VW’s T-Roc has been a massive hit for the German automaker, and despite not being in the first flush of youth – it was launched in 2017 – sales grew by 13 percent between 2022 and 2023. So VW wasn’t about to rip up the plan and start again when it came to developing T-Roc Mk2.
We first spied the second-generation T-Roc
back in February playing in the snow, and now our photo team has captured it
again high-up in the Alps where it was using the steep gradients and numerous
switchbacks to test the prototype’s braking performance. As expected, the test
car was wearing a fake grille disguise, something VW loves to apply to its
upcoming models to obscure the features it doesn’t want us to know about. And
it probably fooled plenty of Alpine drivers because the overall body shape has
hardly changed at all.
The character lines over the wheelarches
have been carried over and only a keen eye would spot the missing swage line
running across the top of both doors, or the fact that the C-pillar now has a
tiny Hofmeister kink at its base. But when the new T-Roc is revealed, probably
later this year, we’re expecting it to feature a slimmer upper grille opening
like the one on the Golf Mk8.5, and for the rear lights to be connected by an
illuminated bar.
VW won’t make a T-Roc Cabriolet this time
around, but it is likely to continue using a very similar engine lineup to the
one available in today’s model. If that’s the case, buyers will choose between
a 109 hp 1.0-liter triple, a 148 hp 1.5-liter inline four or
a 2.0-liter four with 4Motion all-wheel drive and 187 hp)
