Volkswagen Cross Coupé: VW Builds An Evoque

Been wondering what a Range Rover Evoque would look like if VW built it? Behold the Volkswagen Cross Coupe, which combines all the disadvantages of a sports coupe — poor vision, a tiny interior — with all the disadvantages of an SUV — inferior fuel economy, huge proportions — to create a vehicle that's less desirable than either.

In addition to previewing a future SUV/Coupe abhorrence and more refined design, the Cross Coupe concept is also previewing a new plug-in hybrid AWD drivetrain configuration that actually sounds pretty interesting, even if it's not ready for production yet. There's two electric motors – one front and one rear – capable of distributing their 133 LB-FT of torque and 114 HP front-to-rear. They do so not through a long drive shaft, but by the individual motors, which can send their power to one another via cables. This frees up the space traditionally reserved for that drive shaft to be used to house the lithium ion batteries; an arrangement that optimizes the center of gravity.

There's also a TSI direct-injection, turbocharged gasoline motor that produces 147 HP, kills polar bears and will likely be the powertrain of choice when the Cross Coupe reaches production in the near future.

The Cross Coupe is also significant because it's the first vehicle to be shown that uses VW's new "Modular Transverse Matrix" or "MQB platform. Slightly larger than a Golf, yet smaller than a Tiguan, expect the MQB to underpin a wide variety of future VWs, some of which may even do what the Cross Coupe can't – be big inside and small outside.