Volkswagen T-Roc: A New Player in the Subcompact SUV Market?
FRANKFURT, Germany – Volkswagen recently presented the T-Roc, their new subcompact SUV that will be sold in Europe starting next year, but they took the sportier R-Line version to the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show. Built on the Golf’s platform, the T-Roc joins Volkswagen’s line of SUVs. Where size and price are concerned, it will fall just below the newly revamped Tiguan. The T-Roc aims to rival the Subaru Crosstrek, Mazda CX-3 and Honda HR-V.
What about its style? This SUV flaunts resolutely sporty lines and more chiseled features than the other SUVs in the brand’s line-up. It was made to appeal to a younger customer base, which explains why it comes in bolder colours. The R-Line can be equipped with optional 19-inch wheels for added style. They wanted to give the vehicle as much personality as the brand’s smaller sports cars—and they’ve really done a great job of it.
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Inside, the dashboard and instrumentation will remind you about the Golf’s, but several colour appliqués have been added to liven up the look. There’s a generous amount of space on board, and the cargo volume exceeds what several rivals offer.
Built on Volkswagen’s MBQ platform, this model can accommodate five passengers. It can be equipped with a six-speed manual transmission or a dual-clutch, seven-speed DSG automatic. In Europe, there will be six different engines on offer, but you can be sure that the selection will be much more limited in North America, if the model ever makes its way across the Atlantic.
For the time being, the vehicle isn’t headed to the United States, where bigger is still considered better, but the decision remains up in the air about Canada. Since there’s a good amount of interest in smaller SUVs north of the 49th parallel, we posed the question to Jürgen Stackmann, the Sales and Marketing Manager at Volkswagen. He indicated that it might be offered in Canada, but other rumours are hinting that a similar model may be on its way.