Volkswagen T-Roc, Track Test

The T-Roc is a welcome departure from the traditional cars and SUVs that the Volkswagen brand sells in the Indian market. Now, if you’re aware only of VW’s product range in India, you might think that the German brand only designs products for more mature customers, who like conservative styling and elegant colours, rather than designs that are bold, bright, and standout. But the European and International product line-up of the brand is peppered with products that look, drive, and feel like a lot of fun. 

With the T-Roc, VW has chosen to bring one of its best-designed products in the recent past to the Indian market. Right from its bright yellow hue – Kurkuma yellow, if you’re curious – to its aggressive rear haunches and terrific design details, the T-Roc is an absolute stunner. In fact, it retains all the typical VW design cues – big logo, large grille, strong shoulder line – and yet it looks completely distinct, which is always the hallmark of a good design. 

Another highlight of the T-Roc is that its trim level has been chosen very well, and despite its relatively compact size, with its plush interior and well-equipped standard equipment list, it feels like a cut above the rest of the vehicles available at its price point. Since the T-Roc is a CBU import, the interior quality and even the fit-and-finish feel better than most other products sold in the Indian market. No wonder, then, that the T-Roc scored very well in terms of quality, refinement, design, and drivetrain in our test. 

Coming to the drivetrain, while the 148bhp 1.5-litre engine of the T-Roc is impressive in its performance, it’s the chassis balance and suspension setup that makes the T-Roc a delight to throw around – something that’s evident in its lap time, which was faster than far more powerful machines. However, while the firm suspension works wonderfully on the track, it can get quite tiring on our broken roads. Also, given its compact size, the T-Roc also lost some points in terms of practicality.

Overall, though, the T-Roc is a fun car with regard to both its design and driving dynamics. It has been doing fairly well in the Indian market, as all 1,000 units of the first lot of the T-Roc have already been spoken for. So, if you’re looking to buy one, you’ll have to wait for VW India to import a second lot of cars to meet customer demand.

Best of 2020 << BACKNEXT >> 2020 Tata Harrier