In partnership with Auto Trader
Used test: Volkswagen Golf vs Volkswagen T-Cross interiors
Comfy and practical, a used VW Golf is a great buy, but are you better off with a small SUV like the VW T-Cross?...
Interiors
Driving position, visibility, build quality, practicality
As we touched upon, the driving position in the VW T-Cross is a bit loftier than the VW Golf's, giving you a grander view of the road ahead.
Overall visibility isn't so great in the T-Cross, though. Not only does it have quite thick rear pillars, but it didn't get any reversing aids as standard from new. The Golf has rather thick rear pillars as well, but it at least has standard front and rear parking sensors. A rear-view camera cost the original Golf owner £340, while the T-Cross demanded £260 for the camera and £450 for front and rear sensors.
The interior of the T-Cross feels solidly built (as does the Golf's), plus its colourful inserts – that came with the optional-from-new Design Pack – go a long way to liven things up. It has some good-quality materials and switchgear, too.
Nonetheless, the level of luxury is a step down from what's going on in the Golf. It may lack the colour of the T-Cross, but the Golf uses less scratchy plastics and more soft-touch materials.
The SE trim of our T-Cross means it misses out on sat-nav, but you do get Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. It's reasonably crisp, clear and responsive, too. The Golf's uses the same system, so it's equally good. Mind you, it did get sat-nav as a standard feature from new.
Up front, the Golf has marginally more leg room, while the T-Cross has more head room – you'd have to be very tall to notice the difference, though. In the back, the Golf has more head room. It has more leg room, too, until you take into account the sliding rear bench of the T-Cross: when slid back, the T-Cross becomes marginally more spacious. The Golf is slightly wider in the back, meaning it's a bit better for carrying three abreast.
Briefly summed up, if you're six-foot tall and find yourself in either car, you'll have a decent amount of room to spare. If you plan to stuff the boot and push the seats in the T-Cross forward, you're better off in the Golf because your knees will be pressed up against the front seats.
Seats forward or back, the T-Cross fits five carry-on suitcases below its parcel shelf. The Golf's number is also five. For sheer capacity, the T-Cross has top trumps, with 75 more litres of space with the seats forward and five litres more with the seats back.
