Volkswagen T-Roc engines, driving and performance

The T-Roc feels safe and assured from behind the wheel – it has plenty of grip in corners and you can almost enjoy tackling a twisty B-road in it thanks to direct steering and little body roll as you tackle bends. But that’s not its true calling – it’s happiest trundling around town or bashing out motorway miles.

You bet. As well as plenty of adjustment in the steering wheel and driver’s seat, the T-Roc gives a decent view out over other traffic, and you sit noticeably higher than in a hatchback equivalent like the Golf. 

Comfort and refinement are as you’d expect from a Volkswagen – there’s not much wind or road noise when you’re up to 70mph, and the seats in all models feel supportive in all the right places. 

Likewise, the suspension delivers a good compromise between ironing out bumps and reducing body lean in corners, so although you will feel sharper bumps in the cabin, there’s no constant pitter-patter around town to get on your nerves.

Our pick is the 1.5-litre 150hp petrol engine. Not only does it have more than enough performance to accelerate quickly up to speed, it’s decently economical and quiet. Expect to average about 45-47mpg in real-world driving, thanks in part to clever cylinder deactivation tech that switches off two of the engine’s four cylinders when you’re cruising.

Another popular engine is the 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol with 110hp. It’s peppy enough to cope with motorway speeds, and it emits a characterful three-cylinder grumble when you accelerate. Just don’t expect fuel economy to be much better than the 1.5-litre petrol engine.

If you’re after maximum efficiency from your T-Roc you’ll do well to look at one of the diesel options. The 2.0-litre engine comes in either 116hp or 150hp forms, and the least powerful option has enough performance for everyday use while offering impressive fuel economy of more than 60mpg. 

One of the rarest T-Roc models is the T-Roc R – this is a stupendously fast hot-hatch version of the T-Roc, complete with a 300hp 2.0-litre petrol engine and a four-wheel-drive system. Efficient it is not, but it is quick…

That T-Roc R tops the performance charts with a searing 0-62mph time of 4.9 seconds. The more common models are somewhat less racey, with the 1.0-litre, 110hp version taking 11 seconds to perform the same sprint. That might sound slow but it’s more than enough to get up to motorway speeds and keep up with traffic.

The 1.5-litre petrol is peppier, with a 0-62mph time of 8.3 seconds, dropping to 8.1 seconds if you get a four-wheel-drive version. The fastest petrol T-Roc that doesn’t have an R badge is the rare 2.0-litre petrol with 190hp and four-wheel drive, which takes just seven seconds to get to 62mph from a standstill.

On the diesel side of things, the 115hp model takes just over 10 seconds to dash from 0-62mph, while the 150hp version cuts that to just 8.6 seconds, but in the real world both feel plenty fast enough for normal driving.