The Volkswagen Group sells more cars than any other car maker, has more
vehicles in its range than its rivals, spends more money developing them, but
some critics argue that its strength is also its weakness and too many of its
cars are too similar. The T-Roc though, this small SUV, wants to appeal to your
heart as well as your head. So how well does it stack up against rivals the
SEAT Arona, and MINI Countryman?
In this review we'll find out, as well as what it's like to drive, how easy it is
to live with, and what it's like on the inside.
Remember if this is the car for you, and you would like to buy it but not
haggle, go to What Car? New Car Buying where we can help save you thousands!
First though, let's see what the T-Roc is like on the road.
Most T-Roc buyers will be choosing between the
two lowest powered petrol engines. With many of them going for the 1-litre, which is the
smallest. Yes, it does sound very small a 1-litre engine – however – it's got
plenty of punch, it can hold its own on the
motorway and also A-roads, and it's also smooth and quiet at all but high revs.
We'd recommend it, unless you feel you really need something with more go. If so,
the 1.5-litre petrol is worth a look, with the step up in price and running
costs reasonable. The bigger engines again, both diesel and petrol, are more
fun but much more expensive! So we don't recommend them. The six-speed manual
gearbox is great but the automatic DSG, which is standard on the range-topping
petrol, is a little bit jerky at slower speeds.
Whichever engine you go for, so long as you stick to the smallest wheel
size the T-Roc is one of the most comfortable small SUVs you can buy.
Soaking up bumps better than rivals, while still keeping its body from
bouncing up and down too much along undulating roads. That said, the higher
ride height does mean that you still feel bumps more than you would in the
lower riding Volkswagen Golf. The compromise for this is that the T-Roc
is not as agile as its rivals. It leans more in the corners and so,
that's fine for most people, but if it's a sporty ride that you're after you'd be
better off with an Audi Q2 or SEAT Arona.
You'll immediately feel at home inside the T-Roc if you've spent time
in other Volkswagens, but if you haven't don't worry, because all the buttons are
logically laid out so you will quickly feel at home. How the T-Roc differs to
other VW's, is you can inject various trim colours here, and there's a bit of
ambient lighting as well to really lift it, but you still cannot get away from
the fact that there is a lot of hard scratchy plastic and interior quality is
on a par with the cheaper SEAT Arona, which is unfortunate because the Audi Q2
is much more premium inside.
If you like a high seating position then the T-Roc
puts you in a higher seating position than both the Kia Stonic and SEAT Arona
however a Nissan Qashqai is still higher again, and in any event if a Range
Rover pulls up alongside you, you will still feel very small! Now with that
seating position and the slim windscreen pillars forward visibility is excellent.
Rear visibility not quite so good, but great news you get front and rear
parking sensors as standard.
To operate the infotainment system it is a little
bit fiddly, and you almost have to study it to really get good at it and hit
those buttons on the move, physical controls are a little bit easier. If
you'd like sat-nav it's a very expensive option on all but the range-topping SEL,
so a cheaper way to do it is to use a sat-nav in a phone app and use Apple
CarPlay or Android Auto.
Whatever your shape or size, you are unlikely to
complain about the space inside the front of the Volkswagen T-Roc because
the seats go a really long way back, and really far forwards! Even too far
forwards for my five foot four and a half, and there's plenty of adjustment in
the steering wheel for reach and rake, when it comes to storage we've got large
door bins, two cupholders here, storage there, something underneath the armrest,
and a decent-sized glovebox.
It's a similar story in the back, because there
is plenty of headroom especially if you don't opt for the panoramic sunroof,
although that only eats into it slightly, in terms of legroom it is better than a
SEAT Arona, however the T-Roc is slightly wider which means you can fit
three children side-by-side in the back quite comfortably.
The boot is both large and a practical square shape, there's
also some useful tethering points dotted around, on the downside you can't move
the seats forwards and backwards to change the balance between rear legroom
and luggage space, and there's also no option for electric front seats which do
hinder the T-Roc's practicality score.
Our advice is to stay at the lower end of the T-Roc price scale so the 1-litre
and 1.5-litre engines are very reasonably priced, but if you move up the
engine scale, or add four-wheel drive, we reckon you'll be paying a price that
will get you a much better car.
Running costs for the T-Roc also look sensible with the 1-litre version returning over
55 miles per gallon in official tests. The T-Roc also gets the full 5-star
EuroNCAP crash safety rating, and it has notably higher marks for pedestrian,
child, and adult occupant safety.
If you're buying on a PCP finance deal expect to spend more money per month than the
equivalent SEAT Arona or Audi Q2. The reason for that put simply, the Arona is
cheaper and the Audi has the benefit of an Audi badge to stave off a little bit
of that depreciation. However it is not quite as practical. There are a lot of
trim levels to choose from, and our recommendation is to go for the one just
above basic which is SE or the one above that which is Design. On top of the
standard kit which includes dual zone climate control, bluetooth, a DAB radio,
and alloy wheels, both get extras including adaptive cruise control, and
front and rear parking sensors. Design adds a wider range of personalisation
options and styling accessories, including twin chrome effect exhaust
surrounds, contrasting roof and door mirror colours, and bumpers with a silver
metallic underbody protection, it's at this point that the claim that this is
a Volkswagen with a difference really starts to
ring true. Overall the T-Roc offers a great package,
it's a smidgen more stylish than Volkswagens of recent years, only at the
expense of interior quality, so the end verdict is pretty good for Volkswagen.
It's a car that's easy to like, and if you spec it well we'd certainly
recommend it.
For plenty more on the T-Roc including our full online review,
head to WhatCar.com and if you're thinking about buying one go to our
New Car Buying section where we can help save you thousands, but before you do any
of that hit subscribe and never miss another video!