2026 Volkswagen T-Roc First Drive: A Slick City Dweller

Since its introduction in 2018, the Volkswagen T-Roc has sold more than two million sales globally, with 3,000 of those units coming from the New Zealand market. And speaking of the New Zealand market, Volkswagen recently revealed that SUVs make up a whopping 85 per cent of its local sales. So given this small SUV’s success, it should be little surprise to see that Volkswagen has given it a ground-up makeover, pulling it more inline with the brand’s current styling language. 

What’s New 

On the outside, it isn’t hard to see the Tayron’s influence. Where the last T-Roc was dinky and Polo-like in its appearance, the new one is sleek and angular. Its LED daytime running lights are built into the headlights, and point towards the VW badge at the front. The front bumper follows this theme, looking like it has taken inspiration from the Lamborghini side of the Volkswagen family tree. It also stays true to the Volkswagen look with a very strong C-Pillar, and a LED lightbar across the tailgate. 

Aside from the aesthetic changes, the T-Roc is also bigger in every dimension. It’s 120mm longer, 9mm wider, 39mm taller, and features a wheelbase that has been extended by 27mm. Paired with this bold aesthetic, the new T-Roc holds quite a road presence over the outgoing model. 

With these changes has come an updated price as well, with this new T-Roc starting from $53,990 for the entry-level Life model, and $65,490 for the range-topping R-Line variant. This represents a reasonable $1,000 premium over the previous model, and when you consider how much Volkswagen has packed into the updated version, it’s an impressive package. 

Standard equipment on the Style includes 17-inch wheels, LED lighting, power folding mirrors, puddle lights, and black roof rails. On the inside it gets a 10-inch digital cluster, cloth seats, tri-zone climate control, and a 12.9-inch infotainment system with wireless Apple Carplay/Android Auto connectivity. 

Moving up to the R-Line, the Volkswagen logos are illuminated, the bumpers get black accents, and it gets silver roof rails. Inside, there are leather-accented seats, electric adjustment on those aforementioned seats, a head-up display, and ambient lighting. 

It’s worth noting that the R-Line model is a launch edition, and features a few extra options, pushing it to its $11,500 premium over the Style variant. It includes special 18-inch wheels, heated seats, a heated steering wheel, and driving profile selection. This Launch Edition will end once the second shipment of T-Roc SUVs lands around September. 

As standard, both T-Roc variants make use of a mild hybrid powertrain. This combines a 1.5-litre turbocharged engine with a 48-volt system. Peak outputs sit at 110kW and 250Nm. This is sent to the front wheels through a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. Despite the larger engine, Volkswagen claims that this new powertrain focuses on economy. Where the outgoing model was rated to 7L/100km, this one will do a claimed 5.6L/100km. 

It’s also worth pointing out that Volkswagen New Zealand confirmed we will be getting the new T-Roc R this time next year, which will land with its Golf R powerplant. 

How’s it Drive? 

For the launch of this new T-Roc, Volkswagen started us in Mission Bay (which feels like its spiritual home), and recommended a set of iconic spots around Auckland to visit. While most launch programs send you into the back and beyonds in search of decent driving roads, this felt more fitting considering the city hopping nature of the T-Roc.

With its new hybrid powertrain, the T-Roc feels right at home in the stop-start slog of Auckland on a weekday. Despite only getting a 1.6kWh battery to power the mild hybrid system, the electric motor on the front axle does a fair bit of heavy lifting at low speeds. You can crawl through traffic, and make low-speed maneuvers without bothering the petrol-powered engine. 

The hybrid assistance doesn’t end there, either. 

Once you are at cruising speed, be that on a 50km/h stretch of road, or at 100km/h on the motorway, the T-Roc’s new coast feature is fascinating. When you take your foot off the accelerator, the T-Roc will disengage the engine, but use the electric motor to maintain speed.

While it does slightly decelerate during this function, it’s not to the degree of regular ICE cars, and is quite the opposite of what you’d expect from a hybrid with a regenerative braking system.

There’s also a two-cylinder mode, which isn’t anything new for the T-Roc, but obviously helps lower the fuel consumption figure. Drivers can see when either of these systems are active, through a message appearing on the digital cluster. 

Unsurprisingly, all these fuel saving measures contribute to an impressive economy on the road. Where Volkswagen claims 5.6L/100km for this model, I saw this figure drop as low as 4.2L/100km during our inner city excursion. Getting on the motorway and crossing the bridge to get photos at the Takapuna boat ramp raised it to 6L/100km. By the end of the day, it settled at an impressive 5.4L/100km. 

Economy aside, it’s a reasonably fun drive. By no means would I call it fast (that’s what the T-Roc R is for), but it’s got enough pep to get moving. Volkswagen claims a 0-100km/h of 10.6-seconds, which I am surprised by.

I knew it wasn’t going to be under five, but I would have put it in the seven-to-eight second region with my unscientific measuring methods. I don’t think this is helped by the front tyres, which are easily overcome by the hybrid system’s torque when accelerating from a stop. 

Volkswagen have moved away from the torsion beam rear that was in the last T-Roc, giving this new one a multi-link rear, and the SUV is all the better for it. The ride is more forgiving, but I still wouldn’t call it particularly smooth.

I think Volkswagen may have focused too much on body control, as it still feels fussy over the speed bumps and driveways that this little SUV is built for. If ride quality is important to you, I would stick with the entry-level Style variant as the larger sidewall tyres play a big part in smoothing things out. 

How About the Cabin? 

Inside the new T-Roc, it’s quite a minimalistic affair. Obviously the large screens are impressive to look at, but there aren’t many buttons to be found. Volkswagen claims that they have half fixed this issue by offering fixed tiles that can be customised to different functions, but it’s not the same, is it? 

The temperature can be controlled through the haptic sliders on the bottom of the infotainment screen, but it’s easier said than done to get it right when you’re driving. A full climate menu can be accessed through the screen, but that again feels finicky when on the move. 

I am a fan of the Porsche-like dial on the centre console, which features a touchscreen display in the centre. In the base model, this just controls the media volume, but in the R-Line, this doubles as the drive mode selector, and mood controller. While it feels a bit gimmicky, the different moods are fun to toggle between, which changes the sound profile and ambient lighting based on the vibe that is selected.

The cloth seats in the Style variant are nice enough, although the heated leather ones in the R-Line were a treat on the cold winter morning. 

With its heightened roofline, headroom isn’t an issue in this new T-Roc, and there’s plenty of space for taller drivers in the front row. I will say I was surprised by the space allocation for passengers in the second row. Despite its extended wheelbase, you still feel like you’re sitting in the back of a compact SUV. The standard climate controls and USB ports at the back of the centre console are a nice touch.

At the rear, you get a space-saver spare, and 475-litres of luggage space with the seats in place. This extends to 1,350-litres with them folded. The T-Roc is also rated to tow 1,500kg with a braked trailer, or 730kg unbraked. 

As a whole, this new T-Roc is an impressive offering at its price point in the premium small SUV segment. It looks great, drives well, and the addition of the hybrid system brings the fuel economy to a point where it can battle with the masses. 

Speaking of the masses, Volkswagen might face a tough sell with this T-Roc, considering how crowded the small SUV segment is becoming with the arrival of several Chinese brands. Though Volkswagen doesn’t directly compete with the majority of these brands, cheaper entry points and more impressive hybrid systems might be enough to lure customers away from the German luxury they know and love. Time will be the one true measure of this, and they say all competition is good competition, right?