Volkswagen has shown the production ID. Cross without camouflage, and Electrifying's Nicola, who has now seen the car four times across its development, spends less energy on the powertrain than on the switchgear. The headline is that VW has put physical window buttons back, along with real knobs for the mirrors and buttons for the climate. The rest is a small electric SUV built on the T-Cross idea: a 37 kWh battery quoted at 194 miles or 312 km, a 52 kWh version quoted at 271 miles or 436 km, and three power outputs at 116, 135 and 211 horsepower. The boot has grown from the concept's 450 litres to 475 litres in production. It is front-wheel drive, with a 22 litre frunk.
On paper the video puts the ID. Cross ahead of the Ford Puma and Mini Aceman on range, which is the comparison Volkswagen wants. The one it will not want is the one that landed the same week. Autogefühl's premiere coverage of the XPENG L03, also covered today, puts that car's entry price just under 36,000 euros and argues it undercuts a fully specced ID. Cross while being a much larger vehicle with more range. VW's answer has to be the things a spec sheet cannot carry: the dealer network, the residual value, the reasonable expectation that the software will still be supported in 2031. Which makes the button decision less of a joke than it first looks. Nicola's other flag is a practical one that reviews rarely raise. The finalised interior material is a sustainable one that she says is partly made from fishing nets, and she is unconvinced it will wipe clean if there are messy kids in the back.
The screen is where the video spends its enthusiasm. Alongside the usual menus, maps, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, there is a retro theme built to look like an old curved-corner television, complete with a cassette player graphic that includes the little strip of red leader tape, and digital numerals that show the shadow of the segments that are not lit. Nicola says VW tried a creased paper map look in the Polo first and abandoned it because it hurt legibility, then found this instead. Charging is quoted at up to 90 kW peak with 10 to 80 percent in 24 minutes, which she notes is not a fast headline number and is a deliberate choice to prioritise the curve. Efficiency is given as up to 5.2 miles per kWh, and towing at 1,200 kg on top spec. Twenty inch wheels come on the Style trim, roughly 18 inch on the mid-range Life trim. The panoramic roof and massaging front seats are options from Life upwards. The tailgate is not powered.
Outside, the production car tracks the concept closely, which the video treats as a good sign rather than a boring one. There is a full light bar and an illuminated badge at each end, part of what Nicola says is a deliberate push to give every VW the same recognisable face, and a rear treatment borrowing from the ID. Buzz, though the elements that lit up on the concept do not on the production car. VW apparently described the rear lamps in its own presentation as whiskey glass shaped, and she likes them. The charge port sits at the front right, which she flags as a mild annoyance, since it means driving nose-first onto a driveway rather than backing in. The door handles now fold up rather than pulling out. In the back, at 169 cm and with the driver's seat set for herself, she reports feet fitting under the seat in front, usable knee room and a flat floor, the last of which is the dividend of a purpose-built electric platform rather than a converted one.
Bottom line: Volkswagen spent years learning that people want to press a thing and have the thing happen, and the ID. Cross is the apology. It is a well-judged small SUV, and the retro screen theme is the first VW interface detail in a long time that sounds like it was made by someone enjoying their job. The problem is not the car. It is that the L03 turned up in the same week, larger and cheaper, and VW now has to sell trust rather than metal. That is a much harder pitch than a boot measurement.
Commentary on a third-party video. Figures and claims are as presented in the source and have not been independently verified. Spotted an error? Tell us and we will correct it.