Thabiso Malimela
In a world where the SUV is becoming the more popular choice, it was only a matter of time before Volkswagen gave us another SUV that filled a particular niche, namely the crossover SUV segment. Yes, Mazda CX-3, Toyota C-HR, Renault Captur and company – the VW T-Roc is coming and it will surely ‘Roc’ things up!
Let’s ignore the name which obviously is reference to the youth and hip-hop community (probably – what else can explain such a cool name?) and focus on what it is that the T-Roc is. For starters, its basically a Polo that took growth hormones and since it is based on the said car, it’ll be available in front wheel drive and there’s word of an all-wheel drive version too. “So can it go off-road?” Change that question to “should it go off-road?” And the answer to that is a reluctant “No”. While it probably can go off-road, most of the people to whom this vehicle is aimed at live an urban lifestyle and the only time they go off-road is when the road is being resurfaced. So there you have it – an SUV that can go off-road, but you wouldn’t want to take it there anyways.
Even though the T-Roc is based on the Polo, it also looks up to its bigger sibling the Tiguan. This is evident in the styling similarities it shares with the Tiguan. However unlike the Tiguan, the T-Roc has been styled to stand out and have a more emotive look to it than the relatively mundane non-R-Line Tiguan – if the Tiguan was a slice of bread, the T-Roc would be a croissant, and we hope that metaphor is valid and makes sense. The T-Roc will be VW’s first two-colour exterior car, so get ready for some interesting colour combinations.
The T-Roc will be powered by three TSI petrol engines and three TDI diesel engines whose power outputs range from 85 kW to as much as 142 kW. The range topping model will have a 7-speed DSG and 4MOTION all-wheel drive as standard while 6-speed manual models fall down the range.
Inside the “lifestyle crossover with SUV characteristics”, you will find that the design is similar if not exact to the 2018 Polo. Like the Polo, the dashboard can be spec’d in any of the available colours (4 to be exact) and the 6.5-inch touchscreen infotainment can be upgraded to 8.0-inches on more expensive models. Beyond the steering wheel, an optional 11.7-inch Active Info Display can be spec’d too. The T-Roc has a class-leading luggage compartment which measures at 445 litres (25% bigger than the Golf’s boot) and 1290 litres when the rear seats are folded.
VW SA has assured us that the T-Roc will probably be offered in South Africa, however we cannot be sure when it will arrive to our shores – probably in the beginning of 2018.
