The updated Volkswagen T-Roc family SUV has gone on sale in the UK with prices starting at exactly £25,000. Revamped with a new front end and an improved cabin with more upmarket materials and a fresh dashboard, the latest model is intended to carry on where its popular predecessor leaves off.
In the UK, there’s a three-tier range, with the £25,000 asking price buying customers the basic Life model. That car comes with LED headlights, 16-inch alloy wheels and black roof rails, as well as a digital instrument display and an eight-inch touchscreen infotainment system. That houses the Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone integration systems, while the car also comes with safety technology including lane-keeping assistance and adaptive cruise control, which maintains a safe distance to the vehicle in front.
Stepping up to the T-Roc Style takes the asking price to £27,635, but you get a larger digital instrument display, satellite navigation and privacy glass, as well as sports comfort seats finished in ArtVelours microfleece and 17-inch alloy wheels. This version, which is expected to become the best seller, will also feature its own model-specific rear bumper and LED ‘Plus’ headlights with different modes for bad weather.
Finally, the R-Line model crowns the range, with prices starting at £30,435. That pays for sportier styling, 17-inch Valencia alloy wheels, sports suspension and silver roof rails. There’s also an R-Line-specific interior with gloss black trim in the dashboard and black roof lining, as well as some R-Line badges. Stainless steel pedals and a handful of other features also mark the car out from the lesser Life and Style models.
Customers also get a choice of petrol and diesel engines. The basic Life model comes with a 1-litre, 108 bhp petrol engine as standard, while more powerful options include the 148 bhp 1.5-litre petrol and the 2-litre, 113 bhp diesel. The 1.5-litre petrol is the only one to offer a choice of manual or automatic gearboxes, with the 1-litre petrol and 2-litre diesel getting six-speed manual transmissions as standard.
Moving up to the Style affords a wider choice, with the diesel range growing to include a 2-litre, 148 bhp motor. That’s available with a choice of gearboxes, while the automatic can be specified with all-wheel drive as an option. The other addition to the range – the 2-litre, 187 bhp petrol engine – offers no such choice, getting a seven-speed automatic gearbox and all-wheel drive as standard.
However, those who upgrade to the R-Line will see the choice shrink again. The sportier model is not available with the basic 1-litre petrol engine, which means the range begins with the 1.5-litre petrol.
As before, the T-Roc will also be available in convertible form (above). The Cabriolet doesn’t just replace the roof with a folding fabric hood, but it also loses the entry-level Life trim and ditches the 2-litre engines. The only choices are the 1-litre petrol, which starts at £30,530, and the 1.5-litre petrol, which comes in at £33,640.
The high-performance T-Roc R is also set to reappear, with its 297 bhp, 2-litre petrol engine and all-wheel drive. That car, available solely in hard-top SUV form, will sprint from 0-62 mph in just 4.9 seconds, but it costs £40,445.
More on the updated VW T-Roc:
“The T-Roc embodies numerous qualities that Volkswagen customers expect, such as space, driveability, style, personalisation, practicality, value, and premium quality,” said Rod McLeod, the director of Volkswagen UK. “It’s small wonder then that the T-Roc has become one of the best-selling models in the Volkswagen range – and these comprehensive enhancements are set to maintain its considerable popularity with UK buyers.”
Gallery: Volkswagen T-Roc (2022)
