Beam me up Scotty: New VW T-Roc is out of this world

26 Jun 2026

Ian Lamming covers time and distance

This is strange. One minute I’m climbing inside the new VW T-Roc, the next I’m arriving at destination’s end 60 miles away.

The interim? I’ve very little recollection. I’d better check there isn’t a bus queue of nuns stuck to the front.

No, nothing there. I know I’ve done the journey a million times but you’d think I’d at least remember going through some of the larger villages and one of the towns.

But that seems to be the strength of the T-Roc. It covers ground supremely well, so much so it becomes something akin to a transporter device that you might see on an episode of Star Trek.

One second you are on the bridge of the Starship Enterprise, then life goes all squiggly and you suddenly appear on the surface of an alien planet.

It’s just the ticket when you have to cover a lot of miles in a week and that seems to be something I increasingly do to make ends meet.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining. I love driving and the scenery from home to just about anywhere is pretty stunning.

That said, when I have a lot on, it is nice for the car to take the strain and that’s exactly what the brand new T-Roc does.

It is just so easy to drive. Let’s get a bit technical shall we? A transverse-mounted 1.5-litre four cylinder turbocharged petrol engine under the bonnet also features a 48-volt mild-hybrid system.

The eTSI unit uses a 48-volt lithium-ion battery and a 48-volt belt-driven alternator.

The alternator also acts as small electric motor that boosts torque when pulling away as well as helps with economy; I manage to eke out 50mpg.

There’s plenty of poke and, even though new T-Roc now packs greater girth, acceleration is decent and its ability to overtake is good too.

Brakes are keen, in fact in one instance something onboard spots a van parked by the side of the road, mistakes it for stationary traffic and slams the anchors on.

Scares me to death but it’s good to know it all works, especially if you have drifted off to another world.

Handling is good too with comfortable ride, impressive levels of grip and nicely agile steering dynamics.

The cabin is excellent. It is spacious, comfortable and well equipped making it the perfect way to travel. The boot is a chunk larger as well, about 30 litres bigger than the previous model.

The tech is simple enough to fathom, the infotainment and sound system are banging and it is a very smart and accommodating place to be. Quality feels top notch.

Old T-Roc was a decent enough chariot but the new one seems to feel that bit more grown up and capable.

I like the looks, particularly the bird-catching front grille and the rear end is tidy too. It’s a nice looking SUV.

The first generation T-Roc helped create a major new segment of the UK car market when it appeared in 2017.

It took a leading role in the fledgling compact SUV sector. T-Roc quickly became a mainstay of the Volkswagen range with global sales surpassing two million units.

In terms of SUV success, it is bested in the Volkswagen range only by the Tiguan.

Second generation T-Roc features safety technology which is unbridled meaning the new T-Roc must be one of the most secure cars in which to travel.

It does an awful lot for drivers without them even knowing, in terms of keeping the car in the right place and braking if it isn’t.

It also monitors all manner of exterior factors, such as speed limits, bends and junctions. No wonder I get to my destination with minimal input from me. Beam me up Scotty.