New facelifted Volkswagen T-Roc range starts from £25,000

• New dashboard design incorporating 9.2-inch screen
• Three trim levels available alongside T-Roc R flagship model
• On sale now starting from £25,000

Full details for the facelifted Volkswagen T-Roc have been announced. The brand’s small SUV has received an array of updates including refreshed exterior styling, a revised dashboard design and a suite of upgraded technology. It’s on sale now, with prices starting from £25,000.

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Similar in size to the Volkswagen Golf, the T-Roc has a host of compact SUV rivals, including the Mazda CX-30 and the Ford Puma.

2022 Volkswagen T-Roc: specifications and pricing

The Life trim acts as the entry-point to the T-Roc range, starting from £25,000. For this price tag there’s plenty of standard equipment including LED headlights, 16-inch alloy wheels and black roof rails. Inside, VW has bolstered the technology with a digital dial cluster and infotainment screen measuring 8 inches each, as well as Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and ambient interior lighting. Safety features include lane assist, adaptive cruise control and front assist.

Stepping up to the T-Roc Style starts from £27,635 for the SUV and £30,530 for the T-Roc Cabriolet, where it's the entry-level model. Upgrades include 17-inch alloy wheels, LED ‘Plus’ headlights which feature different modes for poor weather conditions, and a redesigned rear bumper. Interior changes include VW’s larger Digital Cockpit Pro dials, a larger infotainment screen, sat nav, sports seats trimmed in microfleece and tinted rear windows.

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Opting for the R-Line model adds several sporting touches including sportier body styling, different alloys, silver roof rails and sports suspension. The theme continues inside with a black roof lining, R-Line badges dotted around the cabin and gloss black dashboard trim. It also gets aluminium pedals, selectable driving modes and what VW calls ‘progressive steering’ setup making it more focused to drive. Prices for the R-Line start from £30,495 for the SUV, rising to £34,170 for the T-Roc Cabriolet.

At the top of the range, the rapid T-Roc R gets 19-inch alloys, a quad exhaust system, figure-hugging sports seats and a flat-bottomed steering wheel. It also gets R-specific graphics for the digital dials, and keyless entry is now standard. As a performance model, the T-Roc R commands a far higher price tag than the regular models, starting at £40,445.

Design

As can be expected from a midlife facelift, the changes to the T-Roc’s exterior are evolutionary rather than revolutionary. The nose is dominated by an LED light bar, similar to that seen on the new Volkswagen Polo. More lighting tweaks can be found at the back in the form of an updated rear light signature.

All cars also feature a revised bumper design. Buyers can also expect a range of new paint colours and alloy wheel designs.

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For those who like the wind in their hair, Volkswagen has retained the T-Roc Cabriolet. The soft-top SUV will benefit from all of the changes coming to the rest of the T-Roc range, along with its distinct two-door, four-seat layout.

Interior and technology

The most radical changes have been made to the T-Roc’s interior. The new car adopts a new dashboard design with an upright, ‘floating’ infotainment system. Volkswagen has also ‘foam cushioned’ many of the plastics on the dash to give a higher-quality feel.

In keeping with other models in the VW lineup, the T-Roc’s climate controls are now minimalist touch-sensitive sliders and all models will come as standard with the eight-inch Digital Cockpit.

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Debuting on the T-Roc, the optional IQ.DRIVE Travel Assist package brings a selection of new safety features. Alongside relatively common features such as adaptive cruise control (ACC), blind spot monitoring and parking assistance, the headline piece of tech in the IQ. DRIVE suite is the semi-autonomous software, which can brake and steer the T-Roc at speeds of up to 130mph.

Engines

The new T-Roc will not be offered as a plug-in hybrid, with only conventional petrol and diesel power available at launch. The engine range kicks off with a 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbo petrol engine with 108bhp, with a more powerful 1.5-litre four-cylinder with 148bhp and a 2.0-litre TSI engine with 187bhp further up the the range. According to VW, the petrol engine range can return up to 47.1mpg with CO2 emissions of 136-142g/km.

The diesel range consists of one engine in two different power outputs: a 2.0-litre TDI with either 113bhp or 148bhp, the former replacing a 1.6-litre engine. Officially the diesel engines can manage fuel economy of 51.4-60.1mpg and emissions of 122-168g/km.

Fans of hot SUVs will be happy to see that the top-of-the-range T-Roc R remains on sale. It uses the same 296bhp four-cylinder engine as before and is capable of 0-62mph in just 4.9 seconds. Fuel economy for the T-Roc R is fairly decent for a performance model, with an official combined figure of 33.2mpg and CO2 emissions of 194g/km.

In the market for a compact SUV? Why not check out our list of the top 10 best used small SUVs.