First registered – 30/11/2018

The T-Roc is blessed with off-road style chunky design cues, but the reality is that it’s configured to be easy to drive on tarmac, to be practical and affordable, and not to look like a boring old family hatchback. Under the bonnet we have the 1.0 TSI turbo petrol engine which truly is a little star and produces a punchy 115bhp and a very respectable 47.5 mpg. The T-Roc is a fun car to drive. The steering is quick to react and responsive on the move, there’s plenty of grip on offer, while the chassis provides a good blend of control and comfort. Driving the T-Roc around town is both fun and easy, you can perfectly judge the four corners of the car, while visibility is good all-round. This is a car that is very easy to park which also comes with front and rear parking sensors to make parking even easier.

Volkswagen has almost admitted that some of its cars in the recent past have been a little, well, dull. So the T-Roc jazzes things up with its cute, small, sporty, SUV shape. We particularly like the T-Roc LED daytime running light treatment that cleverly surrounds what look like air intakes on the lower half of the bumper. The lights actually change from white to amber to double up as indicators.The main feature that really stands out inside the T-Roc is the 8-inch touchscreen which brilliantly controls the infotainment system, with DAB radio, Sat nav, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto available to connect your phone. The eight-inch system is as snappy and as clear as you’d expect, flanked by touch sensitive buttons that are quick to react. Gesture control systems are always a fiddle, but Volkswagen’s set-up seems very well developed, snappily bringing up a taskbar of icons on the bottom of the screen before you even touch it. Maps and directions are shown clearly, while the menus on the system are simple to navigate, tooThe T-Roc does the family stuff pretty much as well as a Golf, if not a touch better with slightly raised seating positions all round. A six-foot tall passenger can sit behind a six-foot tall driver in comfort.
There’s decent width across the back seats, too, so seating five inside isn’t too much of a struggle. The T-Roc also boasts doors that open reasonably wide and a higher seating position than in a standard hatch, which will make getting in an out or fitting a child seat easier. The view out is good for those in the back, too.
The boot offers 445 litres of luggage space, considerably more than the 380 litres in a Golf. It’s a nice square shape with a level loading lip to make getting heavy loads in easy, while the rear seats fold easily in a 60:40 split to reveal a useful 1,290 litres of overall capacity. The floor can also be mounted in two positions, creating hidden storage underneath when you create a level floor, or a deeper single load area for large loads.

The T-Roc is a one fine buy. Its soft ride is one of the most comfortable in the class, and its spacious interior and big boot will appeal to families. Also, its high-set driving position is just what many SUV buyers crave – and something that many other small SUVs fail to deliver.