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.

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.

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