Volkswagen T-Roc review - Interior & comfort

A car that looks as good as the T-Roc needs a similarly funky interior – thankfully, VW has provided, and a 2022 facelift also improved interior quality. A small SUV should offer enough space for small families and feel a little more comfortable than the equivalent hatchback, too – something VW seems to have pulled off. There’s decent head and legroom all round, with enough space for two six-foot tall passengers to sit one behind the other thanks to generous VW T-Roc dimensions.

Ride quality is at its smoothest on 17-inch alloy wheels. If you'd rather the more distinctive looks of the bigger wheels, it's worth going for the all-round adaptive dampers that come as part of the Dynamic Chassis Control system, although even these won't smother the very sharpest of potholes.

The car’s interior is quiet at a cruise; you soon realise that the prominence of wind noise from around the door mirrors is down to the hushed nature of the engine and tyres.

Volkswagen T-Roc dashboard

Elsewhere, the sharply-shaped dashboard is more stylish than most other Volkswagen offerings. While it may not be the most vibrant and exciting place to be, we like the silver trim that spans the dashboard as it lifts what is otherwise a dark colour scheme.

Other changes include a bigger touchscreen, relocated air vents and a new climate control panel similar to the one fitted in the Volkswagen Tiguan. These additions are a bit hit-and-miss; the touchscreen is now closer to your eye-line, so you don’t have to look away from the road for so long, but the touch-sensitive climate controls sit low down and are needlessly fussy and more difficult to use on the move than the simple round dials that feature in pre-facelift versions. It’s a similar story for the haptic steering wheel controls, which are fiddly and too easy to activate accidentally whilst driving. While the touchscreen is bigger than before, it’s still not quite as big as that used in rivals like the Nissan Juke.

Earlier T-Roc versions had easier controls, but worse material quality. We’re glad VW has addressed our concerns; the T-Roc now gets some softer and plusher feeling materials to break up the sea of hard, cheap plastic. Everything is very solidly assembled, though, with no obvious creaks or groans, but you’re still more likely to be impressed with the dashboard in the Peugeot 2008.

The digital driver’s display measures eight inches across and offers a wide range of information that’s controlled via the steering wheel buttons.

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Equipment

Until the facelift, the T-Roc was available in seven trim levels: S, SE, Active, Black Edition, Design, SEL and R-Line. S includes now-essential features like Bluetooth, digital radio and all-round electric windows, plus dual-zone climate control, an auto-dimming rear-view mirror, alloy wheels and LED daytime running lights. Standard SE equipment is fairly generous, as the eight-inch infotainment system gets Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity. Other standard features include a rear central armrest and ski hatch, all-round parking sensors, power-folding and heated door mirrors, roof rails and adaptive cruise control. A leather gearknob and steering wheel are also standard.

As of mid 2024, the T-Roc is available in the following specifications: Life, Match, Style, R-Line, and Black Edition matching the standard Volkswagen Golf range. Life gets dual-zone climate control, 16-inch alloy wheels, LED daytime running lights, a basic digital gauge cluster and an eight-inch infotainment screen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, all-round parking sensors, power-folding and heated door mirrors and adaptive cruise control.

Match trim gets 17-inch alloys, a rear-view parking camera, keyless entry and start as well as privacy glass. Style adds upgraded headlights with the illuminated grille stripe, an upgraded 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster and sat nav.

R-Line brings a much sportier look, with lowered suspension, unique badging and a body kit. There are also heated front sports seats and heated washer jets. Curiously, it doesn’t get the fancy headlights fitted to the Style trim, but it still has the back-lit grille.

Volkswagen also introduced a Black Edition car, which, as you’d expect, comes in black with black 18-inch alloy wheels, while the fancier headlights from Style are included too. There’s also ambient interior lighting and dynamic cornering lights.

Options

Unlike rivals like the Kia XCeed, the T-Roc offers a vast range of options, with Volkswagen being particularly keen to facilitate personalisation. A range of 17 and 18-inch wheels are available (ranging from around £100 to £500 extra), which can also be paired with the Dynamic Chassis Control system (around £1,000), which gives a choice of driving modes and suspension settings. Sports suspension is a cheaper option for keener drivers, offering a lower ride height and progressive steering to improve cornering (around £450).

Leather heated sports seats cost over £2,000, while a heated steering wheel can be added for less than £200. We’d recommend being careful with the options list, however. The 1.5-litre R-Line model already starts from around £34,500, so adding features like a panoramic sunroof, Matrix LED headlights and a rather lacklustre Beats hi-fi can see the cost of the T-Roc skyrocket – at which point it no longer feels good value.