Second-Gen Volkswagen T-Roc Bows In with Marque’s First Full-Hybrid System

The all-new, second-gen VW T-Roc bows in, featuring striking design and the marque’s first-ever full-hybrid system.

Eight years since its first debut, the ever-popular Volkswagen T-Roc is finally getting a second-gen makeover. For its second iteration, this compact crossover gets a larger body, bolder and more striking design, as well as an array of updated powertrain options, including VW’s first-ever full-hybrid (HEV) system.

We’ll start off with its design, where the new T-Roc looks like a crossover version of the Golf hot hatch while featuring some of House Wolfsburg’s latest design cues. Up front, the new T-Roc draws inspiration from the ID.3 EV hatch, swapping the traditional grille for a sleeker look with a full-width LED light bar and an illuminated VW badge. Also primed here are the sporty bumper intakes and a skid plate, as well as its sharp LED headlights.

From the side, the Mk2 T-Roc still gets the same, instantly-recognisable side profile with its distinctive “hockey-stick” line flowing into the strong C-pillar, plus sculpted fenders to give it a more muscular stance. Not to forget, buyers can opt for the new T-Roc with several new wheel designs measuring up to 20 inches.

Moving further back, the new T-Roc gets a coupe-ish sloping rear windscreen that works with its sleeker silhouette that improves its aerodynamic efficiency by up to 10% over the previous model, while boasting a drag coefficient of 0.29 Cd. Also primed at the rear are full-width LED taillights, also with an illuminated VW badge, as well as a more pronounced rear bumper design.

Dimension-wise, the new T-Roc now spans 4,373 mm in length, making it 122 mm longer than the first-gen model, while the wheelbase has also grown by 28 mm to 2,631 mm. That said, this slight growth spurt does not change the T-Roc’s positioning, as it still sits below the Tiguan SUV.

Thanks to its grown-up phase, the new T-Roc now gets a slightly more spacious cabin, featuring layout and amenities that VW claimed to be ‘on par’ with its bigger siblings. The hard plastic front dash of its predecessor is now wrapped in a fabric upholstery, while its new central screen—available in 10.4 or 12.9 inches—now dominates the whole cabin, complemented by a smaller 10-inch digital metre cluster.

Answering to owners’ complaints and criticisms, VW has finally reinstated physical control knobs and buttons in its new products. That said, the new T-Roc still gets the icky touch sliders at the front dash, although a new physical control knob on the center console borrowed from the Tiguan is here to balance things out, featuring controls for both the head unit and the drive modes.

Rounding off the cabin amenities list are optional bits like an ergoActive seat with 14-way powered adjustments and massage functions, a Harman Kardon audio system, multi-colour ambient lights, and many more.

In terms of practicality, the new T-Roc gets a more usable boot space than its predecessor, now measuring 465 litres as standard and expandable further with the rear seats down.

On the mechanical side of things, the new T-Roc now underpins the updated version of VW Group’s MQB Evo platform—the same one used on some of its new Audi cousins too. More importantly, this crossover now comes with an array of semi-electrified powertrain options, including the headline-grabbing HEV setup, which is dubbed VW's first-ever full hybrid system.

The two lower-specced variants use the same 1.5-litre 4-cyl eTSI engine as a base, which hooks up to a 48-volt mild hybrid setup that can briefly add 19 hp for a combined output of 114 hp and 220 Nm for the entry-level model and 148 hp and 250 Nm for the mid-spec variant. Both are also paired with a seven-speed DSG transmission.

As for the HEV model, VW’s first-ever full hybrid setup uses a 1.5-litre 4-cyl TSI evo2 petrol engine that is paired with a new electric module and lithium-ion battery under the rear seats. Two outputs will be available, 134 hp for the base spec and 168 hp for the range-topper, each producing 306 Nm of twist.

Besides these 1.5-litre-based options, the new T-Roc will also be getting a more potent option using the 2.0-litre TSI engine from the Golf, coming in either full combustion or with an MHEV setup, as well as optional 4Motion all-wheel drive.

Pre-sales for the new, second-gen Volkswagen T-Roc will start at the end of August in Europe, with deliveries set to commence later in Nov this year. No pricing details for now, nor its eventual availability outside of the European border, at least for now.