![Volkswagen T-Roc](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/cars/images/2017/10/30/TELEMMGLPICT000144537598_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqpVlberWd9EgFPZtcLiMQfyf2A9a6I9YchsjMeADBa08.jpeg?imwidth=680)
Volkswagen T-Roc first drive: a big shift in direction for German SUVs
![Volkswagen T-Roc](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/cars/images/2017/10/30/TELEMMGLPICT000144537598_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqpVlberWd9EgFPZtcLiMQfyf2A9a6I9YchsjMeADBa08.jpeg?imwidth=680)
Here we go, yawn, yet another sport utility vehicle (SUV) vying for your attention in a wildly overcrowded market. Wait a second, though. For a start the Volkswagen T-Roc doesn't look much like a sport utility; in fact it doesn't even look like a Volkswagen.
Clever framing, chrome trim, daring bonnet curves and a heavily-raked rear screen don't immediately mark it out as a people's SUV, in fact you need to study the front and see the badge set into that wide grille to determine, beyond doubt, that it is indeed a Volkswagen.
The T-Roc is fashionably wide, but 252mm shorter than its nearest VW relative, the Tiguan. With a ride height only 19mm above that of a Golf, you are very far from being on eyeballing terms with van drivers, the roof is low enough to see over it and the wheelarch gaps above its 18-inch wheels aren't excessive.
It might not be much of a go-anywhere SUV, but it certainly catches the urban personalisation wave started by the Range Rover Evoque, with myriad bodywork colours and contrasting roof hues, sound systems from Apple's Beats and brimming with connectivity, from copious USB slots, to Mirrorlink, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
Immediate rivals aren't so simple to establish, but think Toyota's suburban cowboy C-HR, or maybe sister company Seat's Ateca, maybe (whisper it), Audi's Q2 and perhaps even the Citroën C3 Aircross.
![Volkswagen T-Roc](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/cars/images/2017/10/30/TELEMMGLPICT000144537633_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqpVlberWd9EgFPZtcLiMQfyf2A9a6I9YchsjMeADBa08.jpeg?imwidth=350)
Comparisons with Citroën don't stop there. Open the door and take in the colour-matched dashboard inserts, the Audi live-screen satnav driver's binnacle, the seat inserts and the high-mounted black display screen. Wow, this is VW's Cactus, where everything you see and touch is lovely, but it's all linked with quite ordinary textured black plastic. It's well made, but not quite as fastidiously overengineered as other VWs.
That screen technology is aided and abetted by having separate buttons for the radio volume and the satnav zoom function. There's a baby centre console bin and decent door pockets. The seats have thin cushions, but they are nevertheless comfortable.
Rear-seat passengers have more than enough head and leg room and a good view thanks to them sitting 46mm higher than those in the front. The 445-litre boot is large enough and can be extended by folding the 60/40 per cent split folding seats to give an almost flat load bed. That heavily canted rear screen, however, means this isn't a big dog carrier.
![T-Roc Audi Q2](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/cars/images/2017/10/30/TELEMMGLPICT000144537571_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqTGKZeGxEx9Tp7a44lZrK7cznVrZCd47a4U1yo4Oh5MQ.jpeg?imwidth=350)
The three petrol engines are a 113bhp, 1.0-litre three-cylinder and 148bhp/1.5 and 187bhp/2.0-litre four-cylinder units. The four-cylinder diesels are a 1.6 developing 113bhp and a 148bhp 2.0-litre. There are six-speed manual and seven-speed DSG twin clutch semi-auto gearboxes.
Most sales will be front-wheel drive, but VW's 4Motion 4x4 system is also available. There will be no diesels at first, along with limited DSG availability.
The launch offered only the 2.0-litre petrol and diesel, both with DSG transmissions and four-wheel drive. Loaded to the gunwales with kit, the petrol model was as near to £34,000 as makes no difference. There was no price for the diesel, but since VW usually charges a £1,500 premium for the oil-burner, you can make your own deductions. Less than five per cent of UK buyers will select these, preferring instead the 1.0-litre as the most popular with the 1.5 second.
![Volkswagen T-Roc off-road](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/cars/images/2017/10/30/TELEMMGLPICT000144537719_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqpVlberWd9EgFPZtcLiMQfy2dmClwgbjjulYfPTELibA.jpeg?imwidth=350)
It steers crisply, with a well-assisted variable ratio system, which has little lost movement on either 18-inch (the diesel), or the 19-inch (petrol) tyres, and it loads up nicely in corners, particularly the heavier diesel. There’s also a feeling that it is all of a piece, partly because of the stiff bodyshell, but also the well-judged control weights.
It flows pleasingly through turns, with the rear wheels obediently following the fronts and with supple suspension and controlled body lean. The brakes are progressive and powerful, with a pedal sensitive enough to allow you trail the brakes into a corner and feel the nose tuck into the bend.
With MacPherson strut front and a multi-link suspension on the 4x4 cars (front-drive models have a rear twist-beam set-up), the handling is safe, but agile and fun. Safety systems ensure that the tail doesn't swing out uncontrollably if you make a mistake in a corner, but the chassis feels playful and at very high cornering speeds you can ease the rear out, at which point this feels like a high-riding GTI.
![Volkswagen T-Roc boot space](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/cars/images/2017/10/30/TELEMMGLPICT000144537710_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqpVlberWd9EgFPZtcLiMQfyf2A9a6I9YchsjMeADBa08.jpeg?imwidth=350)
It rides well, with none of the fierce anti-roll of some of the opposition. The 18-inch wheels and 50-profile tyres are the best compromise, with a more subtle negotiation of sharp-edged bumps and sleeping policemen, but the 19s aren’t bad, although they are noticeably noisier.
Cars with the optional dynamic ride control can be moved between the three damping algorithms: Comfort, Normal and Sport, but the two extremes feel artificially soft or harsh and the switch is best left in Normal even at speed, where the only criticism is a slight corkscrewing sensation from the rear on certain road surfaces.
The 2.0-litre diesel is mostly powerful and refined, but occasionally noisy and sending a tingle through the major controls. Against an EU Combined fuel consumption of 55.4mpg, we achieved 39.8mpg, though that was travelling pretty smartly on some sinuous roads.
The 2.0-litre petrol is pretty much a Golf GTI engine and it’s powerful and gutsy, though a bit noisy at high revs. On a slower route than the diesel, we achieved 30.7mpg against an EU Combined economy of 41.5mpg.
The seven-speed DSG might add another £1,400 or so to the bill, but it makes light work of urban traffic. It's not perfect, however, as it fussily kicks down on occasion, refusing to use the engine's torque and there's a perennial problem (particularly with the diesel) of a great kerfuffle during engine-stop restarts where engaging first and pulling away takes an embarrassingly long time.
Next to the horrible electronic parking brake there's a capstan dial to adjust the damping, steering and driveline to suit various terrains. This is no Land Rover, but 4Motion 4x4 will get you out of most situations you're likely to encounter on a road or a car park.
![Volkswagen T-Roc](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/cars/images/2017/10/30/TELEMMGLPICT000144537677_trans_NvBQzQNjv4Bq7Ie8PkSw6zJj0WOAbK6siUqxYMpFvkH0i-0P7ycN7Bs.jpeg?imwidth=350)
There are a couple of ways of looking at this car. First that it's just another sport utility crossover variant, the other is that sport utilities are the new normal and that sports cars, estates, hot hatches and so will now be spun off them rather than hatchbacks and saloons.
Whichever truth you choose, without the rest of the VW Group, the common MQB chassis, the high quality parts bin and the power of central purchasing, the T-Roc would have been impossibly compromised.
Next to the T-Roc’s gear lever there's a badge spelling out “Emotion”. In letting its emotions rule its business instincts VW has created rather a desirable, albeit expensive, take on SUV ubiquity.
VOLKSWAGEN T-ROC – THE FACTS
Volkswagen T-Roc 2.0 TFSI
TESTED 1,984cc four-cylinder turbo petrol, seven-speed DSG semi-automatic gearbox, four-wheel drive
PRICE/ON SALE range from £20,425 to £31,485 (as tested £31,485)/now with first deliveries in December
POWER/TORQUE 187bhp @ 4,180/236lb ft @ 1,500rpm
TOP SPEED 134mph
ACCELERATION 0-62mph in 7.2sec
FUEL ECONOMY 41.5mpg/33.2mpg (EU Combined/Urban), on test 30mpg
CO2 EMISSIONS 155g/km
VED £500 first year, then £140
VERDICT Well it's certainly a different sort of Volkswagen. Vivacious and fun although slightly noisy, this is VW's take on Citroën's Cactus, Toyota's C-HR and Audi's Q2, compromising space for performance, ride for handling and practicality for fun. Both in theory and practice, it all works rather well, though you do pay rather a lot for it.
TELEGRAPH RATING Four stars out of five
THE RIVALS
Audi Q2, from £21,360
Bland compared with the host of new rivals, but the baby SUV Audi is a class act, with great handling (the ride can be a bit harsh), good packaging and a lovely cabin. It's expensive, though.
Seat Ateca, from £18,340
OK, it's a VW Tiguan, but it surpasses criticisms of badge engineering by being great to look at, with terrific ride and handling, although the new Tiguan is pretty good, too.
Citroën C3 Aircross, from £13,780
Funky looks and a choice of PSA's decent drivelines, but the driving experience isn't the best. The Cactus-style interior is intriguing and spacious, but Citroën needs to up its game in build quality. Cheap isn't necessarily better here.
Toyota C-HR, from £21,065
Aimed at exactly the same urban rancher market as the VW, the C-HR trades funky style for absolute space, but it's more than big enough for four adults and luggage. It drives better than it has any right to.
Mini Countryman, from £23,035
It’s easy to forget Mini in this sector, partly because it's generally acknowledged that Countryman has grown a bit too much to be considered good looking. It’s spacious and the driving experience is fun, but it isn't very comfortable and it's expensive.
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