New Volkswagen ID. Cross: price, specs & release date

This is the Volkswagen ID. Cross, which you can think of as the electric equivalent to the petrol-powered Volkswagen T-Cross. It’s based on the recently revealed VW ID. Polo, and manages up to 270 miles on a charge.

When it goes on sale in the next few months, the ID. Cross will hope to steal sales from the Ford Puma Gen-E, Mini Aceman, Kia EV2, Renault 4 and Jeep Avenger. 

New Volkswagen ID. Cross styling

For its latest generation of cars, Volkswagen is aiming to capture a timelessness in its styling. At the front end, there are slim LED headlights and a wide bumper design with small air intakes. The bonnet is tall and almost flat, which is echoed in the clean side panels.

The large black plastic panel at the base of the doors takes some of the chunkiness out of the side view, while the ‘floating’ roof and body-coloured strakes on the rear pillar add visual interest. Those stripes are very reminiscent of the Citroen C3 Aircross to our eyes.

Like the ID. Polo, the rear end is characterised by a quartet of square tail-lights. On high-spec models, you get an illuminated light bar between the headlights and tail-lights.

Depending on the trim level, the ID. Cross rides on 17 to 20-inch alloy wheels.

Interior

Having been criticised for dropping its interior quality in recent years, Volkswagen has come back fighting. The dash panel and doors are now covered in fabric, and the row of physical controls (hurrah!) have a metallic edge that promises to be pleasingly tactile.

Touch-sensitive panels on the steering wheel have been binned in favour of proper buttons, grouped into sensible layouts. The left-hand side handles the cruise control settings, while the right-hand side controls the digital instrument cluster and secondary functions. Additionally, the driver gets four window switches, rather than the two in the ID.3 (which are frustrating to use).

If you wish, you can press the ‘View’ button on the steering wheel to have the information displayed on the driver’s screen in a retro theme, based on the dials in later Mk1 Golfs.

Both the 10.25-inch driver’s display and the 12.9-inch touchscreen look very crisp. The touchscreen features a lot of configurability, so you can personalise the menus to your liking.

Size and dimensions

The ID. Cross is only marginally bigger than the T-Cross, but the advantages of an electric-only platform and not needing to package an engine allow it to offer noticeably more space. Rear-seat space is said to be better in every dimension than for the T-Cross, while the 475-litre boot is nearly 100 litres up on the T-Cross (with its rear seats in their most rearward position). Additionally, there’s room under the boot floor, and a small frunk under the bonnet that looks to be a good size for storing the charging cable.

The roof load and towbar load are both 75kg, meaning the ID. Cross can handle a roof-top tent or three e-bikes.

Range, charging and performance

Entry-level ID. Cross models come with a 37kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery, which is expected to offer a maximum range figure of 196 miles. The upgrade option is a 52kWh nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) battery, offering up to 270 miles of range. 

That’s competitive with the ID. Cross’ main rivals, as are the fast-charging figures of 90kW and 105kW for the smaller and larger batteries respectively. Both charge from 10-80% capacity in around 24 minutes.

Vehicle-to-Load is available as an option, letting you power other devices at up to 3.6kW via an adaptor.

The 37kWh battery is available with 116hp or 135hp motors, while the 52kWh battery is mated to a 211hp motor. All are front-wheel drive.

VW’s Connected Travel Assist system now can slow you down to a set of traffic lights, and one-pedal driving is now included to bring you to a complete stop.

Prices and trim levels

In Europe, the ID. Cross is expected to start from around €28,000, which equates to around £24,000 here.

The base model is called Trend, although this might not come to the UK. Next up is the Life trim, which includes 18-inch alloy wheels, adaptive cruise control, a reversing camera and two-zone climate control. Top-spec Style adds upgraded headlights and keyless entry.

Optionally, you’ll be able to select luxury features such as massaging and powered front seats, a panoramic sunroof and a 10-speaker, 425W Harman Kardon sound system.

The ID. Cross will fully launch in autumn, when we’ll know more details about prices and specs.

Versatile Volkswagens available now

Can’t wait for the new Volkswagen ID. Cross to reach our stores? Shop used electric Volkswagen cars for sale or read our guide to the best small electric cars.