Volkswagen T-Roc R-Line: long-term test review

Verdict

This Volkswagen SUV may be seen more often on the school run or doing the supermarket shop, but there’s a surprising sporting side to the T-Roc for those who take the time to seek it out.

• Mileage: 1,526
• Economy: 42.9mpg

Volkswagen’s T-Roc is not the first car that would come to mind when contemplating motorsport. It’s not even the first in VW’s range, despite the marque’s low-profile race and rally involvement. But it is what I picked for a day at the world’s oldest motorsport venue: Shelsley Walsh Hill Climb in Worcestershire.

To be honest, the VW wasn’t my first choice, because when the invitation came through from Shelsley Walsh commercial partner Motul to join the venue’s hill-climb school, I planned to take one of my track cars, which regularly compete in speed events. But administration complications, logistics and the growing appeal of doing something in the T-Roc other than visit my mum and go shopping put the VW in pole position.

A recent six-hour round trip to Leeds gave me no concerns about the similarly lengthy trip to Shelsley, with the T-Roc a good place to be for long distances. The format for the day, following the welcome breakfast, was to walk the hill alongside one of the four instructors, among whom was three-time British hill-climb champion Trevor Willis, then do four runs following the course turn-in and apex markers. After every second run, on the return from the top paddock back down the hill, pupils stop at each instructor for their observations and advice. It’s the same in the afternoon, but this time without the help of the markers.

After an instructive walk up the surprisingly steep course it was time for the first ascent. My own track cars are purely analogue: you just line-up and go. I did remember to turn off the T-Roc’s traction control before the run, but the stability element stubbornly remained. Despite this, the VW still initially caught me out when the lane assist started to tug the wheel to keep me away from the high bank and the vital turn-in and clipping points. 

With just 148bhp pulling around more than 1,350kg of car, progress was steady but just what was needed as I learned the course. I used the steering-wheel paddle shifts for the first time, which removed one complication, allowing me to focus on hitting my marks up the narrow hill.

After lunch, and as I became more familiar and confident with the course, I took the car out of Eco mode and switched to Sport. The difference thanks to the £1,075 Dynamic Chassis Control was marked, with the whole car feeling much more taut and easier to place thanks to the sharper steering. Launches remained pretty pedestrian and I barely broke traction, but once on the move the T-Roc made a good choice for the school: not so slow for it to be flat out pretty much everywhere, and not so quick that I was more concerned with keeping everything pointed the same way, rather than hitting my marks up the hill.

There were much faster cars taking part, but the judges must have liked something about my driving or the sight of a school-run SUV pushing its limits, because I was awarded driver of the day. With it came free entry to a proper Shelsley hill climb and that was the icing on the cake. But sorry VW – fun though the T-Roc was, school is now out and I’ll be returning in one of my track cars.

Volkswagen T-Roc R-Line: first report

A new SUV arrives on our fleet and is soon sent packing

• Mileage: 331
• Economy: 39mpg

When the T-Roc arrived on my drive, there was definitely a case of ‘Honey, I shrunk the car’, because it’s the smallest daily driver I’ve had for some years.

Bearing in mind my motorsport habit, all of my recent choices have focused on a vehicle’s ability to tow a car-transporter trailer and lug a large mound of tools and spares, plus all the safety kit that’s required for a day or weekend at the track. 

Looking at the T-Roc, I was glad that I’d invested in my own pick-up as a towcar, because the words skin and rice pudding came to mind when considering hooking up my trailer and track car to the VW. 

On the upside, the T-Roc is a five-door and rear legroom is probably better than in most crew cab pick-ups. Its load lugging was put to the test within days of arriving chez Adams, because I needed to transport myself, a test driver and photographer, plus our kit and luggage for a week, to Gatwick en route to tyre testing in Sweden.

First impressions were not good, because I couldn’t fit all our bags and cases in the boot for the trip round the M25 and one had to go on the back seat. On our return, photographer Pete Gibson, who has played with more seat permutations than most, spotted my error and lowered the load bay floor.

It was tight, but the cases now fitted in the boot. The floor has stayed there since, because I like the extra capacity. It also has a protective lining in there because the trim looks way too good for frequent trips to the recycling centre as I work on my house.

There have been other upsides to downsizing the daily. I don’t have to be quite so picky about parking places, given that it takes up far less room than a pick-up, and manoeuvring at low-speed is much easier. But that does bring me to my first grumble.

Our T-Roc is fitted with an otherwise-fine seven-speed DSG automatic transmission and automatic parking brake. They combine to make it almost impossible to park and reverse smoothly. No matter how hard I try to carefully work the throttle, low-speed manoeuvring is done in a series of jerks (and curses). It is really tricky when trying to park close to a wall or another car, and the jump can be the difference between hitting and missing the obstacle. Switching off the automatic brake helps, but it’s still not good.

On the move, the transmission is smooth, but I have caught it out by asking it to move swiftly away from a halt, and kickdown is harsh. The turbocharged 1.5-litre motor moves the car swiftly enough, although it does sound strained on full throttle.

It is at its most comfortable around town or on A-roads, where it is smooth and works well with the compliant ride. Our test car is fitted with the optional Dynamic Chassis Control, which provides variable suspension settings. I’ve yet to try these, but the standard mode is good and works well on motorways.

As you’d expect for a top-spec R-Line model, the T-Roc is packed with electronics, which take a while to explore. First stop for me is always Apple CarPlay; it’s easy to use on the 10.25-inch screen and connects wirelessly, so you can keep your phone in your pocket on short journeys and still use it. I’ve plugged a lead into the USB socket for longer trips to keep the phone charged.

I also like the adaptive cruise control, which takes the stress out of driving on busy motorways with constantly varying speeds. It works well and can be adjusted on the steering wheel. I’ve also been using the steering wheel controls to turn off the lane assist on every trip. The tugging at the wheel is irritating and I’ve yet to find a way of turning it off permanently – it returns every time you restart the engine. The warning to drive in the centre of the carriageway is also one I’d like to permanently delete.

It’s early days for the VW, but it has made a promising, if not perfect, start on our fleet.

*Insurance quote from AA (0800 107 0680) for a 42-year-old in Banbury, Oxon, with three points.