive-away pricing of $34,990 for the Life, $39,990 for the Style and $43,990 for the R-Line.

Compared to rivals like the Mazda CX-3 and Toyota Yaris Cross, a drive-away price of $35K for the Life is excellent and $40K for the Style is also a good deal, especially when you look at the healthy standard features list.  

Coming standard on the Life are LED headlights, black roof rails and power folding mirrors, there’s a leather steering wheel, a digital driver display (which is new, too), there’s an 8.0-inch media screen, wireless phone charging, air con, digital radio, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Stepping up into the Style grade adds 17-inch alloys wheels, matrix LED headlights - those are new - chrome-look roof rails, an LED grille strip, proximity unlocking, dual-zone climate control, sat nav, and a new, larger digital driver display. The Style also gets the fancy 'cross' LED tail-lights like the R-Line grade above it.

The R-line is a new model sitting at the top of the line-up and it comes with sporty R-Line exterior styling plus 18-inch alloy wheels and dark tinted rear windows. Inside there’s R-line interior styling, 'Drive Modes' and a Beats sound system.

The Polo GTI is powered by a version of Volkswagen’s 2.0-litre (EA888) four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine, driving the front wheels through a six-speed dual-clutch auto transmission.

The iron block/alloy head unit uses direct- and port-injection, variable valve lift on the intake side, and variable valve timing on the intake and exhaust sides to produce maximum torque of 320Nm from 1450 to 4390rpm, at which point peak power of 147kW takes over from 4390-6000rpm.

The T-Cross has a 1.0-litre three-cylinder engine which sounds tiny and it is, but it's turbo-charged and the 85kW/200Nm it produces is plenty of grunt to move this little SUV which at just under 1.3 tonnes is relatively light. 

All grades in the T-Cross line-up have this same engine and there’s no high-performance variant, although the R-Line has selectable drive modes. Every T-Cross is front-wheel drive with a seven-speed dual-clutch auto transmission. 

This three-cylinder is a mighty little beastie with a growly tone to it. There is some turbo lag during stop-start city driving, but it’s so eager to play that if it was a dog it’d be a Jack Russell with every intention to chase anything it sees but no idea how small it is.

VW’s official fuel economy figure for the Polo GTI on the combined (ADR 81/02 - urban, extra-urban) cycle is 6.5L/100km, the 2.0-litre turbo four emitting 150g/km of CO2 in the process. Not bad for hot-hatch with this kind of performance. 

Minimum fuel requirement is 95 RON premium unleaded and you’ll need 40 litres of it to fill the tank. Using the official consumption figure that translates to a range of 615km.

Smaller engines use less fuel than larger ones and the 1.0-litre three-cylinder in the T-Cross is little and Volkswagen says over a combination of open and urban roads it uses 5.6L/100km.

That’s fuel efficient but these days larger SUVs with hybrid systems are achieving the same low consumption. Toyota’s Yaris Cross is available with a hybrid system and will use about 3.8L/100km.

Volkswagen doesn’t have a hybrid version of the T-Cross, but it should, especially given these little cars will spend more time in urban environments where fuel consumption will generally be higher.

That said, most tiny SUVs don’t have hybrid systems so that makes the Yaris Cross exceptional while the T-Cross is about average.

The Polo launch drive program covered around 150km of city, suburban and freeway running from inner Sydney, through twisting B-roads to the city’s south, and sprawling semi-rural areas further west, topped off with a closed track session at the Luddenham Raceway.

Weighing in at a fraction over 1.3 tonnes, with 147kW/320Nm sent to the front wheels, the Polo GTI is capable of sprinting from 0-100km/h in 6.8 seconds, which is satisfyingly quick.

And the 2.0-litre, four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine’s dyno sheet must be a thing of beauty with maximum torque available from from 1450 to 4390rpm, and peak power picking things up at precisely the end of that plateau, remaining on tap all the way to 6000rpm.

So, mid-range punch is always there, and the six-speed ‘DSG’ dual-clutch auto delivers rapid, precise shifts, with wheel-mounted paddles dialling up the fun factor when you want to shift ratios yourself.

Combined engine and exhaust noise is agreeably rorty without tipping over the annoyance threshold, although the high-performance 215/40 Continental ContiSportContact rubber transfers a fair amount of rumble on coarser surfaces.  

The base suspension set-up is strut front/torsion beam rear, with the standard ‘Sport Select’ system built around switchable dampers, offering the choice of ‘Normal’ and ‘Sport’ modes. 

Normal is nicely composed with comfy compliance over longer undulations as well as higher frequency bumps and dips. But if the red mist descends and you’re ready for some fun the (noticeably firmer) Sport setting buttons everything down that bit more. 

As well as the damping, throttle response is faster, the DSG picks up the pace as does the steering. Even the exhaust is enhanced, although it’s via the synthetic ‘Sound Actuator.’ Boo!

Balanced and predictable in quick cornering, the Polo GTI’s electro-mechanically assisted steering is precise and beautifully weighted, with great road feel. And the car’s ‘Extended Differential Lock’ uses the traction control and braking systems to minimise wheel spin, maximise traction, and help limit understeer.

On top of all that, the carefully sculpted sports seats deliver secure location without compromising comfort, and the grippy sports wheel feels great.

Braking is by ventilated discs at the front with solid rotors at the rear, and even under the pressure of a flat-out track session (moderated with the help of some admirably patient tame racing drivers) they remained progressive and firm.

In more civilised surroundings the Polo’s size and excellent all-around vision (not to mention a clear reversing camera) make it a cinch to park. The combination of on-screen touch controls, and physical dials for the multimedia system is welcome. And the connection for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto is wired or wireless which is handy for those who prefer the surety of a wired connection or the flexibility of one less cable in their life.

Quite possibly the best little SUV to drive for this price and size, the only drawback is that there’s a touch of lag in the time it takes the power to arrive at low speeds in stop-start traffic, but that can be remedied by putting the transmission in 'Sport' mode.

The steering is light and accurate, the visibility is excellent thanks to the big windows and raised ride height, the pedal feel under your feet is great and the brakes are responsive.

The car feels stable, planted and secure whether it's on a motorway, or a winding country road, while the little 1.0-litre engine is a champion that keeps punching with a throaty growl that matches its enthusiasm.

The seven-speed transmission is superb and changes gears fast, while the paddle shifter lets you take control to keep the revs high.

These little SUVs aren't sports cars but some are so underwhelming to drive it feels like performance was never thought about while developing the vehicle.

But the T-Cross made me grin until my face hurt on the steep winding hairpin filled roads we tested it on at its launch. 

The T-Cross was given the maximum five-star ANCAP rating in 2019. What is truly great is that on every grade you’ve got AEB, adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assistance, rear cross-traffic alert, manoeuvre braking, plus front and rear and parking sensors. 

For child seats there are three top tether anchor points and two ISOFIX points in the second row.

A space saver spare wheel can be found under the boot floor.

Volkswagen Australia covers the Polo GTI with a five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty, which is now the volume market standard.

The paint is warranted for three years/unlimited kilometres, “Through Corrosion” is covered for 12 years/unlimited kilometres, and 12 months roadside assistance is included.

Servicing is required every 12 months or 15,000km, with prices over the first five years ranging from a low of $455 to a high of $1498, the average per service coming out at $701, which is a pretty solid number.

Capped price servicing is available, however, over five- and three-year plans. Paying up-front for five years results in a $765 saving over pay-as-you-go.

A nice side benefit is the ability to fold servicing costs into the vehicle’s financing at the time of purchase, and the plan is transferable if you decide to sell the car before the five or three years is up.

The T-Cross is covered by Volkswagen’s five-year unlimited kilometre warranty.

Servicing is recommended every 15,000km or yearly and while there’s no capped price servicing you can buy a five-year plan for $2800, which equates to $560 per workshop visit.