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It’s cheaper to buy a Tiguan than a VW T-Roc I, which is a bigger car. Plus, if you’re already writing an article about a car launched in 2017, you get an idea of how good it is. Are you ready? Let’s go!

If you remember the Dacia Duster concept when we all peed our pants? So it was with the T-Roc I. Initially appearing as a concept that forced us to go soft, this pseudo-crossover finally made it to production. Why do they say it’s cheaper to buy a Tiguan? Because a Tiguan 4×4 starts at 28600 euros, and the VW T-Roc I 4×4 starts at 31200. Yes, ladies, gentlemen, and everything in between, the VW T-Roc I is more expensive than the Tiguan, a bigger and more equipped car. Okay, we’re not talking Gwyneth Paltrow vs Sofia Vergara, but we’re still talking Sofia Vergara vs Christina Hendricks.

Thus, the VW T-Roc I’s strength of being VW’s off-road car becomes its weakness. It is much more expensive than other more capable and bigger cars. It’s over 10,000 euros more expensive than its direct rival, the Suzuki Jimny. But maybe you don’t want a soapbox on wheels that does 4×4, maybe I want something bigger and more sturdy and I don’t want to pay the money a VW T-Roc I demands. Then you have the Isuzu D-Max double cab 1.9 diesel 4×4 at 26700 euro.

But maybe I don’t want a 4×4, I want a T-Roc for the looks. Then get a Seat Ateca, which is the same car but 1000 euros cheaper. Or I’d get a Mitsubishi ASX 2.0 petrol 150hp which comes with a more reliable petrol engine, comes with 35 more horses and is 3000 euros cheaper. Except, I have to admit, Mitsubishi has always been bad on the interior and equipment front. Basically, it’s like a dorm room on wheels. And the VW T-Roc I is a Courchevel hotel room on wheels compared to the ASX. Not necessarily excellent, but very expensive.

Or maybe you are the sort of person that made the T-Roc such a success in terms of sales. If you look at the entry-level models, you can have a 1.0 turbocharged petrol with a manual gearbox and front wheel-drive, a VW badge, loads of safety kit, for as little as 16000 euros. This places it just abit above the Duster, and for the badge alone alot of people will pay the premium. It is a cross-over done right, even if the cross-over genre is wrong. It’s cheap, it’s sort of reliable, has safety equipment by the truckload and has a desirable badge. 

VW T-Roc I Engines

Petrol

• 1.0 TSI of 115 horsepower – A world champion at eating clutches with the same speed that Gloria ate Burell’s days for 3 seasons straight. Okay, not quite as dramatic, but this engine is notorious for its appetite for clutches.


• 1.5 TSI of 150 horsepower – More complicated than a recipe presented by Gordon Ramsay, this engine was supposed to be the village bike. Or the group’s, in this case. It had to be because it’s notorious for its oil consumption, a consumption reminiscent of the old 1.8 TSI.


• 2.0 TSI of 190 and 300 horsepower  – Occasionally it still drinks oil, but at 190 horsepower minimum, does it really matter? Overall a very reliable and exceptional engine for what it offers.

Diesel

• 1.6 TDI of 115 horsepower  – The base engine for the VW T-Roc I, the microscopic 1.6 TDI is far more reliable than the earlier versions in the Golf 6. The only major issue with this engine is that it has an AdBlue system, but we’re talking general issues about that.


• 2.0 TDI of 150 horsepower – The village diesel bike also comes on the T-Roc, just at the higher price range. An engine out of the cross-over stratosphere at it’s price point, and one that needs to offer the lowest possible fuel consumption to justify its galactic price. Besides, occasionally it needs dual mass flywheels and clutches.

VW T-Roc I General Issues

• Diesel engines come with AdBlue installation, just like trucks do. Unfortunately, this is the bleak future for diesel engines to be able to get into class Euro 6 emissions. Now, if you don’t have AdBlue in the tank, the car won’t start. Moreover, the AdBlue installation will break down and usually costs in the 4-digit Euro amounts.


• The DSG automatic gearbox returns with classic issues so be careful what you do, and who you mess with. And see how you can be everywhere. Oh yeah, and light a candle occasionally so that the Mechatronic unit doesn’t break down because when it does it will cost you a 4-figure euro sum too.


• The rear seats and the boot are more expensive than a university professor. But that shouldn’t be an issue for you. If you make choices in life like spending 20-30,000 euros on a T-Roc, you probably don’t have family or friends.

VW T-Roc I Verdict

If they made it cheaper or followed the original idea and made it a cheap 4×4, it would have been almost as big a hit as a punch from Connor Mc’Gregor. But then it’s just a smaller and more expensive Tiguan and not very reliable either. Until VW understands that price often dictates choice in the crossover world, I won’t be able to agree with this car. The kind of person who buys a crossover wants the SUV look first and foremost and if it can be cheaper the better. He doesn’t care much about performance and consumption. To look good. And not cost as much as a Ford Ranger. And this is why the T-Roc is actually a huge hit, if you go for the entry level model and nothing more. And this is also why Europe is full of these things.

What engines do you recommend? Do I have to? Probably the 1.6 TDI 115 horsepower for the diesel and the 1.0 TSI petrol for the VW T-Roc I, otherwise prices are already going crazy.