Volkswagen T-Roc review

It’s unlikely that anyone will be sitting up-front in a T-Roc thinking, "I don’t have enough room." Not only do the seats slide back a long way (although not quite as far as the Mini Countryman's), but there's also masses of head room. It's one of the wider cars in the class, too, so you won’t be clashing elbows with the person next to you.

Storage space is also great. The T-Roc offers a large centre cubby, space under the front armrest, wide door pockets and a big glovebox. You even get a drawer under the driver's seat from SE trim and up. 

Rear head room in the T-Roc is great (assuming you haven’t opted for a panoramic roof), and leg room is good. There's more of it than you'll find in a Kia Stonic, Nissan Juke or Ford Puma; it matches the mechanically similar Q2; and only falls short of the exceptions in the class, such as the Mini Countryman and Skoda Kamiq.

Those planning to carry three in the back will find the T-Roc is broader than most of its rivals, so it's one of the better cars to go for, but it's still a bit of a squeeze for a trio of large adults. As for storage space, there are pockets on the backs of the front seats and space for a can of drink in each rear door.

While folding rear seats come as standard, they're split 60/40 rather than in the more versatile 40/20/40 arrangement provided by the Countryman and Q2. And unlike the Countryman, the T-Roc isn’t available with rear seats that slide to allow you to set a balance between rear leg room and luggage space, and nor do they recline. That said, most cars in this class don't do anything of those things, either, and the T-Roc does at least provide you with a ski hatch (from SE trim), to give you a bit more loading flexibility. 

Electric front seats aren't available, but as we mentioned in the driving position section, adjustable lumbar support is available for a small charge.

The T-Roc’s boot is a practical, square shape, and, at 445-litres (392 litres on four-wheel-drive 4Motion models) it’s slightly larger than the Audi Q2's and the Seat Arona's. To prove the point, we fitted seven carry-on cases in the T-Roc (six in a 4Motion model): one more than we managed to fit in the Arona, and the same as in a Countryman and a Citroën C3 Aircross.

It also comes as standard with a very useful height-adjustable boot floor (on front-wheel drive versions) that minimises the tailgate's load lip and flattens out the step that’s left when the rear seats are folded down. You lose the adjustable floor if you opt for a four-wheel drive model.