First Drive: 2020 Volkswagen T-Roc
2020 has been a difficult year for everyone but it seems that this has not stopped Volkswagen from being busy. If it wasn’t the 190kW Amarok or Golf-e, then it was the highly anticipated reveal of the Golf 8 GTI. Of course, the year wouldn’t be over, if Volkswagen couldn’t squeeze in one more launch. Yes, the highly anticipated Volkswagen T-Roc has hit the home of Mzanzi. It has been one of the most talked-about compact SUV’s of the year. It made its worldwide debut in 2017, so seeing this premium compact SUV in person has been a long time coming. We headed over to the mother city to spend some time with this newcomer.
The T-Roc does join Volkswagen’s range of SUV’s, in fact, it sits just in between the T-Cross and the Tiguan. Much like the recent T-Cross, the T-Roc is aimed at attracting a younger market, with its premium styling and daring attitude being the focal point. In-person the T-Roc is quite a looker, it features a Tiguan-inspired front, muscular wheel arches, and lovely looking bi-coloured curving roofline. One of the other striking features on the T-Roc is its LED DRLs, it's seen surrounding the intakes on the bumper and can change from white to amber to double up as indicators. From first impressions, it’s easy to see that the T-Roc is closely related to the Audi Q2, with its advantage being its lower price tag. The T-Roc offers a range of stunning colours, it comes in 26 different colour options while the R-Line derivative gets offered in 21 different colour options.
The T-Roc consists of three derivatives, a 1.4-litre TSI Design model, a 2.0-litre TSI Design model and the range-topping 2.0-litre TSI R-Line. Although there are three derivatives, the T-Roc only gets offered in two engine variants. First is the 1.4-litre TSI engine that produces 110kw and 250 Nm of torque and comes paired with an 8-speed Tiptronic. Next, is the 2.0-litre TSI that produces a more powerful 140kw and 320 Nm of torque. It comes paired with a 7-speed DSG and uses a 4MOTION all-wheel-drive system. The obvious favourite was of course the TSI R-Line, simply because it offered more power and the addition of the R-Line kit.
Stepping inside the 1.4 TSI Design and 2.0 TSI Design models felt very much like stepping into a VW Golf. It comes with your basic features such as climatronic air conditioning, a Composition Media infotainment system that comes with connectivity via the We-Connect Go app as well as Voice Control. It also has a LED taillight cluster and Park Distance Control in both the front and rear. If you really want your T-Roc to have the premium treatment, then the R-Line is what you will be after. It comes standard with high-tech systems such as Front Assist area monitoring with City Emergency Braking and Pedestrian Monitoring, the Automatic Post-Collision Braking System, and the lane-keeping system Lane Assist. There are also LED daytime running lights in the bumper and dynamic cornering lights, as well as the latest generation Active info display, Keyless entry, and luxurious Vienna leather seats.
The T-Roc’s safety features are of top class, even receiving a five-star safety rating. Doing exceptionally well in safety features such as Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Park Distance Control, LED Headlights, Light and Vision Package, Blind Spot Monitor and Fatigue Detection. In addition to these safety features, I.Q Drive technologies also come on the T-Roc. The I.Q Drive technologies included in the T-Roc are Park Assist, Emergency Assist, Front Assist, Traffic Jam Assist, Adaptive Cruise Control and Lane Assist.
Pricing
T-Roc 1.4 TSI 110kW Tiptronic Design R489 400
T-Roc 2.0 TSI 140kW 4MOTION DSG Design R548 300
T-Roc 2.0 TSI 140kW 4MOTION DSG R-Line R593 600
