At Rs 15.2 lakh (on-road, Pune), the V-Cross costs twice as much as the delivery-truck-oriented base D-Max single-cab, and for good reason. Step inside the cabin and you are greeted by a spread of beige fabric upholstery with dark contrasting plastic and silver accents. Now, the materials used are not top-shelf, but they’re several rungs above what we’ve become used to seeing in vehicles such as these. The seats are large and comfortable and have an appreciably soft padding in all the right places. The leg-room and knee-room are excellent, and it’s the same story at the rear.
The second row split-folding bench seat offers good thigh support and excellent passenger room, enough for three. The central tunnel isn’t an ungainly mound in the middle and is just a tad higher than the floor is, but far from uncomfortably so. There are adjustable head-restraints at the rear, and, to benefit visibility, the rear windscreen also has a demister. Moreover, there are ISOFIX child-seat anchors, too. Brilliant.
The D-Max surprises with the kit on offer. There are anti-lock brakes with EBD and Brake Assist, and dual front airbags. The convenience features include an automatic climate control system with a pollen filter. There is a centre touchscreen, but it has only three displays: radio, phone and vehicle settings. There are a lot of storage spaces around the cabin, covered and open alike. Overall, the ergonomics seem well-thought-out and it’s a very spacious and comfortable place to be in.
From a driver’s perspective, the instrument binnacle looks bland. There’s only one centre information display, and the dials on either side are, well, just dials. Now, normally, I wouldn’t mind old-school dials, but these don’t even have an odo or trip meter. The centre display has to be operated manually to shuffle through the info you want to see. The driver’s seat is six-way adjustable, yes, but it’s quite high, and there’s no means of height adjustment. Not a problem. What could be a bit of a problem, however, is the steering wheel position. Even at its highest, it’s still not high enough.
