The Volkswagen T-Roc is a subcompact crossover SUV (B-segment) manufactured by German automaker Volkswagen. It was unveiled at the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show, and launched in November 2017. It is based on the Volkswagen Group MQB A1 platform, and generally has been considered as the SUV equivalent of the C-segment Golf. It is positioned between the Tiguan and the slightly smaller T-Cross, while being approximately the same size as the Taigo.
Overview
The T-Roc was previewed as a concept car with the same name at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show. It features an all-wheel drive drivetrain.
The production version of the T-Roc for the European market was launched in Italy on 23 August 2017 as Volkswagen's fourth SUV in the European market. It is the first Volkswagen SUV to sit in the B-SUV segment. The T-Roc is based on the MQB A1 platform and is closely related with the Volkswagen Golf Mk7, SEAT León Mk3, Audi A3 Mk3, and the Škoda Octavia Mk3. It is equipped with a MacPherson strut front suspension and, depending on the engine and drive system, either a torsion beam or multi-link rear suspension in combination with optional adaptive dampers.
European market units are assembled at Volkswagen Autoeuropa plant in Palmela, Setúbal, Portugal. Chinese market cars are assembled by FAW-Volkswagen joint-venture plant in Foshan, Guangdong.
The T-Roc was showcased in India at the 2020 Auto Expo, and was launched in the country as a limited imported model in March 2020.
China
Previewed earlier as the Volkswagen T-Rocstar concept, the T-Roc was unveiled to the Chinese market on 23 March 2018 and went on sale on 30 July 2018. The Chinese version of the T-Roc is larger than the European one, having the wheelbase longer by 90 mm, length by 84 mm, and its height taller by 9 mm. It is equipped with two 1.4-litre TSI engine options with either or , and an entry-level 1.2-litre TSI engine producing . The powertrains are mated with the 5-speed manual transmission, the DQ200 7-speed dry dual clutch transmission for two wheel-drive versions and the DQ381 7-speed wet dual clutch transmission for all-wheel-drive versions.
Facelift
The T-Roc facelift was unveiled in November 2021.
The T-Roc for the Chinese market received another facelift in April 2023. The 2023 model year is equipped with the EA211 1.4 liter TSI engine producing 150hp and 250N·m mated to a DQ200 7speed dual clutch transmission. A 1.5 liter turbo Evo2 engine is also available producing 118kW.
T-Roc R
A high performance version of the T-Roc was launched as the T-Roc R in February 2019. It shared the same 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine with the Golf R, making and . It is offered with 4Motion all-wheel-drive carried over from the Golf R as standard. With a new suspension setup, it is also lower than the standard car. It also comes with extra kit, including Akrapovič quad-exhausts and interior upgrades.
Cabriolet (AC7) The T-Roc Cabriolet was launched in Germany in April 2020 as VW's first convertible model in two years. Despite being based on the standard SUV model, the model does not share many body panels with the standard T-Roc, since every sheet metal behind the front wheel arches is new, and it features a longer wheelbase. It loses two rear side doors and the B-pillar in order to make the folding fabric hood possible. To deal with the loss of rigidity caused by the absent roof and B-pillar, the chassis has been strengthened with new crossbeams, and the A-pillar has been reinforced.
The roof mechanism is hidden behind the bodywork next to the rear seats, which meant the rear seat can only accommodate two passengers. Instead of a wide-opening tailgate, the boot is accessed by a smaller gap. The boot is smaller with only 284 litres available, a reduction of 161 litres over the standard version. The fabric roof can be opened or closed at speeds of up to , taking only nine seconds to retract at the press of a button and 11 seconds to raise it. The mechanism for the roof is shared with the discontinued Golf Cabriolet, and the soft top canvas is only available in black.
VW narrowed down the engine range of the wider T-Roc crossover line-up to just two petrol engine options for the cabriolet, 1.0-litre three-cylinder unit, developing and a 1.5-litre four-cylinder unit producing . It is only offered in just two trim levels, which are Design and R-Line. This variant is assembled in Volkswagen plant in Osnabrück, Germany as the plant is a specialist in terms of designing and manufacturing convertible models.