Volkswagen T-Roc in South Africa
With a huge increase in demand for SUVs, there was no second-guessing if Volkswagen was going to bring a midsized version like this T-Roc. In South Africa, we will be getting options of 2 engines and 2 trim levels, the Design and R-Line. However, a more performance-focused R is still under consideration for our market.
The Volkswagen T-Roc looks great.
The Volkswagen T-Roc Design sounds like it is the version more focused on the looks. This isn’t entirely true because the R-Line has everything the Design has and more. With that model naming drama out of the way, the Design still gets loads of nice features. As standard, there are 17-inch alloy wheels which can be upgraded to 18-inch. If you are willing to pay a little bit more, you can also get 26 different paint options because two-tone variants are an option now.
The R-Line makes the car look a little bit sportier with daytime running LEDs, and 19-inch alloy wheels. They are the same wheels you would find on the Tiguan. It also gets dynamic cornering lights to help you out because you are going “faster”. With a little bit more seriousness, the R-Line does sell the sporty aesthetic well.
Volkswagen’s interior design for the T-Roc.
Apart from all the hard plastics, Volkswagens interior design of the T-Roc looks stunning and matches the exterior well. With great space for passengers, it also comes with climatronic air conditioning and USB ports to keep your mobile devices connected and charged.
The centre console is topped with an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system with a digital driver’s display, that together controls all the various features this car has. You can do it all by voice commands too. In the back, there is a decent 392 litres of luggage space while the whole care is lit with a very uninspiring white ambient light. We might as well just call them lots of lights if they are just white. At least the R-Line gets a colour, and that’s red.
Speaking of the R-Line, it comes with Vienna leather seats, wireless mobile charging and keyless entry. At this point, we’re just sold on the fact that the ambient lighting is actually ambient.
The two engine options and automated driving features.
Like we mentioned earlier, there are 2 engine options. The first is a 1.4-litre turbocharged 4-cylinder engine that makes 110 kW and 250 Nm. This all through an 8-speed automatic gearbox which together should get you to 100 km/h in 8.4 seconds.
The other option is a 2.0-litre turbocharged 4-cylinder engine with 140 kW and 320 Nm. This engine comes with a 4Motion all-wheel-drive system controlled by a 7-speed DSG. Volkswagen claim that it goes to 100 km/h in 7.2 seconds.
Volkswagen based the T-Roc on the MQB platform. This is the same platform that the Golf and Polo use so we can expect a similar driving comfort that they offer. The T-Roc also gets parking sensors to help you out.
With the R-Line trim, you do get a little bit more. Not only does it get the second engine option, but it also comes with Front Assis area monitoring the usually optional I.Q Drive tech. These include Front Assist, Emergency Braking, Pedestrian Monitoring, Lane Assist and Adaptive Cruise Control.
Options options options.
There are a few upgrade options that you can pay a little more for if you were to get a T-Roc. These are a panoramic sunroof, Discover Pro navigation system with a 9-inch screen, Beats sound system, an electronic trailer hitch, Park Package, smoker’s package and the before mentioned I.Q Drive.
Sales of the Volkswagen T-Roc are expected to start early November with a hopeful T-Roc R on the horizon for 2021 which we are very excited for. If a midsized SUV is what you are looking for, the wait until November 2020 will definitely be worth it to see if this could be your next car.
