The VW T-Roc is a car that I’ve been waiting to drive for a while. It’s the way it looks that makes me love it so much. Though the SA market had to wait two years for it, I believe it was well worth the wait. The T-Roc completes the T-SUV range in SA which includes the Touareg, Tiguan, Tiguan All-Space and the T-Cross which launched in September 2019. The T-Roc slots in between the Tiguan and T-Cross. I love the T-Roc but I’m about to contradict myself for a bit – It’s a car you can’t jump the gun and buy without exploring your options within the brand. I’ll explain why as you read further in my article.
Styling
The T-Roc is a stunning looking car. Our test unit was finished in Deep Black Pearlescent and sporting 19-inch Suzuka wheels, which are exclusive to the R-Line model. The Design model makes do with smaller 18-inch wheels when going through the options list. The 2.0 R-Line model looks more appealing compared to the Design model. The R-Line looks meaner, but meaner means pricier as there is an R 104 200 difference between the models. With that being said, the R-Line does come with a more powerful engine and more standard features. The T-Roc is also customizable, with buyers having an option to choose from 20 colour combinations. When you look at the T-Roc’s competition (Audi Q2, Volvo XC40, MINI Countryman), I think it’s the best looking.
Inside
It’s a nice place to be in. Our test unit came standard with Quartzite-Ceramique seats. It’s a colour combination of cream, grey and black which looks stunning. The seats themselves are quite comfortable. A Nice R-Line touch inside is the steering wheel and gear-shift. Both are black but have red stitching that accentuates the cars sporty character. Our test unit was fitted with almost all the bells and whistles. This means it included the 8.0-inch Discover Media with ‘Discover Pro’ satellite navigation with wireless, App Connect, beats® sound system, Electronic trailer hitch, and Panoramic sunroof. The infotainment system is my favourite feature as you get to connect to Apple CarPlay wirelessly instead of dealing with messy cables. You get two USB ports in the front, and two at the back. The only disappointing part of the car is the top of the dashboard which is just one big piece of plastic. VW could have at least used some kind of soft-touch material.
The Drive
Powering this black beauty is powered by a 2.0 turbocharged petrol engine that produces 140kW and 320Nm. Power is sent to all four wheels via a 7-speed DSG® gearbox. It’s great for bumbling around town and quite responsive when it comes to overtaking. In terms of handling, it’s quite a fun car to drive. Show it some corners and it shows off its impressive chassis. Since the T-Roc is sitting on VW’s MQB platform, it handles quite well. VW claims 8.3 l/100 km, and I managed a best of 8.9 l/100km. You have to drive with finesse to achieve what VW claims. If fuel economy is your top priority when buying the T-Roc, I suggest you get the 1.4 TSI Design. It’s not as aggressive as the R-Line model but will save you time by going to the pumps less.
Practicality
The T-Roc has a decent amount of space. It seats five people quite comfortably. It’s aimed more towards younger buyers and small families. Boot space comes in at 445 litres with all the seats up and with the backrests folded down in a 60/40 split luggage capacity can be increased to 1 290 litres. VW says that “hardly any other SUV in this class offers such a spacious package.”
Safety
In terms of safety the T-Roc comes standard with Park Distance Control, Hill Start Assist and Hill Descent Control, Electronic Stability Control w/ driver steering recommendation, ABS, ASR, EDL, EDTC and trailer stabilization, and High-beam control Light Assist. Support Volkswagen’s journey to autonomous driving our test unit was fitted with the optional IQ Drive Small Package which includes ACC with Autonomous Emergency Braking and Front Assist and. Another optional safety feature fitted in our test unit is the IQ Drive Big Package which includes Blind Spot Monitor ‘Plus’ with Rear Traffic Alert and Lane Keeping System.
Verdict
Remember in the beginning of my article I mentioned “It’s a great car, but one you can’t jump the gun and buy, I’ll explain why as you read further in my article.” See the T-Roc starts at R 489 400,00 for the Design model and R 593 600,00 for the R-Line Models. With all the options fitted on our test unit, it comes to R658,950.00 which is a substantial amount of money. My opinion is, if you wanna go all out, why not add a little more and get yourself a Tiguan Highline 2.0 TDI 4MOTION 130 kW 7-speed DSG® that will set you back R707,300.00. I mean it’s down by 10 kW but up torque with 60 Nm more. The Tiguan runs on the same platform as the T-Roc but the Tiguan is much more spacious. In conclusion, I say if you’re after style and love something unique, go for the T-Roc. If you’re a family oriented person, go for the Tiguan.
