New Volkswagen T-Roc spotted: this could be the firm’s final petrol car

The Volkswagen T-Roc is one of the most popular models in Volkswagen’s rather extensive range, despite it now being seven years old. An all-new second-generation replacement is coming, however, and we’ve spotted it testing in prototype form. 

This is our first look at the next VW T-Roc and as it’s still early on in the car’s development phase, there’s not much being given away in terms of looks. The test car wears the bodywork of the current model, although the front end has been clearly reshaped beneath the camouflage with no upper air intakes on the grille. 

Given the T-Roc’s popularity, both in the UK and abroad, we expect it to retain a similar bodystyle to the outgoing model - a small SUV with a squat stance and a rakish roofline. The current model only received a facelift last year so we don’t expect a full unveiling of the new T-Roc until 2025. 

The second-generation T-Roc will bear the dubious honour of being Volkswagen’s final car to be launched with an internal-combustion engine. Euro 7 emissions legislation means developing a new engine to comply with the new rules - set to be enforced from 2025, will prove too costly even for Volkswagen, so the new car should arrive with powertrains seen in existing VW products.  

Volkswagen’s old MQB platform is used for the current T-Roc, the same architecture found on the previous-generation Golf. The new T-Roc should get an evolution of the firm’s MQB evo platform, which means it could receive similar powertrains to the facelifted Golf. We expect to see electrification in the form of a mild-hybrid 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, but potentially a plug-in hybrid, too. In the updated Golf, the new PHEV system can run on electric-only power for up to 62 miles and the similarly-sized T-Roc should achieve around the same figures. The return of a hot R version might be possible too, given that the Golf facelift will get a hot R model towards the end of the year. 

The interior of the next T-Roc will arrive following Volkswagen’s U-turn on touch sensitive buttons. This could mean a return to a more physical control layout on the dash, removing technology like VW’s controversial touch sliders.

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