VW's Newest SUV Wants To Steal The Golf's Lunch Money

 It also gets new drive systems, new driver assist systems, and what VW describes as higher quality. It's also now "more consumer-oriented," which leaves us wondering who the previous model was built for. 

You can tell Volkswagen is excited about this new model because it uses an exclamation point. VW (and the other German automakers) doesn't ! very often, aside from the Up! at least.

On the outside, the T-Roc is standard modern small crossover. Wide rear arches, LED bars front and rear, and a very tall and open grille that looks like it is eating its front license plate. It's the nose and tail of the Taos and Tiguan, just a little smaller.

Likewise, the cabin is very Tiguan (and Taos). Like the new Tiguan, the new T-Roc has lost the hood that goes over the digital dash display. A large center screen sits prominently in the middle, and it has haptic buttons on screen instead of real ones for most functions. Ambient lighting in the door panels helps make at least the higher-spec models look classier than before.

At least the steering wheel has real buttons instead of haptics. And there are controls for each of the four power windows. VW has also added a head-up display, and the center console holds a light-up dial that can control car volume or adjust drive modes.

The latest T-Roc is longer than before. Volkswagen has added 4.7 inches to its length, and it says that means there is room for six-footers in the front and back seats. The front-seat passengers will be able to get 14-way adjustable seats with massage, the first time VW has offered that feature in this segment.

Like the Tiguan, the new T-Roc uses VW's MQB evo platform. That lets VW add a new version of its Travel Assist suite with automatic lane changes and quicker reaction times. It also gets VW's automated parking function and will let you park and unpark using your phone.

Every new T-Roc will be electrified, but from launch that means 48V mild-hybrid systems. Those will feature a belt-driven starter-generator that gives you a bit more stop-start assistance rather than any real driving on electricity. Real hybrids are coming, but VW hasn't said what that new system will deliver. Initially, there will be two 1.5-liter four-cylinders offered, one with 114 horsepower, the other with 148 hp. A 2.0 4Motion AWD is coming, and there will be an R model. All mild hybrids get a seven-speed dual-clutch box.

Making the T-Roc more "consumer-oriented" means fewer choices. Just three trim grades and only six colors. We're thinking that means the lovely and extremely odd T-Roc Cabrio convertible is dead, or at least a replacement has not been announced. It will be missed.

Volkswagen says that close to 300,000 buyers picked a new T-Roc in Europe last year, and the model has hit two million since 2017. That makes it the brand's second-best-selling crossover after the Tiguan. It's also the car that's replacing the Golf in the hearts of most buyers in this crazy crossover-obsessed world. There are no plans to bring the T-Roc to the US, though, so we'll have to settle for the recently updated Taos.