Volkswagen T-Roc 2026

We ran a Mk1 T-Roc for 4 years & enjoyed the experience. It offered solid if not exciting driving, was wholly reliable & large enough to carry four adults, their luggage & a dog when required. The Mk2 arrives with a new more rounded look, updated tech & a fancier interior. A week in the likely best seller T-Roc Life gave us a chance to assess how it’s moved on.

What isn’t new though, is that from launch the T-Roc comes with two 1.5-litre eTSi hybrid petrol engines which have been carried over from other Volkswagen Group models. These are the 114bhp & 148bhp engines, which are both auto’s & are front-wheel drive. Self-charging hybrids will follow.

The 1.5 114bhp will take 10.6 seconds to reach 0-62mph, the 148bhp engine is quicker, doing this in 8.9 seconds. We were testing the more powerful version which has a top speed of 130mph offers 150PS & 250Nm.

50.3mpg with CO2’s of 128g/km

Whilst this T-Roc is more rounded & in keeping with Volkswagens latest design ethos, to our mind the best thing about the Mk 1 was its angular look, which has been smoothed away. The Mk 2 has a more curved bonnet with wide corner LED lights & a thin light bar that crosses the bonnet front. Beneath this is an hexagonal grille. From the side this T-Roc has kept the previous versions profile & at the rear things are busier with a narrow boot width light bar & VW logo illuminated in red.

Whilst the bland grey colour combo inside our test car was very similar to our own T-Roc model, the fixtures & fittings look & feel better, although scratch below the surface & there’s still some cheap stuff hidden lower down.

What is vastly improved though is the connectivity & tech, with a 12.9” infotainment display, 8″ digital drivers display, a clever slanted wireless charging pad, with Wireless App Connect & four USB’s two front two rear with charging up to 60W.

Lifted from the Tiguan is the ‘driving experience’ switch in the middle of the centre console. It’s literally a rotary dial that helps you switch between the presets for volume, driving modes, lighting. Again a good idea & easy to use. Familiar VW steering wheel controls for cruise & adaptive cruise control are on the left with the infotainment ones on the right. s.

We were testing a 1.5TSi 150PS Life which retails at £32,335. Whilst the range begins with the less powerful Life a £31,635 and goes up via Style to R-Line at £38,935.

Life come’s well equipped with the 12.9 touchscreen, 8″ digital instrument cluster, 17” alloys, a reversing camera & adaptive cruise control. Style adds heated front seats, a massage function for the driver, upgraded LED headlights & wireless smartphone charging. R-Line up’s the ante withe 18” wheels, sports seats, black headlining & is only offered with the larger 148bhp engine.

Infotainment

The large central home screen shows the SatNav & infotainment plus outside temperature. The driving mode icon is also located at the top so here you can choose between Eco, Comfort, Sport & Individual driving modes. Default is Normal. Connecting wirelessly to CarPlay is quick & the Apple icons sit handily on the right of the screen for easy driver inputs. Overall the system is fast & responsive with large, bright, clear graphics. We connected wirelessly to CarPlay & Waze. Happy days !

Practicality

The new model is 12cm longer than its predecessor & you really do notice this in the back where legroom in particular is better. And the boot capacity has increased by 30 litres to 475 litres. Fold the rear seats down & 1,350 litres of useful space is revealed. With no spare wheel a large part of this is under the adjustable boot floor but it’s a good shape & wide too for easy access.

Safety

Adaptive cruise control, Front Assist, Front Cross Traffic Assist, a rear view camera, front & rear parking sensors, Lane Keep Assist, Side Assist, Rear Traffic Alert, an exit warning system, oncoming braking with swerve support & driver attention monitors al feature.

Driving

Our old T-Roc did a great job for us & we’ve no doubt that the new model will as well. Handling is fine with the 17” wheels handling poor tarmac well. In town & at under 30mph the auto-box works nicely & the gear changes are smooth & quiet. Push harder on a 50mph B road & the 148bhp engines good fun. Coupled to the well-balanced steering  which is not to light & not to heavy & you can trust the T-Roc in tight turns as it also comes with good grip, at least in the dry. In the wet on slippery stuff the wheels tend to spin as it struggles to contain the power. The brakes are okay but you need a good firm push to make the car slow down & come to a stop.

On the motorway it’s accomplished. The cabin is quiet even at 70mph, with neither wind nor road noise entering. With Waze & CarPlay connected we travelled 200 miles on motorways & the adaptive cruise control is a highlight, with the distance adjustments being spot on.

Driving modes & real world economy

As far as these go, Eco was our preferred option, Comfort feels punchier & Sport definitely increases the driving dynamics with heavier steering & firmer suspension. Individual can be set to your preferred options. A week & 300 miles of mixed roads & situations saw us return a handsome 47.6mpg which is definitely better than we ever managed in our own 1.0 litre T-Roc.

Pros

Nicer inside, improved tech & infotainment & more cabin space as well. Handles better than we expected.

Cons

New engines aren’t here yet. The exteriors unexciting.

Verdict

We loved our T-Roc & the Mk2 is definitely better right across the board. For us, the more angular original looks better in our eyes. However if you want a a five-door family car that doesn’t leave a large SUV footprint then the T-Roc is very hard to beat. Others match it in some areas, but across the board in it’s class it’s the best.