SUV OF THE FUTURE

Volkswagen unveiled its concept of an SUV of the future at the Tokyo Motor Show. The all-wheel drive plug-in hybrid hints at how a crossover between a four-door coupé and an SUV could look.

At 4,345mm, the concept car being shown in Tokyo is longer than a Golf and shorter than a Tiguan. The width of 1,868mm and height of 1,523mm also come exactly in between these two bestsellers.  

The concept car’s 2,630mm wheelbase is very long in relation to its overall length (52mm longer than the Golf and 26mm longer than the Tiguan). The correspondingly short overhangs (855mm at the front and 860mm at the back) gives the car a very compact but dynamic appearance, which is emphasised by wide tracks widths of 1,585mm (front) and 1,613mm (rear).  It also 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 and the concept also features good off-road ground clearance.

The design of the car 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 40kW / 180Nm of torque and 85kW / 270Nm respectively, and a TSI direct injection turbo petrol engine. With overall power of 265PS, the Cross Coupé can accelerate to 62mph in just seven seconds and on to a top speed of 125mph. It can travel up to 40km 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 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.