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By Charl Bosch

Motoring Journalist


Volkswagen T-Roc (finally) launching on 17 June

T-Roc, unsurprisingly, will be positioned between the T-Cross and Tiguan.


Having confirmed its arrival on local shores last year, Volkswagen has officially announced that the long awaited T-Roc will premiere digitally on 17 June before going on sale in November.

Unveiled just under three years ago, the T-Roc, unsurprisingly, will be positioned between the T-Cross and Tiguan with the MQB crossover measuring 4 234 mm in overall length and boasting a wheelbase of 2 590 mm, height of 1 573 mm and width of 1 819 mm.

Providing seating for the five, boot capacity is rated at 455-litres or up to 1 290-lites with the 60/40 split rear folded down, with notable tech consisting of a 10.3-inch Active Info Display instrument cluster, an eight-inch Composition Media or Discover Media infotainment system, a six-speaker Beats sound system, wireless smartphone charger, keyless access and ambient lighting.

In Europe, safety comes in the form of Adaptive Cruise Control, Traffic Jam Assist, Front Assist Monitoring with Pedestrian Detection, a surround view camera system, Automatic Post Collision Braking, Blind Spot Monitor with Rear Traffic Alert, Lane Keeping Assist, Park Assist and City Emergency Braking as well as Auto High Beam Assist.

Engine-wise, the T-Roc is equipped with three TSI petrol engines and two TDI turbodiesels, namely the familiar 85kW/200Nm 1.0 TSI, the 1.5 TSI Evo that produces 110kW/250Nm and the 140kW/320Nm 2.0 TSI. A six-speed manual is standard on the former pair with a seven-speed DSG optional on the 1.5 only, but adding the 4Motion all-wheel-drive system, also reserved for the 1.5, means the standard fitment of the self-shifter. The top-spec 2.0 TSI is outfitted only with the DSG and 4Motion.

On the TDI front, the entry-level 1.6 makes 85kW/250Nm with drive going to the front wheels via the six-speed manual ‘box, while the next-step 2.0 outputs 110kW/340Nm and is paired to the manual ‘box with the DSG being optional. Sitting at the top of the range, the same 2.0-litre is powered-up to 140kW/400Nm, but like the 2.0 TSI, is equipped with the DSG ‘box and 4Motion system as standard.

While it is unlikely that the  T-Roc Cabriolet launched last year will find its way onto local shores, a model that is likely is the T-Roc R whose 2.0 TSI punches out 221kW/400Nm. Paired to the aforementioned DSG with drive going to all four wheels, the R will top-out at 250 km/h and get from 0-100 km/h in a claimed 4.8 seconds.

Exact specification and final pricing will however only be divulged on said date.

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