Volkswagen T-Roc Unveiled: A Likely Rival SUV to the Jeep Compass

Volkswagen unveils the T-Roc, a likely rival to the Jeep Compass. It will come to India only in late 2018.

The Volkswagen T-Roc was recently unveiled. It is the smallest Volkswagen SUV yet, even smaller than the Tiguan. It is built on the same platform – the MQB – which underpins most of the Volkswagen group cars. At first glance, it does look like a baby Volkswagen Tiguan.

The Volkswagen T-Roc looks compact, but is more than 4 metres in length, standing at 4,234 mm long. It has a 445-litre boot, with luggage space expandable to 1,290 litres if the rear seats are folded flat. The vehicle has more of a car-like stance than an SUV, which is evident in the low height and wide stance.

The dual-tone colour scheme makes the T-Roc look quite sporty. The tail-lamps and headlamps have LEDs in them. Just like the Tiguan, the T-Roc is a squared-off SUV, with muscular creases.

The T-Roc sports and all-digital instrument panel with a flat-bottomed steering wheel. The instrument panel is similar to that seen on the Audi TT, where the driver can switch between gauges, infotainment menu or GPS navigation. The T-Roc may have a choice of petrol and diesel engines, depending on the market it will be sold in. In India, the T-Roc may get a 2-litre diesel or a 1.2-litre turbo-charged petrol engine, according to speculative reports.

The T-Roc will come with a host of features, including an infotainment system that can support Android Auto and Apple Car Play. The instrumentation is driver focussed, but follows a familiar layout similar to the rest of the Volkswagen group cars. The top-end versions are likely to feature all-wheel drive (and hence making it a direct rival to the Jeep Compass).

The T-Roc is actually slightly wider than the Tiguan by about 11mm. The rear seats have headrests for three passengers, with a large drop-down arm rest to be used when there are only two people in the rear seat.

The Volkswagen T-Roc could likely come to India by the end of 2018, and be price positioned in the same market as the Jeep Compass - the Rs 15 lakh to Rs 22 lakh price segment.

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