Volkswagen T-Roc review

You'll pay silly money for a 2.0-litre car with an automatic gearbox and four-wheel drive. Frankly, there are much better options available to you if you've got close to £30k to spend.

However, the 1.0 and 1.5 petrol models are priced just below equivalent versions of the Audi Q2 and Mini Countryman, so actually make quite a bit of sense.

Running costs for cheaper T-Rocs also look sensible, with the 1.0-litre version averaging more than 55mpg in official tests. While we have yet to put it through our own True MPG cycle, mid-40s should be achievable in mixed driving.

Volkswagen expects the T-Roc to be bought mostly by private buyers, but if you're considering one as a company car, the 1.0-litre petrol will be the most affordable option. However, CO2 emissions are still higher than on an equivalent Seat Arona.

Likewise, if you're buying on a PCP finance deal, expect to part with more money each month than if you'd opted for an equivalent Arona or Q2.

At the moment, you can choose from S, SE, Design and SEL trims, while a sportier-looking R-line will be added later, along with a Beats special edition with an upgraded stereo.

Equipment fitted as standard across the current range includes dual-zone climate control, Bluetooth, a DAB radio and alloy wheels of at least 16in in diameter.

SE trim is worth considering because it adds, among other things, adaptive cruise control and front and rear parking sensors. However, we'd be tempted to go for Design because it's not a great deal more money but brings a wider range of personalisation options and styling accessories, including twin chrome-effect trapezoid-exhaust surrounds, contrasting roof and door mirror colours, as well as bumpers with silver-metallic underbody protection.

The T-Roc is too new to have appeared in the latest What Car? reliability survey, but the larger Tiguan, to which it’s related, was one of the most dependable cars in its class. VW as a brand only finished 22nd out of 32 manufacturers overall, though.

A three-year warranty, limited to 60,000 miles, comes as standard with every VW. That’s typical of most car makers, but not as good as Hyundai’s five-year, unlimited-mileage warranty or Kia’s seven-year, 100,000-mile package.

Euro NCAP awarded the T-Roc five stars (out of five) for safety. A more in-depth look at the results shows that the car is better at protecting adult occupants, child occupants and pedestrains than the Q2 and Arona.

As a bonus, all T-Rocs get an automatic emergency braking system that can detect pedestrians as well as other cars. And other driver aids are standard, too, including one that warns you if you start to drift out of your lane and, on Design trim upwards, another that alerts you to driver fatigue and advises when to take a break. There's no blindspot monitoring, though.

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