Volkswagen T-Roc long-term test: report 4
Can What Car?'s 5-star small SUV of 2023 be the perfect companion for our senior videographer? That's what we're going to be finding out over the coming months...
The car Volkswagen T-Roc 1.0 TSI 110 Life Run by Kiall Garrett, senior videographer
Why it’s here To prove whether this five-star small SUV can be big enough and comfortable enough to meet the demands of regular long-distance load-lugging journeys.
Needs to be spacious enough to carry around lots of camera equipment and chew through long motorway journeys with ease while delivering good fuel economy on a town-based commute.
Mileage 2186 List Price £27,815 Target Price £26,414 Price as tested £30,585 Official economy 47.1mpg Test economy 39.8mpg
7 February 2024 – Let there be illuminated climate controls
When the Volkswagen T-Roc was first launched, it came with good old physical buttons and dials for the climate controls.
As part of its mid-life facelift last year, someone at the German manufacturer decided these brilliantly simple and effective controls should be deleted and replaced with a touch-sensitive panel, which are far more fiddly to use while driving – and unfortunately, replacing physical controls with touch-sensitive alternatives is a trait that is becoming more and more common in new cars.
However, using the T-Roc’s air conditioning controls haven’t been anywhere near as frustrating as I had anticipated. That’s because the area you need to tap at is quite large, it’s responsive and, importantly, it’s illuminated so you can see it easily when it’s dark.
It’s not better than physical controls, but it is better than some other fully models from the brand, notably the Volkswagen ID 4 electric SUV, which has a similar setup but no lighting – so you have to use the force to change the temperature at night.
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