Meet the rock star of VW’s T range
The compact SUV segment in South Africa has mushroomed over the last few years. There’s been a shift in the market which has seen a massive decline in sedan sales as more consumers shop for vehicles that offer more practicality and capability.
If you recall, 2019 marked the end of the road for the Volkswagen Passat and Jetta sedans for the local market. The brand believed the swooper Arteon would fill the void, but it saw its demise in 2020.
Volkswagen fell back on what works, hence the T series has seen considerable expansion — a move that inspired the birth of the funky-looking T-Roc crossover SUV in 2020. Since then, 4 490 units have found homes across South Africa. Numbers don’t lie.
Bridging the gap between the Taigo and Tiguan, the T-Roc was handed a nip and tuck to keep it fresh and funky in its stable.
In its range-topping R-Line garb, the T-Roc’s refresh enhanced its looks with a sharpened front fascia that, in the case of our tester, incorporated optional IQ Light LED matrix headlights, sporty 19-inch Misano alloy wheels, plus slightly tweaked bumpers. This is arguably the most stunning compact SUV on the road today.
Settling inside the T-Roc, nothing feels out of the norm if you’re familiar with Volkswagen’s latest products. You get a firmly padded interior setup, comfortable seats, a simple placement of control switches and knobs and a floating 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system, which replaces the previous model’s dash-mounted system, plus the familiar digital instrument cluster.
The system still accepts Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, wireless App-Connect, a navigation system, Bluetooth and a rear-view camera.
Like all VW’s latest products, the T-Roc gets a multi-functional steering wheel with controls that are now capacitive touch panels with some haptic feedback. This isn’t as good as having actual buttons. We found ourselves activating control functions when our hands accidentally touched the wrong place on the wheel.
There is enough space inside to easily accommodate up to five passengers but taller people will find the rear seating a little tight due to the low roof line.
It has a generous boot that measures 392 litres with the rear seats up and 1 237 litres with them folded flat. That’s a tad bigger than its Golf 8 GTI sibling at 374 litres.
While the T-Roc isn’t the Golf GTI of compact SUVs, it’s rewarding to drive and has the excellent ride quality we’ve come to expect from hatchbacks. It’s comfortable, even over rough roads, thanks to the Comfort Package added to the tester.
What stands out is how the 2.0-litre TSI engine seamlessly delivers 140kW and 320Nm to all four wheels via a 7-speed DSG transmission.
As a proper crossover SUV that blends excellent performance and efficiency, the T-Roc R-Line returned 6.9l/100km in the combined cycle, however, the numbers would drop slightly below that on the open road.
Although it may take a few glances to notice the changes, inside and out, VW have given the T-Roc a fresh new stance, making it hard to fault.
Despite the aforementioned niggles, the T-Roc R-Line represents a buyable option for family-focused drivers who are looking for a practical vehicle that has mature driving manners.
If that is you, and R660 400 sounds reasonably affordable, then this is the car to have.
