About a week ago, Volkswagen Philippines released a teaser for a new crossover. At the time, we reckoned it would be an updated version of the T-Cross. However, the company quietly released something else at least in the meantime.
Landing in the country is the Cross Santana, Volkswagen’s additional entry in the small crossover market. Think of this then as an extension of the Santana lineup. With the arrival of this model, there are now three body style options for Volkswagen’s smallest car.
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In essence, the Cross Santana is a raised version of the Santana GTS mini station wagon. To give it a more ‘SUV-like’ appearance, it gains a bit more ground clearance, black plastic cladding, blacked-out wheels, and a pair of roof rails. Like all Santana variants, this Cross version comes standard with a sunroof.
Inside, the cabin of the Cross Santana should look familiar to those who already own the standard Santana GTS. From the carbon-effect trims to the red strip that runs across the dashboard, the Cross Santana has nearly the same interior as its lower-riding counterpart.
Also carried over from the standard Santana models is the engine. The Cross Santana uses the same 1.5-liter engine that produces 109hp and 138Nm of torque. The lone transmission choice is a six-speed automatic.
Volkswagen Philippines will offer just one version of the Cross Santana, and it retails for P1,098,000. As for the model that was teased prior to this model’s soft launch, that remains to be seen.
