Volkswagen Cross Up! aimed at rugged lifestyle folks, complete with plastic cladding
Wed, 06 Mar 2013
In addition to the "particularly rugged design and tough, lifestyle qualities" that the cladding exudes, VeeDub has also seen fit to put its Cross Up! on a new set of 16-inch alloy wheels clad in 185/50-series tires. Inside, there are new kick plates to go along with a dash pad that can be had in red, black or silver.
All that cladding must equal additional off-road readiness, right? Well, sure... just so long as you're fine with the same 75-horsepower three-cylinder engine that all other Up! models also feature, along with a five-speed manual transmission sending power to the front wheels, again, just like all other Up! models. The Cross Up! appears to have a taller ride height than other models, but we haven't been able to find out what – if any – changes have been made.
Sales begin in mainland Europe this summer, and the car may make it to the UK at some point. Don't expect to see the machine traversing the Rubicon Trail here in the States, though. And with that, we hope you'll join us in the rugged outdoor confines of your local mall's parking garage. But first, scroll down below for the official press release.
The new cross up!
Four-door up! with rugged, sporty character debuts at 83rd Geneva International Motor Show
Wolfsburg, 10 February 2013 - Volkswagen is expanding its range of striking Cross models: from late summer the cross up! will become the newest addition to the company's lifestyle family. Already members are the successful CrossPolo, CrossGolf and CrossTouran models.
Cross – that stands for individualised Volkswagen models with a particularly rugged design and tough, lifestyle qualities. Thanks to numerous striking exterior elements, the cross up! is instantly recognisable as a stand-alone model: sideways on, for example, black mouldings on the wheel arches and sills, plus full-length door protector strips topped with 'cross up!' lettering create a sporty look. Further unmistakable features of the cross up! include the silver roof rails, the wing mirrors in a light silver metallic finish and bumpers also incorporating silver elements. The robust, sporty character is defined above all by the extra ride height and the 'cross' 16-inch alloys with a high-sheen finish and 185/50 tyres.
High-quality details are also to be found in the interior of the cross up!: in addition to seats in a special trim (in a choice of red or anthracite), an instrument panel with high-quality dashpad (in a choice of red, black or dark silver) and fabric mats, a small set of leather features with coloured stitching (leather steering wheel with spoke and leather handbrake lever) give it a refined ambience. The quality impression is rounded off by chrome trim around the air outlets and tachometer and by door tread plates with 'cross up!' lettering.
The cross up! is equipped to a high specification: included as standard are remote central locking, electric front windows, fog lights, electrically adjustable heated wing mirrors, an asymmetrically split, folding rear seat with headrests, a variable cargo floor, a rev counter, a multifunction display and the ESC electronic stability programme.
The powerful style of the cross up! is reflected in a choice of five paint colours. The principle here is that the upper areas of the bumpers plus the door handles are painted in the vehicle colour, while the panels of the B and C pillars and the window frames are black.
A 55 kW / 75 PS three-cylinder petrol engine combined with a five-speed manual transmission serve as the power train for the lifestyle-oriented cross up! - available in Germany from late summer at a starting price of €13,925.
By Jeremy Korzeniewski
See also: Volkswagen E-Co-Motion Concept brings electric mobility to the commercial set, 2014 Volkswagen Golf GTD is our favorite oil-burning GTI, Volkswagen Golf Variant will make a lovely Jetta SportWagen.