VOLKSWAGEN dealers have opened the order books for the company's new urban crossover, the T-Cross, with first deliveries expected in April.

The T-Cross is the fifth and smallest Volkswagen SUV to date and sits below the T-Roc in the brand's ever-expanding SUV line-up and above the Polo in the full range of Volkswagen passenger cars.

Four trim levels - S, SE, SEL, and R-Line - are available from launch plus a limited First Edition model, only 250 of which will be available.

All models come with alloy wheels, electrically adjustable and heated door mirrors, an eight-inch touchscreen infotainment system, a sliding rear bench seat, rear LED tail lights and automatic headlights. Standard-fit safety features across the range include front assist with a city emergency braking system and predictive pedestrian protection, lane keeping assist with blind spot warning and hill start assist.

Two petrol engines are available at launch - 94bhp and 113bhp variants of Volkswagen's one-litre TSI unit, available with a five or six-speed manual transmission or a seven-speed DSG gearbox, depending on the engine and specification. T-Cross models equipped with the 95 PS engine cover the 0-62 mph sprint in an impressive 7.1 sec, with a top speed of 112 mph, while the punchier 115 PS versions have a 120 mph maximum reaching 62 mph in 6.8 seconds.

Prices start at £16,995 for the five-speed manual 94bhp T-Cross S, topping out at £25,050 for the R-Line auto with the 114bhp power unit.