Volkswagen T-Roc interior, tech and practicality

Volkswagen made a name for itself producing quality cars that just work for all sizes of human, and the T-Roc is no different. There’s loads of adjustment in the steering wheel and driver’s seat, so you won’t struggle to get comfortable even if you’re well over 6’3” or on the shorter side.

Like most modern cars the T-Roc does give you big blind spots over your shoulders out the back corners of the car – but this can be mitigated by the optional reversing camera.

The T-Roc range kicks off with the entry-level S model, or Life if you’re looking at a post-facelift car. S and Life models get alloy wheels, dual-zone climate control and cloth seats, while Life models get an eight-inch infotainment system as standard with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto – every trim except S gets phone mirroring functions. Life models also get a small eight-inch digital instrument cluster.

SE model is the mid-spec trim (called Style after the facelift) and adds all-round parking sensors and adaptive cruise control. Style models get a slightly bigger 10.25-inch digital driver’s display.

Next up is the R-Line model which adds sportier looking bumpers, some sporty interior trims and sports seats up front.

The post-facelift T-Roc’s eight-inch infotainment screen does everything you need it to – it’s sharp, quick to operate and has pleasingly bright graphics. The built-in Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone mirroring systems are massively useful, allowing you to use your phone’s media and navigation apps on the fly.

The menus are logically laid out too, meaning you don’t have to hunt through screens to find commonly used functions. The only real downside is that the climate controls on facelift cars are changed using touch-sensitive sliders rather than physical knobs, which can make temperature adjustment a bit hit-or-miss on the move.

In terms of speakers, most T-Roc models get an adequate six-speaker setup which sounds fine, but there was an upgraded Beats audio system available from the factory which adds an amplifier and subwoofer in the boot for far punchier bass.

The back-seat space in the VW T-Roc is really impressive for this size of car. Even tall adults will comfortably be able to fit behind an equally tall adult in the driver’s seat without their knees touching the seat in front, unlike in a Ford Puma. Footroom and headroom are equally good, though you won’t want to cram three adults into the back seats too often – the T-Roc’s just a little too narrow to manage that comfortably.

We found the doors open nice and wide too, making it easy to fit a child seat, while there’s a pair of USB sockets on the rear of the centre console for mobile phone charging duties.

Likewise, the T-Roc’s boot is deliciously practical. At 445 litres it’s above average for the small SUV class, is a useful boxy shape and has more than enough room for a couple of suitcases or a large baby buggy. An adjustable boot floor means you can either have a flat floor that lines up with the boot opening, or you can drop it down for maximum capacity. Just be aware that the four-wheel-drive models lose 50 litres of space.