VW SUV range: What is the best Volkswagen SUV and crossover model?

Date Posted 23rd October 2020
Read Time 7 min read

If you’re looking for something reasonably-priced but well-equipped and reliable, the WV SUV range is a good place to start. 

It’s made up of five different vehicles, which are tweaked and altered to create a choice of 10 SUVs, ranging from small city-goers to all-terrain conquerers. 

But which is the best of the VW SUV range? To find out, we have to dig a little deeper. 

VW T-Cross SUV – From £186 Monthly

VW T-Roc SUV – From £221 Monthly

VW Tiguan SUV – From £273 Monthly

VW Tiguan Allspace SUV – From £294 Monthly

VW Touareg SUV – From £410 Monthly

VW ID.4 SUV – Register Your Interest

VW T-Cross SUV

Best VW SUV for tight parking spaces

Not the best VW SUV for scaling mountains

Volkswagen T-Roc

The T-Cross is the smallest car in VW’s SUV range. It shares much of its underpinnings with the Polo, albeit it’s not just a city car on stilts. 

The T-Cross is 54mm longer and 138mm taller than the Polo, and you sit 100mm higher. Also, almost all of the design is unique to the T-Cross, including sliding rear seats which give up to 455 litres of boot space – 75 litres more than you get in a Golf. 

But under the bonnet is where the similarities to the Polo begin to surface. 

It comes with the same 1.0-litre turbo petrol engine options as the small hatchback, although there’s also an automatic 1.5-litre turbocharged powertrain producing 150bhp in the T-Cross. 

There are five trim levels to pick from in the compact SUV, from the entry-level S – which features LED headlights, blind-spot monitoring and lane-keep assist – up to the R-Line – which comes with two-zone climate control, 18-inch alloys and VW’s top-spec digital cockpit. 

And if you want further customisation, there’s an options list as long as your arm, including heated seats, keyless entry and start, as well as parking cameras. 

VW T-Roc SUV

Best VW SUV for choice

Not the best VW SUV for interior quality at top-spec

Volkswagen T-Roc

The T-Roc is the second small SUV in the VW range, but it carries with it more style, quality and road presence than the T-Cross, although you pay more for it. 

The T-Roc is also a car of two halves. At the lower end, it finds itself going up against the likes of the Seat Arona and Ford Puma, which it comfortably trumps. 

But as you climb the range, you enter Audi Q2 territory, and a few interior fixings let it down against its more prestige rival. 

Saying that, the T-Roc is still a fantastic car, and comfortably one of the best in the market. 

Climate control, 16-inch alloy wheels, autonomous emergency braking, lane assist and in-car internet all come as standard in the entry-level S. 

Meanwhile, at the other end of the range – the T-Roc R – on top of all that, and extra tech, you get chunkier wheels, a digital cockpit and sports suspension. 

But that’s nothing compared to the 295bhp, 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine sitting under the bonnet, which takes you from 0-62mph in under five seconds. 

But if raw power isn’t what you’re looking for, there’s a load of other petrol and diesel engines available – a 1.0-litre turbo petrol kicking off the range – and even the option for a convertible roof. 

VW Tiguan SUV

Best VW SUV for overall SUV-ing

Not the best VW SUV for wanting brand-new

Volkswagen Tiguan

The current VW Tiguan is coming to the end of its life. There’s a new one coming soon. So, should you still buy one? 

In a word, yes. 

Despite it being four-years-old, the Tiguan still comes with a load of high-end tech, looks superb and is great to drive. 

Even the entry-level S model is packed full of features. Autonomous emergency braking, 17-inch alloys, lane assist, air conditioning and leather features all come as standard. 

Meanwhile, in the top-of-the-range R-Line Tech, there are bigger wheels, a panoramic sunroof, LED headlights, rear-view camera and an eight-inch touchscreen sat-nav display. 

So, even though the new Tiguan is imminent, which comes with slight tweaks to the exterior styling and a bigger overhaul inside, the current model more than holds its own. 

That’s also the case in the engine bay, where you have a choice of several different petrol and diesel powertrains in both two and four-wheel-drive. 

VW Tiguan SUV Allspace

Best VW SUV for space and 7 seats

Not the best VW SUV for up-to-date styling

Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace

The VW Tiguan Allspace shares much of its features with the standard Tiguan. But, as you can probably guess from the name, it comes with more space. 

The gargantuan cruiser comes with seven seats – the only model to do so in the VW SUV range – a bigger 700-litre boot – which morphs into 1,775-litres with the seats down (the equivalent of about 80 small cabin bags) – and a better standard spec. 

The entry-level Match comes with a rear-view camera, 19-inch wheels and park assist. Under the bonnet, there are two petrol and two diesel engines to pick from, three of which are turbocharged automatics. There’s also the option for all-wheel-drive. 

The top-spec R-Line Tech sits the other side of the mid-range SEL and comes with adaptive cruise control, panoramic sunroof, dynamic LED headlights, front sports seats and upgraded alloys, as well as a faster diesel engine option. 

VW Touareg SUV 

Best VW SUV for luxury

Not the best VW SUV for low running costs

Volkswagen Toureg

The Touareg is VW’s flagship and most expensive SUV. Starting at more than £400-a-month from new, you might be put off by the chunky price tag. 

But before you are, remember the Touareg shares much of its foundations with the more-expensive Audi Q8 and jaw-droppingly costly Bentley Bentayga.  

There’s no seven-seat option in the Touareg, so if you need that, it’ll have to be the Tiguan Allspace. But what it does have is a load of tech, style and quality as standard. 

In the entry-level SE, there are 19-inch wheels, VW’s top-spec sat-nav system with gesture control, front and rear parking sensors, heated front seats and adaptive cruise control. 

After that, there are four other trim levels until you reach the Black Edition, which adds a panoramic sunroof, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, top-of-the-range parking system and air suspension. 

That’s on top of all-black styling and the choice of two 3.0-litre V6 diesel engines, both of which come with all-wheel-drive. 

VW ID.4

Best VW SUV for zero-emissions driving

Not the best VW SUV for owning right now

Volkswagen ID.4

The ID.4 is VW’s first all-electric SUV. It’s yet to hit the showrooms in the UK, with it tipped to land as early as late 2020, although that date isn’t confirmed yet. 

But even though we haven’t seen it in the flesh yet, there are a few things to note. One being the importance of the ID.4. 

The VW SUV range houses the company’s best-selling vehicle – the Tiguan – meaning this all-electric contribution to the SUV world will be expected to sell, and sell big. 

VW hasn’t released its full spec line-up yet. But you can pre-order a 1st edition, which features a reversing camera, sat-nav, 20-inch alloys, a 1000kg towing capacity and a 77kW battery offering up to 310 miles of range. 

There are also options you can add to reserve your range, such as an interior heat pump to reduce the reliance on your batteries during winter when warming up the cabin. 

We’re not sure on whether the ID.4 will challenge the Tiguan’s selling numbers. But if we had to guess, given the way motoring seems to be going, it wouldn’t be a huge shock to see ID.4s littering the UK roads in a few years’ time.  

Speak to a VW SUV Range Specialist

If you’re still unsure on which SUV is right for you, or you have any questions, get in touch with one of our VW SUV range specialists today.  

Simply click the button below.


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