Volkswagen has started taking advance orders for the new Cross Up!, a more rugged version of the small city car.

Priced from €14,250 ($15,789) in Germany, which isn’t exactly a bargain to start with, the vehicle is said to be “perfectly equipped for all weathers”, and comes with an “off-road suspension” and a 15 mm higher ground clearance, over its regular siblings.

The list of exterior updates also includes the ‘cross’ design for the front and rear bumpers, black side guard trims adorned with the ‘cross up!’ badge, silver anodized roof rails, high-gloss chrome-plated strips on both ends, color-contrasting side mirrors, chrome-trimmed fog lights, standard cornering lights, and 16-inch ‘kalamata’ alloy wheels.

Its enhanced styling continues inside, where the leather package has been added at no extra cost, along with the ‘cross’ design seat covers, orange ambient lighting and color-coordinated dashpad.

Volkswagen offers the Cross Up! with a single engine – the 1.0-liter, three-cylinder, unit, available in two outputs: 75 PS (74 HP) and 90 PS (89 HP). The former features a multi-point injection, while the latter is turbocharged and benefits from a direct injection system. Going from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in the more potent variant takes 10.8 seconds.

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