Volkswagen T-Roc review

We’ll start with the 2WD variants first. We’ve tried the entry level 1.0-litre (108bhp) petrol, which felt slightly laborious with its 0-62mph time of 10.8 seconds and was noticeably noisy when pushing on, as well as the 1.5-litre (148bhp) petrol. The latter was perceptibly quieter and felt a far better fit, with the extra torque – 148lb ft playing 184lb ft respectively – contributing to more brisk performance, illustrated by its 0-62mph time of 8.4 seconds. The 7spd DSG auto is a good fit with the car, but probably not worth the extra cash all things considered. 

We managed to get reasonably close to the official fuel consumption figures – the T-Roc doesn’t like to be ragged around too much (unless you’re in the R model), but is happy to make gentle process. The smaller petrols will get you around the mid-40s, while the 2.0 4WD petrol is closer to the 35mpg mark. The 2.0-litre diesel engines return around 55mpg unless you’re in the top spec 4WD diesel which is a chunk less efficient, around 45/50mpg. 

Ride comfort is good, with big bumps and potholes not causing the suspension much of an issue. It's usefully supple over that sort of road. But it’s undermined by harsh vibrations going over high-frequency ripples. There's a fair amount of wind noise around the mirrors as well as road noise from the tyres, especially as you move up the trim levels onto bigger alloys. Best avoided.

Are the 4WD variants any better?

We’ve tried the 148bhp diesel and 187bhp petrol with 4Motion and the DSG transmission. They were nice enough in themselves, but will cost north of £35k. That parks them up against some very refined machinery including the BMW X1 and Mercedes GLA.

That said, the T-Roc 4Motion is fun to steer. It doesn't feel top-heavy and leans only moderately. Cue the feeble Roc 'n' roll gags. It clings through bends faithfully and transparently. There's a detectable rearward bias to the 4WD system when you nudge the button to Sport, and more steering feel than tall cars usually give.

Any noteworthy driver assistance tech?

Every version gets lane assist, a system that works more smoothly than most in nudging the car towards the middle of its lane, while front assist and emergency warning/braking that includes pedestrian detection are also standard.

You also get adaptive cruise control as standard that is especially fancy when paired with the auto box, offering assisted steering, braking and acceleration at speeds of up to 130mph.