Volkswagen T-ROC review: We test drive £25k hugely practical family SUV

T-ROC has been a solid addition to Volkswagen’s bulging line-up of active urban lifestyle focused vehicles – or cars, as we used to call them.

It used to be one of four SUVs on offer back in 2017 but the updated Golf-based offering is now one of NINE, accounting for almost half of all VWs sold today.

Nestled above the smaller T-Cross and Taigo but below the bigger Tiguan and Touareg, it is a hugely practical family proposition.

More than one million have been bought, from Bolton to Beijing.

At first glance you might not notice the nip-and-tuckery that’s gone on, mostly inside.

While there is no added space for the new T-Roc’s five-seater cabin, the upgraded materials offer a dash of plush to the familiar ambience.

The soft-touch dashboard has been redesigned to look smart rather than funky.

Now every T-Roc gets a fully digital instrument display, plus a well-proportioned infotainment touchscreen front and centre which has become a fancier “floating” tablet affair.

It runs the latest VW operating system, with some nice clean graphics.

But as with all the cars it has been installed in, this takes some getting used to – and is no stranger to a bit of lag

It is, however, usefully compatible with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay – and wirelessly so.

Shorter yet wider and taller than a Golf, T-Roc also benefits from a bigger boot, with a capacity of 445 litres.

That is more than enough to swallow up all the kid-based hardware without which you can’t leave the house any more.

On the outside, the new look runs to some revised LED headlights up front, smoked-effect ones round the back and a trendy lightbeam that runs through the centre of a smoother, re-profiled front grille highlighting the new VW badge.

And making it look like it might be an EV . . . which it isn’t.

Not at all.

There is not even a mild hybrid in the offing here.

The engine options are exactly the same as they were for the outgoing model.

That means three petrol engines: 1-litre (110hp), 1.5-litre (150hp) and 2-litre (190hp); and two 2-litre diesels (115hp and 150hp).

Oh, and then there’s the rather silly £40k 4WD T-Roc R, which pushes out 300hp. But that’s another story.

The low-power models are manual, higher-power are automatics and mid-power models have the choice of either.

I personally prefer the humble three-cylinder, 1-litre manual petrol given the T-Roc is, in essence, an entry-level SUV.

It packs enough poke for family runabout requirements, returns nearly 50mpg, the six-speed stick shift is enjoyable to use and it keeps the cost comfortably under £30,000, even if you go for the mid-spec Style trim.

That adds bigger 17in alloys, larger digital display, satnav, sportier seats and tinted glass.

Well-made, well-judged and well-liked, the new T-Roc isn’t here to rock the boat.

And I’m OK with that.

The ride and handling remain firm, agile and composed as always.

Who doesn’t hanker after a bit of tried-and-trusted stability in these unsettled times?