The SUV that Rocs
the use of second generation Active info Display and state-ofthe-art assistance systems.’
There is no doubt our 1.5 TSi EVO (from £22,905) has a lot of standard kit and tech including auto climate control, battery regeneration during braking, Active Cylinder Technology (which shuts down two cylinders when not required), auto lights and wipers, speed sensitive power steering, front and rear USB sockets adaptive cruise control plus a raft of safety systems.
Fitted extras included an 8 inch touchscreen ‘Discover’ infotainment system with sat nav and DAB radio, smart colour coded 17-inch alloy wheels, dynamic chassis control, a ‘winter’ pack, silver roof rails and side steps and eye watering ‘Energetic Orange’ paintwork and interior panels, which took the final on the road price up to £27,460.
Figures-wise our 1.5 turbo petrol engine delivers 0 to 62 in a highly respectable 8.3 seconds, a top speed of 127 and up to a shade over 61mpg.
The T-Roc, like all VWs, feels very well screwed together and drives well over smooth and bumpy surfaces, although I am not sure the optional side running boards fitted to our car are of any practical use and would reduce ground clearance if you were to venture off road - probably just there just to reinforce the SUV look.
It’s a striking motor and more interesting than the crossover norm. That aluminium exterior detailing and a distinctive frontend design, with ‘bullet - shaped’ daytime running lights make the T-Roc stand out. SEL trim and above means you also get a system called Driving Profile Selection, which lets you alter the weight of the steering and response of the accelerator. This is an option on the cheaper trims.
There’s also the option of a reversing camera or a bird’s-eyeview camera to make it easy to see how close you are to obstacles and you can add a self-parking system - all fitted to our test car.
Other options on board included Volkswagen Media Control, allowing remote control of the infotainment system via a smartphone or tablet. (£1,130); Dynamic Chassis Control (DCC) – variable suspension settings (Sport, Comfort, Normal) and progressive steering (£1,025), a Winter pack – heated front seats, heated windscreen washer jets and low washer fluid warning light (£285); PreCrash preventive occupant protection - tensioning of front seat belts, closing of electric windows and panoramic sunroof and preconditioning of brake systems should a critical driving situation be detected (£145) and 17-inch ‘Mayfield’ Black/Hot Orange diamondturned alloy wheels with 215/55 R17 94W low rolling resistance tyres.
So will the T-Roc help VW win its ‘SUV offensive’ - well it is sensibly priced, better than the opposition in many areas and has a stand-out design so what’s not to like?