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By Jonathan Crouch

Volkswagen's trendy T-Roc compact SUV gently evolves in second generation form. Jonathan Crouch drives it.

Ten Second Reviewword count: 47

Volkswagen's second-generation T-Roc compact SUV is a clear evolution of the style-led original - and there's more to it than first meets the eye. Its larger size and better quality feel distance it from its predecessor. And there's now the significant option of a full-Hybrid engine too.

Backgroundword count: 175

Once the defining face of small Volkswagen SUVs, where does the T-Roc fit into the Wolfsburg brand's plans today? The original version - basically an SUV Golf - was launched back in 2017 as Volkswagen's entry-level crossover, a position since supplanted by smaller Polo-based T-Cross and Taigo models. And it sold steadily for eight years, with a subtle mid-term 2022 facelift along the way, by which time both Convertible and hot hatch R models had been added to the range. By Autumn 2025 with over 2 million sales on the board, the second-generation design we look at here was long overdue. It's once more Golf-based, which means there's no EV version. But this MK2 T-Roc will have something arguably more significant for Volkswagen right now - the option of the brand's very first full-Hybrid engine. Perhaps just as significant is the fact that this second-generation T-Roc will be the very final combustion car that Volkswagen launches in its long history - or at least that was the plan at launch. Let's take a closer look.

Driving Experienceword count: 369

There isn't an EV-powered T-Roc - and with the extent of Volkswagen's ID electric range, there doesn't need to be. What's perhaps more surprising given the Golf underpinnings is that there's still no Plug-in Hybrid version - though Wolfsburg says it could easily add such a derivative if need be. We will get a proper full-Hybrid though. More on that in a moment. From launch though - and at the time of this test - customers for this second generation T-Roc were limited to the familiar 1.5 eTSI mild hybrid four cylinder turbo petrol engine we tried, offered in 116PS or 150PS forms. Since Volkswagen has never engineered its mild hybrid tech to work with a manual gearbox, T-Roc folk are now limited to the brand's 7-speed DSG auto. As long as you condition yourself to apply smooth throttle inputs, it slurs through the gears quite nicely, but for your T-Roc to feel in any way perky, you'll need to pay the extra for this unit in its uprated state of tune. That will improve the 0-62mph and top speed performance stats from 10.6s and 122mph to 8.9s and 132mph. More important than speed though in a car like this is day-to-day usability and this car's comfort-oriented suspension set-up delivers exactly that. Unless you hobble the car with the biggest 20-inch wheel rim size, you'll find that few small SUVs in the segment ride better and if you want ride quality that's arguably class-leading, then paying extra for this T-Roc's Adaptive Chassis Control adaptive damping system (as tested here) delivers it. Even if you can't stretch to that, this T-Roc has a very measured mature feel, helped by precise steering and excellent refinement; which, together with the standard Adaptive Cruise Control system, makes this Volkswagen an excellent long-journeying companion; particularly if you've also specified the brand's now-improved 'Travel assist' semi-autonomous driving set-up. If you'd prefer to prioritise power rather than efficiency in your T-Roc, you can also ask your dealer about another engine not available from launch, a 2.0-litre four cylinder mild hybrid unit that only comes with 4MOTION AWD and is offered either with 203PS or - in the case of the top T-Roc R - with 333PS.

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