Volkswagen T-Roc review

The T-Roc is available in six trims – Life, Match, Style, R-Line, Black Edition and R. The entry level Life trim starts at £28,330, Match is a smidge more expensive at £28,550. Style ramps it up to £31,220, R-Line is £34,405, the Black Edition will set you back £35,390 and the performance focused R model is a perky £45,550. 

What are the trims like? 

The entry Life model comes with a reasonable standard spec – you get 16in alloys, an 8in digital instrument cluster, 8in touchscreen infotainment screen, adaptive cruise control, front and rear parking sensors plus dual zone climate control. The standard engine here is a 1.0-litre 3cyl petrol, there’s a 1.5-litre petrol available for around £1,600 extra plus another £700 if you want the 7spd DSG auto instead of a 6spd manual. There’s also 2.0-litre diesel option that’s just under £3k over the entry price. 

For the small uplift over Life spec, Match trim adds a rear camera and keyless entry. That car is only available with the 1.0 and 1.5 petrol engines. Style models come with a fancier 10.25in digital dashboard, fancier LED headlights, satnav and carpet mats as standard. The full range of engines is available here. 

Next you have the sporty looking R-Line car, which offers different 17in alloys, upgraded body trim, heated front seats, auto lights and wipers plus sports suspension. The 1.0-litre petrol is ditched here, but you do get the option of a 2.0-litre petrol engine with four-wheel drive and 187bhp. The Black Edition is based on the R-Line but brings some nifty black design details around the car, two-tone paint, 18in alloys, LED matrix headlights and wireless phone charging. 

Finally the range topping R model is in a league of its own, with a 296bhp 2.0-litre petrol, 18in alloys, plus an upgraded interior and exterior package, which includes a fancy quartet of chromed tailpipes.

Which one should I go for?

The Style model looks like the sweet spot in the range, with the right blend of price and kit. We’d probably avoid the entry 1.0-litre petrol just because it gets a bit wheezy. 

The 1.5-litre and six-speed manual offers 148bhp and 141g/km, with official fuel consumption a respectable 45.6mpg. We averaged around 44mpg in real world driving, which is only only a tiny fraction worse than the 1.0-litre.

In that spec, Volkswagen will give you the car for 48 months on PCP at £354 a month with around £5k on deposit and 10,000 miles a year, which seems reasonable.