Autoblog

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Cross-training sneakers took a little while to catch on, too. They weren't the standout shoe in any of the segments they straddled, but they aimed to be competent for more than one use. Think of the Audi Cross Coupe concept as a vehicular cross trainter. Strictly as a coupe, meh; it would look sweet were it, say, half a meter lower with 1/3 less body at the beltline. Then, it'd be closer to living up to the Coupe part of its moniker. Ah, but here's where the Cross comes in. If you want a straight-up Audi coupe, there's already one of those - but there's nothing to offer if you yen for an Audi in the format of the BMW X3. The Cross Coupe aims to change this. It's well equipped to run in that segment against competition like the X3, LR2 and the upcoming Infiniti EX. It certainly carries more style than the Duplo looks of the LR2, or the awfully confused lines of the X3. The Cross Coupe is a handsome design with some unique detailing, and it bears a passing resemblance to an AMC Spirit - one of our favorite vehicular oddballs. We love the fastback profile, and our intelligence points to the Cross Coupe being a harbinger of the Q5. Our fellow Autobloggers over at Autoblog Chinese have put together a nice gallery with lots of live shots of the Cross Coupe Quattro.

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Volkswagen's popular Golf keeps inching closer and closer to the Tiguan SUV it will spawn. VW has taken the wraps off its latest soft-roader: the Golf Plus Cross (a.k.a. CrossGolf), which adds to the embiggened Golf Plus with raised suspension and revised trim, similar to the treatment received by the smaller CrossPolo. It's aimed at doing to the Golf Plus what Audi's Allroad did for its A6.

The Golf Plus Cross is treated to SUV-style bumpers front and back, roof rails, minimal side body-cladding and wheel arches surrounding the new 17" alloys. No word yet on whether the little cute-ute will get all wheel drive when it goes on sale in Europe this coming January. Four engines will be available. The gasoline engines are the 102 HP 1.6L and the 140 HP 1.4 TSI. Naturally, there are diesels as well: a 105 HP 1.9 TDI and a 2.0 TDI with 140 horsepower.

(More pics after the jump.)

[Sources: The Raw Story, Auto Motor und Sport]