The Volkswagen CrossBlue Coupé Concept has been unveiled at the Shanghai Auto Show and while it may just look like a bit of frothy, orange, fun on the surface, it almost certainly provides a good hint as to the direction of future Volkswagen SUVs and their eco-conscious powertrains.
As is the trend with concept cars, the Volkswagen CrossBlue is a coupé in spirit more than in construction. Despite this, it does carry with it a barrage of funky design cues that if carried through to future production cars, will almost certainly keep Volkswagen close to the cutting-edge of widely-adopted style.
Starting with the dimensions of the SUV-Coupé, the CrossBlue is quite large at 4.8 m long, 2 .1 m wide and just 1.7 m high, and it rides on chunky 22-inch wheels. This actually makes it bigger than the current Volkswagen Touareg.
With the CrossBlue’s deft use of clean surfaces and sharp creases, instead of odd angles and ornate curves, the front face is the CrossBlue’s most unique, new, aspect. Sporting a wider emphasis than before and a lower portion of the aluminium grille, which curves to form a shape around the signature daytime LED running lights, the CrossBlue is nothing but clean cut and cool.
Around the rear, the taillights are especially striking, appearing to emerge from the tailgate like structural elements and they are ably assisted by the aluminium skid plates and integrated exhaust tips in the middle bumper. That, and the low roofline, gives an almost Audi-esque look to the rear of the CrossBlue, but this being the Volkswagen Group, we will almost certainly see cross-pollination to Audi at some point in product life as well.
Inside, the CrossBlue Concept gets even better with its similarly clean, Germanic layout, two-layered dashboard, large centrally located touchscreen, and delicately styled new steering wheel that begs to be handled simply from looking at the pictures.
Under the skin of the CrossBlue is where things turn a little more conceptual. Never mind ‘twin charging’ from the current generation of turbo and supercharger four-cylinder engines that reside in the Volkswagen family, Volkswagen now wants to talk about ‘twin drive’. Volkswagen says this car houses their latest take on a plug-in hybrid system, following the stunning XL1 production car and VW Cross Up! from Geneva.
The CrossBlue pairs a turbocharged V6 direct-injection petrol engine of undisclosed capacity, with two electric motors, more specifically a 40 kW motor at the front and a 85 kW at the rear. Together they produce 305 kW of power, the efforts of which are sent to the road through electronic all-wheel drive and a 6-speed dual-clutch transmission. 100 km/h arrives in less than 6 seconds and top speed of 250 km/h.
Despite the grunt, Volkswagen claims a combined economy of 3.0 L/100 km. Electric-only range is up to 33 km-plus, thanks to a 9.8 kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery and, like other plug-in hybrids, the CrossBlue can operate using various combinations of electricity and petrol depending on driving requirements.
Coasting and brake energy regeneration are also present. The CrossBlue Coupé ‘twin drive’ system should be ideal for long journeys, as the 80-litre fuel tank gives it a theoretical maximum range of 1 190 km. More than all the eco-malarkey, we think it looks the business and we can’t wait to see styling cues from the CrossBlue, filter through to the future Tiguan and Touareg models.
