Volkswagen T-Cross

FIRST DRIVE Updates focus on boosting compact SUV's quality

- Holger Preiss

SINCE the car was launched in the UK and Europe four years ago, Volkswagen has sold more than 1.2 million T-Crosses. Keen to build on the popularity of its compact SUV, the company has revealed a facelifted version - and we've been given an early chance to drive one on European roads.

The market for small SUVS remains as competitive as ever. The Skoda Kamiq was also updated earlier this year, while rivals for the VW now span everything from the hybrid Toyota Yaris Cross and Renault Captur, to the Peugeot 2008 and big-selling Ford Puma. There's no denying the T-Cross has a tough job to stand out in its field.

VW has set about making the new car look slightly different at least. Visual changes to the T-Cross include new front and rear bumpers, revised foglights, LED head and tail-lights plus, on the sportier R-Line variant we're trying here, some cool new 18-inch alloy wheels.

Equipment levels have been boosted on the new T-Cross, too. Every model now gets a digital instrument cluster, and there's a standard-fit eight-inch central touchscreen - with a 9.2-inch display on higher trims.