- Coupe-influenced styling stands out (especially in yellow)
- Impressive ‘big car’ driving experience
- Large and flexible boot
VW’s formerly small SUV has become longer and more coupe-like with its second incarnation, and offers many appealing qualities.
Overview
Initially introduced way back in 2017, the first-generation T-Roc SUV was a big success for Volkswagen, becoming the brand’s third-best-selling model behind only the Golf medium hatchback and Tiguan medium SUV. VW is hoping to continue this success with the second-generation car, which went on sale in the UK earlier this year.
Described as a compact SUV by VW, the new T-Roc is 122mm longer than the previous version, with its resulting 4,372mm length coming close to medium SUVs such as the Nissan Qashqai.
The model has launched with a choice of 116PS and 150PS petrol mild hybrid engine options, both with front-wheel drive and seven-speed DSG automatic transmission. VW says full hybrids will join the range at a later date.
VW describes the new T-Roc’s design as featuring a more coupe-like shape than the first-generation car, which as well as looking stylish should also boost efficiency, with aerodynamic drag reduced by around 10%. The model certainly stands out on the road when specced like our test car, with Canary Yellow paint and the optional Black Styling Pack, the latter adding to black exterior trim elements included with the R-Line spec we tested.
The T-Roc’s segment-spanning size makes rivals a bit tricky to identify, however models such as the Toyota C-HR and Mazda CX-30 operate in a similar space, while slightly larger VW Group cousin the Cupra Formentor will also draw comparisons as a more coupe-ish SUV.
Pricing and spec
The spec walk for the T-Roc consists of Life, Match, Style and R-Line trim levels. Standard equipment with Life trim, priced from £31,635, includes 17-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights and tail lights, automatic air conditioning, automatic wipers and electrically folding adjustable and heated door mirrors.
Match trim, starting at £32,135, adds features including 18-inch alloy wheels, heated front seats, a heated steering wheel and rear privacy glass,
Style trim, priced from £36,255, gains further features such as dynamic LED lighting, 3D rear lights, 30-colour ambient lighting, three-zone climate control and massaging front seats, while range-topping R-Line trim, priced from £38,935, adds an array of sporty design elements.
Compared with rivals, at equivalent specs, the T-Roc is generally more expensive than the CX-30, evenly matched with the C-HR, and predictably cheaper than the larger Formentor.
Standard service intervals for the T-Roc are one-year/10,000 miles, but these can be extended should drivers opt for a flexible servicing regime, designed for higher mileage cars, which will see the car’s on-board computer advising when a service is due. The T-Roc comes with VW’s three-year/60,000-mile warranty.
Related reading: New car review: Volkswagen Tayron delivers what families need
Technology
All T-Rocs come with a 12.9-inch touchscreen, running VW’s fourth-generation infotainment system and offering wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity. The touchscreen offers clear graphics and is nicely responsive, while the 10-inch driver display, included with all but entry-level T-Rocs, although not providing much graphical wow factor offers a good range of customisation (it was augmented in our test car by a useful head-up display, part of the optional Technology Pack).
Sliders below the touchscreen for adjusting the climate control settings are easier to use at night, when they are illuminated, than during the day, when reflected sunlight can make them difficult to see – fortunately the temperature can also be adjusted via the touchscreen itself.
Four USB-C charging ports are supplied around the cabin; there’s also a wireless phone charger.
Safety
Notable driver assistance systems with the new T-Roc include the optional Travel Assist system, which adds assisted lane changes to the adaptive cruise control function, and the also optional Park Assist Pro automatic parking feature with memory function. Perhaps the most notable new standard system is exit warning, which alerts occupants about to open their doors if bikes or cars are approaching from the rear.
Should drivers wish to turn off systems such as overspeed warnings and lane assist, this can be done via a menu brought up by a permanent touchscreen shortcut icon.
A reversing camera system is standard, a 360-degree camera system optional, though the view offered isn’t the clearest.
The new T-Roc has received a full five-star rating from safety organisation Euro NCAP.
Driving experience
We tested the more powerful, 150PS engine option, which offers plenty of shove when required, helped by the mild hybrid system offering an extra 14kW of power and more significantly 56Nm of torque. The system also allows engine-off coasting, adding to generally good refinement, with the engine only really making itself heard when the throttle is floored – hardly unreasonable. We averaged 51.5mpg during our test, mainly on motorways and A-roads, meaning we actually slightly bettered the 50.2mpg official WLTP combined figure. Interestingly, the official data suggests there’s no economy penalty from opting for the 150PS engine versus the 116PS.
Despite the R-Line trim coming with sports suspension, we found the T-Roc offered an impressive level of ride comfort, with the suspension doing a good job of smoothing out bumps and ruts in the road. The model shares its MQB Evo platform with the larger Tiguan and Tayron, and there is a ‘big car’ feel to its on-road feel. In a more expected sports suspension feature, we found the T-Roc gripped and changed direction well with a nice sense of balance and composure. It would be really good fun on a B-road were it not for numb steering, a gearbox that isn’t the quickest to respond to accelerator inputs and brakes that lack some feel, but it’s still a car we enjoyed driving from day to day.
Practicality
With R-Line spec there’s quite a lot of soft-touch leather and leatherette trim around the cabin, and some interesting cushioned fabric on the dashboard, but it isn’t the most colourful place to sit – things improve on this front at night when illuminated pattern trim kicks in. There are also some interesting design features such as a large control knob which might initially be mistaken for a gear selector (that function is instead handled by a steering column-mounted stalk) but instead can be switched (with Style and R-Line trims) between adjusting audio volume, driver profile and ambient lighting settings. There are also interior door handles placed on the front of the armrests in front of the electric window controls – though we’d argue the latter feature is at risk of seeming quirky for the sake of it.
Front seats with electrically adjustable lumbar support proved comfortable on long trips. Rear legroom is OK, if not perhaps as commodious as we might have hoped given the new T-Roc’s extended length, while despite the coupe roofline headroom will be fine for all but the tallest adults.
A 475-litre boot capacity is up by 30 litres compared with the previous T-Roc, and is not only larger than those found with the CX-30 and C-HR, but also, impressively, than that provided with the bigger Formentor. An adjustable boot floor (included with Style and R-Line trims) offers a significant downward expansion of the load space, although the load lip is fairly high. A 40/20/40-split folding rear seat adds flexibility.
