Volkswagen T-Roc review: A phenomenon to drive, but does the world really need it?

There are two ways of looking at the Volkswagen T-Roc. As a phenomenon and, well, as a car, obviously. The first is more fun, so I’ll get that, bile-fuelled version – cleaner than diesel, at least – out if the way now, if I may. Who said the world needs another compact SUV?

It doesn’t. The wider VW Group itself already has three to choose from – the Audi Q2, Seat Ateca and Skoda Karoq. There’s everything out there, from the budget Dacia Duster, SsangYong Tivoli and MG ZS, through mainstream products such as the Renault Kadjar, Nissan Juke, Ford Ecosport and Vauxhall Crossland, on and upwards towards premium stuff such as the Mercedes-Benz GLA, BMW X1 and Volvo XC40. There is choice enough already, surely?

So the VW brand itself, with the T-Roc, arrives late to the compact SUV orgy, with the added insult that Volkswagen ceased production of its, admittedly slower selling, retro inspired sports coupe the Scirocco, to make way for this new compact SUV on the business unit’s Portuguese assembly lines.

open image in gallery

That’s putting things rather crudely, it doesn’t make me feel good. One valiant attempt at injecting a bit of 1970s glamour into the market with a sharply styled and distinctive design has been scrapped in favour – yawn – of yet another SUV crossover. I note the cute modern VW Beetle is also due to cease production shortly, in Mexico. It’s an unrelated development but another small loss to the motoring world’s diversity. Everything, it seems, now has to be an SUV or look like an SUV, whatever its purpose in life.

There is less room for boutique lines – and even less in the post-Brexit world, I suspect, with more paperwork and complexity making it less worthwhile to bring in small-selling models or derivatives. I blame the customers, of course, not VW. Volkswagen has at least tried to offer some novelties in recent years; but we wanted SUVs instead.

Given all that, the T-Roc, judged on its merits, is fine, above average, even an enjoyable drive. VW’s designers obviously tried hard to make their new offering eye catching, and they’re succeeding. There lots of origami on the styling, as is fashionable these days, and the T-Roc adopts the slightly Bauhaus look and bold wide grille of contemporary VW stablemates such as the Passat, plus a Citroen-cactus style thick rear pillar, lending it a very slightly coupe-like profile.

open image in gallery

Generally, the interior was good quality, and I liked the bright orange highlights on my model, matching the bronze paintwork. It may just have been a way to distract one from a bit of cost-cutting on the plastics, but I didn’t mind. Volvo have pulled off a similar trick with orange carpeting covering where proper lining should be on the interior door trim.

The T-Roc works better as an ensemble than most, and has a nice mini jeep vibe about it. Rather than a hatch on stilts, it is the sort of car you can “jump” into and go anywhere – Lidl, Asda, Waitrose, the local Bannatyne health club, you name it.

Mind you it is actually a hatch on stilts, given it takes bits of Polo and Golf architecture into its modular construction and also shares lots of mechanical and electrical parts, plus software componentry, with other VW group products – meaning, as usual, you get better value from the Seat and Skoda counterparts. The T-Roc, thus, has excellent interactivity and connectivity, and the latest in driver aids and safety kit. That’s important for families.

It is a lively drive. My test car was blessed with a 1.5-litre petrol engine boasting 150 horsepower, and I sense the chassis could take even more, even if one’s nerves couldn’t. the steering was sharp enough to make the T-Roc surprisingly entertaining – though no Scirocco R –and it stopped safely and securely.

open image in gallery

My only quibble was not how it performed on the open road but in the car park. The clever dual-clutch auto box is allied to a stop-start fuel saving system and an electric parking brake with auto hold function. All excellent on their own, but bunged together they made parking and low speed manoeuvring exceptionally difficult to finesse on the throttle. With the parking sensors turned on, getting into or out of a tight spot feels even more stressful. I’d prefer simpler engineering here.

open image in gallery

And, as it happens, on the engines too, as I remain unconvinced about the long-term durability of small-capacity stressed petrol engines, and as for diesels – I’d like to meet one that didn’t get sooted up without a weekly run on the motorway.

VWs marketing campaign for the T-Roc was a memorable hit, featuring a little baby ram taking on bigger opponents. The message was that this plucky little machine was tough enough to take anything on – “born confident”. It summed up the character of the car well, even if it only usually has two-wheel drive, and is going to confront nothing more stressful than the school run. Actually, I’ll concede that can be stressful.

The versions with proper four-wheel drive have true capability. I can see why people appreciate the high up driving position and superior visibility for driver and kids, and ease of access for those with mobility issues. But I still don’t think the world needs the T-Roc, and I’ll miss the Scirocco. I know who to blame.