We swap the keys for our Taigo long-termer for the bigger and bolder T-Roc. Julian Kirk reports.

The T-Roc has a more assertive onroad presence than our former Taigo

Volkswagen T-Roc R-Line 1.5 TSI 150 DSG

 P11d: £33,275 (33%) MPG/CO2: 46.3mpg/138g/km Test mpg: n/a

Report 1

As one Volkswagen SUV leaves the office car park, another one swiftly arrives… taking the place of our Taigo is its slightly bigger T-Roc stablemate.

There are some immediate differences between the two – the T-Roc looks much more of a chunky SUV than the slightly ‘weedy’ Taigo, while inside it feels a level above in terms of interior trim.

And it doesn’t take many miles behind the wheel to realise the T-Roc is a much better all-rounder than the Taigo, too.

The T-Roc’s 1.5-litre petrol engine has so much more ‘oomph’ than the 1.0 TSI in the Taigo, while in terms of emissions and economy, there’s isn’t much to choose between them – the more powerful T-Roc returns a claimed average of 46.3mpg and emissions of 138g/km, while the Taigo records 47.8mpg and 134g/km.

On the road and the differences become much clearer – the T-Roc feels much more planted on the road and its ride quality is so much better than the Taigo’s. It feels like a proper junior Tiguan, whereas the Taigo feels like something of an interloper to the SUV party.

Our T-Roc is pretty much at the top of the tree in terms of specification – R-Line trim brings navigation, the user-friendly digital cockpit, bigger alloy wheels, sports body styling and some zingy interior trim upgrades.

There are some optional extras which swell the price upwards towards £38,000 though – the rear view camera is £275 well spent to avoid those careless parking dings, Dynamic Chassis Control is a debatable £1,065 investment, while the IQ.Light LED Matrix headlights and illuminated front grill is £1,650 (we’ve had no chance to test these out yet).

The remaining optional extras fitted are a set of inch-larger alloy wheels (the 18-inch rims fill the arches well and help support the slightly slabby side profile of the T-Roc) and keyless entry and electric tailgate are a £580 option well worth specifying for making getting in and out so much easier.