The Volkswagen T-Roc, the one car I’ve been waiting to drive for a while. Though it’s two years late, it was worth the wait. The T-Roc slots in between the Tiguan and the T-Cross. We recently got to travel to the Western Cape to experience this beautiful SUV from Volkswagens T-SUV line up.
In terms of aesthetics, the T-Roc is a stunning looking piece of kit. Running on the VW Group’s MQB platform its a decently sized car and offers good ground clearance (158mm). It slots in between the smaller T-Cross and larger Tiguan siblings making it a perfect fit. The T-Roc is a trendy car and is offered with a Design and R-Line trim. The Design model is tame in terms of looks compared to the R-Line model. If you’re looking to get the R-Line model you’re gonna have to fork out a little bit more cash. The R-Line gets bigger wheels and meaner looking styling. Making the T-Roc unique, customers have a choice of 20 colour combinations.
The T-Roc interior is quite a good place to be in but is somehow ruined by the huge piece of plastic used for the top of the dash. Cost-cutting measure perhaps? It might be overlooked by most buyers. Aside from the horrible piece of plastic, it makes up for it in other areas. The infotainment system is good, on launch we had an opportunity to use it’s wireless Apple CarPlay capabilities and also jam to some tunes thanks to the optional Beats sound system. Customers also have the option of choosing between three interior colours. The Active Info Display digital cluster is a must-have. The high-resolution 11.7-inch screen shows vital information and makes tracking vital information whilst driving much easier. Compared to other manufacturers its quite customizable.
The T-Roc comes in two engine derivatives: a 1.4 TSI turbocharged petrol engine that produces 110kW and 250Nm. Power is sent the front wheels via an 8-speed Tiptronic transmission. The 2.0 TSI engine produces 140kW and 320Nm. Power is sent to all four wheels via a 7-speed DSG® gearbox. Both these engines are pretty good. The 1.4 TSI is more of a cruiser compared to the more powerful 2.0 TSI that can both cruise and blast through mountain passes with ease. Both these cars are quite engaging to drive. From a fuel conserving perspective, the 1.4 TSI makes more sense as it consumes as little 6.3 l/100 km compared to the 2.0 TSI’s 8.3 l/100 km.
The T-Roc enters quite a competitive market, it’s trendy youthful styling will grab the many first time buyers who think the Tiguan is too big or the T-Cross is too small. It’s a great overall package form Volkswagen. It will be interesting to see which model sells best, the fuel saver (the 1.4 Design) or the more stylish but heavy on fuel 2.0 TSI R-Line.
Pricing
Volkswagen T-Roc 1.4 TSI Design R 489 400,00
Volkswagen T-Roc 2.0 TSI Design R548,300.00
Volkswagen T-Roc 2.0 TSI R-Line 593 600,00
