Sharper, techier Volkswagen T-Roc emerges

One of the oldest models in Volkswagen’s current line-up having debuted back in 2017, T-Roc has been the recipient of its first mid-life facelift ahead of sales commencing next month in Europe.

Applied to the standard model as well as to the Cabriolet and the performance T-Roc R, Wolfsburg’s range filler between the T-Cross and Tiguan receives a new grille taken from the South Africa-bound Taigo spun-off of the South American Nivus, new standard LED or optional IQ Light Matrix LED headlights, restyled taillight clusters, vertical LED fog lamps and restyled front as well as rear bumpers.

Now appearing similar to its junior sibling on first glance, the T-Roc rides on newly designed alloy wheels ranging from 16 to 19-inches with its exterior changes capped off by a Polo-style LED light strip underneath the grille, and a choice of five new colours.

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As before, the Cabriolet seats four with its three-layer fabric roof taking nine seconds to open and close. Claimed boot space is 284-litres. No additional unique exterior changes have been applied with the same applying to the T-Roc R.

Inside, more extensive changes have taken place. These include upgraded materials, a major criticism of the pre-facelift model, the optional 10.25-inch Digital Cockpit Pro instrument cluster and an eight or 9.2-inch touchscreen infotainment system with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Sport seats trimmed in Nappa leather debuts as an option on the R-Line with a new multi-function steering wheel and redesigned climate control panel being the final interior updates.

New on the safety side is Predictive Cruise Control, Front Assist, Lane Assist and Travel Assist that allows for semi-autonomous driving up to 210 km/h.

Up front, Volkswagen has kept the T-Roc’s engine line-up unchanged for Europe with the 1.0 TSI producing 81kW/200Nm, the 1.5 TSI Evo 110kW/250Nm and the 2.0 TSI 140kW/320Nm.

Volkswagen’s long-serving 2.0 TDI is now the sole oil-burning option available following the dropping last year of the 1.6 TDI. Outputs range from 85kW/300Nm to 110kW/360Nm with the previous range-topping 140kW/400Nm variant falling by the wayside as well.

For certain markets, including South Africa, the previous 1.4 TSI is likely to be retained along with the eight-speed Tiptronic gearbox, which replaces the seven-speed DSG offered on the Old Continent. A six-speed manual is again standard on mainly entry-level European models.

The Cabriolet meanwhile remains an all petrol affair with the sole options being the 1.0 TSI and the 1.5 TSI. Both units can be paired to the manual ‘box with the latter having the added option of the DSG.

For the T-Roc R, the uprated 2.0 TSI continues as is with outputs of 221kW/400Nm. The mentioned DSG is again the only transmission available with drive, like in the range-topping standard models, going to all four wheels via the 4Motion all-wheel-drive system. Top speed is limited to 250 km/h with 0-100 km/h taking 4.9 seconds.

Bar the R, the standard T-Roc line-up comprises three trim levels; Life, Style and R-Line with the latter pair having the added option of the black styling package.

In Germany, pricing kicks-off at €23 495 (R417 747) with South Africa likely to receive the updated model sometime next year with a price hike expected over the current entry-level 1.4 TSI Design’s R508 400 starting sticker.