Volkswagen T-Roc review

Prod the centre console-situated starter button and the T-Roc thrums into life immediately – no starter motor churn if you’ve come from a car without 48-volt hybrid assist. It simply begins, and murmurs away quietly. 

Drive controls have been copied from the ID range of EVs, which entrusts Drive/Reverse selection to a chunky twistable wand on the steering column to free up space between the seats. Makes sense to us, though the twister itself is rather plasticky.

Which engine should I choose?

We’ve driven both of the 1.5 eTSI versions, and as you’d expect, they both do a perfectly whelming job of moving the T-Roc about. 

For most people most of the time, the 114bhp version is just the job. Regular motorway motorists or young families who’ll often have a back seat crammed with children will find the boosted 148bhp version has more useful grunt at the top end, but both engines rev out smoothly enough, if lacking the cheery character of an offbeat three-cylinder engine.

The official economy test results are 47-51mpg for both engine variants. We’ve only had a short, half-day test drive in both, but in mixed driving we got an indicated 43.5mpg in the 148bhp car, and 46.4mpg in its cheaper, less powerful brother. 

What about the rest of the drive?

For a while after the ‘WLTP’ economy testing regs came in, VW’s once sharp DSG dual-clutch gearbox seemed as though it’d had a big roast dinner and taken a handful of melatonin. But the T-Roc’s isn’t as sleepy any more, and unlike some rivals, you’ve got paddles behind the steering wheel if you fancy taking manual control. 

The steering itself is keener on turn-in than the old T-Roc. It’s almost Ford-like, with a slightly caricatured lunge as you corner. But unlike a Ford, which is game for a laugh, the T-Roc loses interest fairly quickly. It’s biddable, it’s stable, it’s got all the grip you’d expect and safety understeer after. But it’s not an entertainer. Still, that never seemed to bother the people who bought standard Golfs. Or the two million (!) who bought the old T-Roc.

Is it comfy?

That depends how vain you are. Because while the T-Roc looks punchy in R-line trip on its natty new 20-inch rims, they don’t half clobber the ride. Not just with less suspension plushness, but more noise and fidget too. The T-Roc is altogether happier, more refined and less jarring on the 18-inch rims and balloon sidewall tyres standard in Life trim. But… it doesn’t look anything like as pugnacious. 

So, there’s your choice – particularly for image-conscious Brits who have to clatter about on roads that would make a lunar rover wince and press its own self-destruct button. 

VW seems to have paid quite a lot of attention to refinement too – the T-Roc is better insulated than the first version, which makes it an untaxing car to cruise in. A little wind-whistle around the door mirrors aside, it’s an impressively well-cocooned little car.