Volkswagen T-Roc First UK Reviews Criticize the Interior

The first videos that came out during the launch were seen through rose-tinted glasses. However, the first UK reviews show that that T-Roc is far from perfect. Here's Mat Watson giving us a 10-minute rundown of its flaws and perks.

The one problem everyone, not just Mat, keeps talking about is the dashboard, which is made from hard plastics. It's everywhere, not just the lower console, but also the top of the dash and doors. Both the Golf, on which the T-Roc is based on, and the much cheaper Polo have soft-touch dashboards.

This is unacceptable, considering the test car seen here costs more money than a Golf R or and matches a similarly equipped but bigger Tiguan SUV.

Volkswagen also wants extra money for the LED indicators in the front bumper or the digital dashboard. And we don't think the T-Roc looks that amazing. Sure, it's angular and modern, but have you seen a Peugeot 3008 interior?

It's not all bad news, though. One area where Volkswagen has done decent work is handling. With the Sport package, it drives better than most crossovers, while the 2.0 TSI combined with DSG and AWD makes the T-Roc quite fast. But you do lose some trunk space due to the transfer case over a standard FWD model.

Everybody says the pick of the engine range is the 1.5 TSI because it's quick, smooth and quieter than a diesel. But VW sales still show TDI is very popular.

Also, it doesn't feel as comfortable as a regular Golf, Mat says. When you raise a car, you can either leave the suspension as it is and have it lean into corners or stiffen it to compensate. That's why if you want a comfortable small Volkswagen SUV, you'd be better off with the Skoda Karoq.