Volkswagen’s showed off a T-Roc concept in 2014, The 2017 Concept is superb and compliments the new Touareg, Atlas and
now.
The small
crossover helps the company fill one of the fastest-growing niches in the
American market. It will debut in Europe this fall with an American debut
coming next year for less than $25,000 to start.
“The T-Roc
sets a new benchmark in the booming SUV segment,” said Herbert Diess, chairman
of the Board of Management for the Volkswagen brand continues. “With its
functionality, dynamic handling and technology, the T-Roc embodies all good
Volkswagen qualities and will further boost our SUV campaign.”
The T-Roc will
be joined by a compact version called the T-Cross. While it’s important for VW
to add more utility vehicle to its line-up, it’s not the vehicle that stands
out as much as its unusual name, which was done for effect.
“The ‘T’
refers to the car’s successful front runners, the Tiguan and Touareg, whose SUV
DNA and strengths have been transferred to the new model – the high seating
position, the robust qualities of the body and running gear and the all-wheel
drive system that is included as standard for the top engines,” said Frank
Welsch, member of the Board of Management responsible for Development, in a
statement.
“The ‘Roc’ in
the name has been derived from the English ‘Rock’, which stands for the
positioning of the T-Roc as a crossover that combines the dominance of an SUV
with the agility of a compact hatchback model and the dynamism of the compact
class.
“This car
really rocks the segment – sometimes louder and sometimes more subdued,
according to its specific options and color combination. A new Volkswagen which
takes the brand and its owners into the next decade of mobility.”
While starting
in Europe, the plan calls for the vehicle to spread to other markets. VW
officials note that Nearly 80% of compact SUVs are currently being sold in
Europe and China. This type of SUV is also gaining in importance in Brazil,
India, Russia and the U.S. The automaker expected that during the next 10 years
the annual global sales volume will grow from around 6.4 million units today to
around 10.6 million units.
The new T-Roc
isn’t exactly revolutionary in its exterior design. In fact, it borrows from
the aforementioned Tiguan, which it sits immediately below in the portfolio. It
brings authentic off-road elements into harmony with dynamism and urban style.
The T-Prime Concept GTE presented in 2016 already offers a foretaste of another
new SUV with this design DNA, according to VW.
Volkswagen
describes the exterior styling as “confident and expressive,” which is code for
“It looks enough like the Tiguan that you know it’s a VW, but it’s not a
mini-me of the Tiguan.”
Its got a nice
wide stance that indicates competency on the road, but a softer more refined
gentle curve along the C-pillar conveys a bit luxury and panache. It’s a slick
exterior package that will separate it from others in the segment while saying
“I’m a Volkswagen.”
On the
lower-most level are the exhaust pipe trims towards the sides – which come in
chrome in the ‘Style’ and ‘Sport’ models – and a diffuser in the middle.
However, you can’t have an SUV without having a decent engine as well as
all-wheel drive. Well, the T-Roc comes with VW’s 4Motion as an option and it
comes with six engine choices as well: three gas, three diesel.
The three gas
engines put out just under 115 horsepower, 150 hp and 190 hp respectively. They
are mated to six- and seven-speed transmissions. In conjunction with the 150-hp
engines, buyers can choose front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive as well as an
automatically shifting dual clutch gearbox (7-speed DSG). The 150-hp gas engine
is equipped with Active Cylinder Management, which automatically deactivates
two cylinders at highway speeds. The two 190-hp engines are equipped with
7-speed DSG and 4Motion as standard.
BRUCE HUBBARD
BRADLEY HUBBARD
BONNIE LYNCH
AUTO ADVISOR GROUP
ROAD TRIPS
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