Volkswagen is showcasing its
concept of an SUV of the future
at the Tokyo Motor Show this
week, in the shape of the Cross
Coupé. The all-wheel drive
plug-in hybrid hints at how a
crossover between a four-door
coupé and an SUV could look. It
also defines a new stage in
Volkswagen engineering design,
being the first model based on
the company’s new ‘modular
transverse matrix’ – or MQB – to
be shown publicly.
At
4,345 mm, the concept car being
shown in Tokyo is longer than a
Golf and shorter than a Tiguan.
The width of 1,868 mm and
height of 1,523 mm also come
exactly in between these two
bestsellers, meaning that the
Cross Coupé’s dimensions place
it at the heart of the globally
in-demand A segment.
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The concept car’s 2,630 mm wheelbase is very long in relation to its
overall length (52 mm longer than the Golf and 26 mm longer than the
Tiguan). The overhangs (855 mm at the front and 860 mm at the back) are
correspondingly short. This gives the car a very compact but dynamic
appearance, which is emphasised by wide tracks widths of 1,585 mm
(front) and 1,613 mm (rear). It’s not just coupé-like though: off-road,
it possesses figures that almost fall into the range of classic SUVs.
The front angle of approach, for example, is 24.2 degrees and at the
rear 32.5 degrees. The Cross Coupé also features good off-road ground
clearance. |
The design of the car – penned
by a team led by Volkswagen
Group Chief Designer Walter de
Silva and Brand Design Chief,
Klaus Bischoff – features the
characteristic horizontal lines
of the Volkswagen ‘face’ at the
front while linking to the
future with a completely new
light and grille treatment. The
rear is dominated by steeply
sloping angles and new
distinctive light clusters which
are combined with SUV-like
chunky bumpers and twin
tailpipes.
The four-seat Cross Coupé is
powered by two electric motors
(one front and one rear) which
generate 40 kW / 180 Nm of
torque and 85 kW / 270 Nm
respectively, and a TSI direct
injection turbo petrol engine.
With overall power of 265 PS,
the Cross Coupé can accelerate
to 62 mph in just seven seconds
and on to a top speed of 125
mph. It can travel up to 40 km
on purely electric power.
The all-wheel drive system with
‘electric drive shaft’ also
represents an innovation for
Volkswagen, with the rear axle
being driven by the rear
electric motor. In this
situation power is supplied to
the rear electric motor by the
one at the front, which during
this phase acts as a generator
powered by the TSI engine. This
means that in the Cross Coupé,
the flow of electrical energy
thus replaces the conventional
transfer of power by means of a
drive shaft – which creates room
in the central tunnel (which
would usually house the drive
shaft) to hold the lithium ion
battery. The resulting low
position of the battery and
layout of the drive systems give
the vehicle a very low centre of
gravity and a balanced spread of
axle loading, endowing the car
with dynamic coupé-like handling
qualities.
