Volkswagen, in 2015, had announced that it would be introducing SUVs across its entire range within the next few years. It has taken a trickle-down approach and after introducing the big SUVs in Europe, America and China, it has now put on sale the Golf-based T-Roc SUV.
It’s a global-sized compact SUV and is underpinned by the same MQB platform found in the Golf family of hatchbacks. In profile, you can see the Golf lines thanks to the wraparound tail lamps and heavily flared wheel arches. However, the T-Roc gets a slightly different face to separate it from the Golf and at the same time, also gives it the VW SUV identity. Noticeable elements in the external design include silver coloured bash plates as well as three-slat grille which is the signature of the VW SUV identity.
The cabin is standard VW fare and all the trim bits, layout and even the feature list all look very similar to what one would find in the Golf. However, some higher spec models of the T-Roc will get the virtual cockpit option that had debuted with the Golf facelift earlier this year.
Globally, the T-Roc is being offered with a range of petrol and diesel engines in the capacity of 1.0-litre to 1.6-litre across both petrol and diesel options. A T-Roc R is also in the pipeline which will see the light of day in 2018 and be powered by the 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol motor found in the Golf R.
This is an India-bound car and will VW’s answer to the likes of the Jeep Compass, Renault Captur, Hyundai Tucson as well as the sedans like the Skoda Octavia, Toyota Corolla and the Hyundai Elantra. This is an important car for Volkswagen as it will allow them to tap into the rapidly growing D-segment SUV market. However, this car will not replace the Jetta, but rather sell alongside the sedan.