OK here goes.
The model I had was the T-Roc Design with a 115ps Petrol Engine, Manual. Price £23-24k I believe.
Disclaimer:
Only my person opinions which are based on around 8 years of driving and owning 4 VW’s in that time. I’m far from an expert, I’d call myself an enthusiast.
Initial thoughts:
Initially I liked it. The car felt comfortable and modern in looks. The colour was Turmeic Yellow which I wasn’t a fan of but I’m sure a nice black or grey would greatly improve it for my personal tastes. Driving it seemed very easy, much like the POLO I owned until recently.
Interior:
As I said earlier the interior is cheap. The steering wheel seemed faux-leather and there are fake buttons on the dashboard, centre console and above your head next to the rear view mirror. The trims on the doors were woeful, cost cutting personified.
The steering wheel and gear stick seemed like they were straight out of the POLO, there didn’t seem to be much imagination. The only plus was the touch screen which seemed very modern and responsive. I think it’s the same one that’s now standard across the range.
In my opinion the interior is what really lets the car down.
Space:
There’s a decent amount of space for driver and front seat passenger and head room is good. Not so much space for back seat passengers but enough not to complain about.
The boot space is impressive. I don’t know the exact capacity but it’s considerably more than say a Golf. Perhaps even double.
Additionally I always check the glove box - very little space.
Exterior:
I’m in two minds with this one. A lot of it is subjective but I feel like the front looks like a beefy Passat and the rear looks like a Beetle (not great). This being said I quite like the fact that it’s a bit different. Not so different though like the Citroen Cactus (horrid). The T Roc certainly turned heads but that was probably more to do with the Turmeric Yellow.
The standard Alloys are not bad in my opinion, I probably wouldn’t change these if I specced one from new.
Ride/comfort:
The driving position is maybe not quite as high as I would have liked, when compared with say a Tiguan or a Q3. The ride itself was very comfortable. I could easily see myself feeling comfortable after a 2/3 hour drive.
The engine was quiet and the chunky tyres/suspension soaked up most of the bumps in the road. There’s also a decent ground clearance although I wouldn’t like to test it out in a flood!
Engine/handling:
At first I thought the car was nippy and I assumed it had the 150ps Petrol engine. Actually it has the 115ps Petrol so that did impress me. Obviously this lacked torque but it seems like you’d get a decent pull from the 150ps if you were to upgrade.
It was very easy to drive, almost stupidly easy. I feel it was even easier to drive than my 2016 POLO. It handled nicely and also felt safe.
The fuel economy was not great, I was getting around 35mpg on a long distance motorway drive however I feel this would perhaps improve after the car has done a few thousand miles.
Conclusion:
You’d need to spend £25k plus to get a decent spec. I’m sure there would be CarWow or other companies offering deals however. I enjoyed driving the car however I think it was more the novelty of having an SUV- type car having never owned one. If you spend £25k on a VW you can get a Golf with decent features, and the build quality would be far superior. I feel that in a few years they may depreciate significantly and a second hand one might become a good deal. I’d like to drive a Q2 to compare.
Would I buy one? Yes, for the Mrs, for £15k! (No I wouldn’t buy one).
