For Volkswagen Australia, this is the car that couldn't have arrived soon enough. It's
the new T-Roc SUV, and it lands in one of the hottest segments in our market right now.
Question is, is the T-Roc fashionably late to the party or has it missed it altogether?
Slotting above the smaller, cheaper T-Cross SUV, the new Volkswagen T-Roc aims up at top-spec
variants of the Hyundai Kona and Mazda CX-3, not to mention more premium players like the
Audi Q2, BMW X2, and Mercedes-Benz GLA.
Initially, the T-Roc will be available in one solitary grade, the 140TSI Sport priced
at $40,490. The engine and platform are all carried over from the Golf Hatch, including
a detuned version of the Golf GTI's punchy four-cylinder engine. Now, upon settling into
the driver's chair and racking up a few kilometres, the Golf connection soon becomes very clear.
The T-Roc exhibits similar levels of dynamics, refinement, and confidence, out on the road.
And I'm got to say for a segment that's already teeming with different options, the T-Roc
has a really nice European point of difference and overall sophistication. It goes about
its business very convincingly. There's a real sporting pedigree that starts with the
T-Roc's engine and all-wheel drive system, boasting 140 kilowatts and 320 Newton-meter
outputs, the Turbo 4 can sprint to 100 kilometres an hour from rest in 7.2 seconds. A quick
thinking, seven-speed automatic gearbox makes it relatively efficient as well.
Now, on these pockmarked roads that I'm driving at the moment, the T-Roc feels right at home.
There's no excessive noise coming through the cabin. It feels planted and isn't shaken
at all by mid-corner bumps. Now, similarly, you're also getting typical Volkswagen levels
of feel and feedback, be it through the brake pedal, the steering, or the overall chassis
composure. The 2.0-litre petrol makes power basically everywhere, and being derived from
the EA888 engine that powers the GTI, it's not afraid to rev towards its 6,000 RPM cut-out.
The one exception to all this is a little bit of low-down hesitation, a combination
between the dual-clutch automatic gearbox doing its thing, and also a little bit of
lag from the engine.
That level of refinement flows on to the interior, where a relatively spacious layout complements
an 8-inch touchscreen, digital instrument cluster, and quality materials. The center
facial layout feels a little last generation against Volkswagen's newest models, but the
presentation is clean, legible, and functional. The T-Roc gets a five-star safety rating with
the latest driver aides too. Now, yes, the rear seat is cosy, but all things considered,
for a compact SUV, the T-Roc actually stacks up alright in terms of proportions. There
is adequate space for a couple of adults on shorter journeys with decent legroom, decent
shoulder-room, and decent headroom. You could also squeeze in a couple of kids with ISOFIX
attachments on the outer pews, and rear air vents. Likewise, a 445-litre boot offers decent
cargo space, though prams or full-sized suitcases will fill that space pretty quickly. All told,
the T-Roc is a welcome addition to the small SUV brigade. It does indeed arrive fashionably
late to the party, but in this solitary $40,000 grade, puts itself at risk of being a tad
overdressed.