The 2021 Volkswagen T-Roc Sportline is a very good looking little SUV and in this awesome flash red it gets a lot of looks.
I like cars so that helps but I did find myself saying a lot during our week with the T-Roc “it's a great looking car!”Looks aside, let’s get on to its practicality as a BabyDrive.
The rear seats are funky with their two-tone upholstery, although I am a little nervous of the white contrast edging with my kids!!
We’re not expecting it to fit three child seats across the back seats and it doesn’t. The Volkswagen T-Roc is more suitable for a family of up to four and two child seats fit really nicely in the back seats. We also enjoyed that they are close enough our big kid can reach to hold hands with the little one when she's upset on then journey.
There’s not enough room for a person to sit between the two child seats in the back of the Volkswagen T-Roc and a 182cm driver can just fit in front of a forward-facing child seat but the child in the back has very little leg room. Unless the adults are less than 182cm in height, it will be a struggle with two rear-facing child seats as we found it best to put the rear-facing child seat on the passenger side and then a 182cm passenger can just squeeze in front of it.
We found that legroom was actually better in Volkswagen's smaller SUV, the T-Cross (shown below).
This must be down to the shaping of the front dash in the T-Cross, allowing extra knee room on the front passenger side.
Something else that seemed more practical for families in the smaller VW T-Cross was in the boot (shown below) where the boot floor drops down about 10cm providing a lot of extra space for prams to fit without having to remove the parcel shelf.
In the T-Roc Sportline, model the boot floor doesn’t drop down due to this version having all-wheel-drive and that taking up extra space underneath (less expensive two-wheel-drive models have the drop-down option). This means the boot space of the Volkswagen T-Roc Sportline is small and I'd need to remove the parcel shelf to fit most prams in the boot, so I actually found it not as practical for families as I did the boot of the smaller T-Cross.
A single, double and tandem pram did all just fit in the boot of the Volkswagen T-Roc but with the parcel shelf removed.
When the boot of the T-Roc is empty it will fit ten shopping bags, which is comparable to the Audi Q3 that will hold eleven shopping bags and the same as rivals like the Mazda CX-30, Subaru XV or Nissan Juke.
You would fit a small dog in the boot of the Volkswagen T-Roc with the parcel shelf removed.
So, I found out why it is called the T-Roc and it’s no new type of dinosaur as my daughter suggested! It’s because that’s what your tea does when you put it in the front cup holders! They are the weirdest shape cup holders and not terribly practical for holding reusable or disposable coffee cups, so anything you do put in there rocks around a bit.
Storage is minimal throughout the Volkswagen T-Roc with a tiny central console box and very small door bins in the back. They are more practical in the front and there is a hidden storage drawer underneath the driver's seat, perfect for your phone or wallet when you go to the park or beach.
The media system in the Volkswagen T-Roc is simple and easy to use.
It has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard so you can access apps like Spotify and ABC Kids Listen while driving along.
The built-in navigation is straight forward and you can mute the guidance voice easily on the screen, which is great for family journeys if you have a baby asleep in the back.
The navigation also comes up in the drivers display.
The reversing camera image is very clear and crisp.
When it comes to the drive, you are glad you have the Sportline, on the open roads hugs the bends and it is nippy and responsive. Being a small car its turning circle is very tight and is great for around town or suburbs and easy to park in school and supermarket car parks.
The Volkswagen T-Roc has a five star ANCAP safety rating and six airbags. Dual frontal, side chest-protecting and side head-protecting (curtain) airbags are standard.
BabyDrive Indepth
BabyDrive Indepth - Storage
How big is the boot of the Volkswagen T-Roc?
Boot space in the Volkswagen T-Roc R-Line is about average for a small family SUV, holding 10 shopping bags from empty, the same as a Mazda CX-30, Subaru XV or Nissan Juke. The boot of the similar Audi Q3 holds 11 bags.
The twin stroller fits into the T-Roc's boot with two shopping bags.
The tandem stroller fits into the T-Roc's boot with four shopping bags.
The boot space and its functionality are really important. I like to have a big boot space and little side wells or areas I can divide things into. So something I don’t want to move around while I’m driving such as my daughters lunch bag or her wet swimming gear can be sectioned off in a little well where it’s not going to spill or get squashed by the rest of the things in the boot.
Hooks for securing shopping bags to are also favourites of mine, I like being able to secure the bag containing more fragile things like eggs so they don’t move around on the journey.
I measure the boot space in freezer shopping bags, prams and dogs. Not because I think all there is to a mum’s life is food shopping, prams and dogs. (Although it can feel like it sometimes!!) But because these are visually mesurable items we can all associate with. For me, the car company boot measurement of litres is not an amount I can easily visualise and 400L in one car may differ in usability to that in another due to the configuration or shape of the space.
The single stroller fits into the T-Roc's boot with two shopping bags beside it.
The compact stroller fits into the T-Roc's boot with seven shopping bags beside it.
You can fit a small dog in the boot of the Volkswagen T-Roc. (you need to remove the parcel shelf!)
The boot floor is lovely and flat, making it comfortable for dogs as well as emergency nappy changes!
How good is storage inside the Volkswagen T-Roc?
The storage inside the Volkswagen T-Roc is quite minimal for families. There are map pockets on the back of both the front seats that will hold but not conceal an iPad.
There are two cup holders in a fold down armrest in the central seat back. You can adjust the size of them so they will hold a reusable and disposable coffee cup and a large refillable water bottle fits too.
The door bins in the back are really small and will just hold a reusable water bottle but it does damage the sides when putting it in and out. In reality, they are a better size for disposable 600ml bottles.
In the front, there are two cup holders in the central console but they are crazy shapes so although a reusable or a disposable coffee cup will fit in them they rock around and spill easily while driving. This is why we nicknamed the car the Tea-Rock!
The central console box is also small and it's just hard plastic, not lined, so anything you put in there will rattle while driving along. You used to be able to rely on VW to have rattle-free storage, what happened?! There is a phone charging tray in front of the gear lever with 12V and two USB sockets.
The glove box is a good size and would hold my wallet but not the iPad with the manual.
The door bins in the front are much more generous and will hold a large refillable water bottle and an iPad fits too.
There is a hidden drawer underneath the driver's seat, I found this a great place for my phone or wallet when I took the kids to the beach.
There is no glasses case in the ceiling of the VW T-Roc but both visors do have lit vanity mirrors.
BabyDrive Indepth - Noise
How noisy is the Volkswagen T-Roc?
The Volkswagen T-Roc is not a very noisy small SUV.
The media system is modern and easy to navigate…
…and has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto which is great…
…so you can access ABC Kids Listen app and Spotify etc to listen to on your journey.
The inbuilt navigation guidance volume can be easily adjusted on the screen which makes it really nice and easy to use.
The reversing camera image quality is very good and fills the whole screen, you get a birds-eye-view too and you can turn the parking sensor sound on and off on the bottom left of the screen…
…or with a button down on the central dash.
I find on most journeys when I use sat nav I only need directions for the last part of the journey. I know how to get to the area I am going and then it’s just the exact address I need help with. Because I need to input the address before I head off I found myself on most occasions when you can’t mute the sat nav voice having to listen to all the directions, which disturbs your concentration, any conversation in the car at the time or more importantly my sleeping baby! So being able to mute the sat nav voice until you reach the part where you actually need it is gold!
The navigation map also comes up in the driver's display screen.
The cruise control in the VW T-Roc is easy to use, with the controls situated on the left side on steering wheel.
The VW T-Roc feels quite smooth when you are driving the family around town and on motorway driving and this Sportline model is a lot of fun on bendy open roads too!
Becoming a parent I soon realised there are some noises and sounds I feel are unnecessary and I could happily live without if it meant my baby stayed asleep!!
That often the distraction of my screaming, distressed baby is more dangerous when driving than not having a lane departure warning for example.
If it is the lane departure warning beeping that creates distress with my baby then which is safest?
It’s where I think we need to be able to strike a balance and choose when we can mute the warnings or swap them to a vibration in the steering wheel or flashing light perhaps?
A lot of these noises come with the increase in technology and especially linked to safety features and alerts. For me these all have their place.
Another thing I have realised is I spend my time in a lot more places where small children roam, parks, beaches, play gyms, swimming lessons, daycare centre etc. I have become more aware that when I’m reversing or manouvering in the car parks I have to tripple check for small children running around behind me or being in my blind spot when reversing. For this I LOVE reversing cameras, I just don’t like their beeping sounds!!
I have become so much more aware of safety and potential accidents or hazards since having a child and so I love the peace of mind that I get from the cameras and sensors combined with my own vision from windows and mirrors as I don’t trust cameras alone.
The indicator volume wasn't baby-waking in the Volkswagen T-Roc.
Also, the doors and windows of the T-Roc close quietly, so they are not baby waking.
With baby asleep you want to be able to get in and out without worrying the doors will be too noisy and wake Bub up!
There is a window lock button in the drivers door control panel and individual cild locks the rear doors.
BabyDrive Indepth - Car Seats
How many child seats fit in the Volkswagen T-Roc?
The Volkswagen T-Roc is a small SUV that will work for a family of four and will fit two child seats comfortably in the back.
However, I could not fit in the central seat between two child seats and I am 162cm.
There are ISOFix points in the two outer rear seats, all within plastic guides and easy to connect to.
There are top tether anchorages for all three rear seats. Two are on the back of the two outer rear seat backs, and one is behind the headrest of the central seat. They are all easy to connect to and easily accessible through the boot.
We found a 182cm driver can just fit in front of a forward-facing child seat but the child in the back had very little leg room. We found it best to put the rear-facing child seat on the passenger side and then a 182cm passenger can just fit squeeze in front of it. If both front seat occupants are around 180cm or taller you'd struggle for space with two rear-facing child seats in the Volkswagen T-Roc.
Strangely, there is actually more legroom in Volkswagen's smaller SUV the T-Cross, which must be down to the shaping of the front dash that allows extra knee room on the front passenger side.
There isn't a huge amount of space in the back of the T-Roc, so while posting bub into their car seat is easy from the outside of the car it is a little cramped from the inside.
Australia being a country of weather extremes; blazing sun and torrential rain, mean you may find it easier to put Bub into their seat from inside the car sometimes. If it’s hot you can get the air-con going, cool the car down and not stand out in the sun while you fasten them in or shelter from the rain and not get soaked yourself whilst you’re doing it. So it is important to test whether Bub can be easily installed from either direction!
There is room to feed baby in the back if you only have one child seat installed.
BabyDrive Indepth - Drive & Comfort
How comfortable is the Volkswagen T-Roc? And How good is the Volkswagen T-Roc to drive?
The front seats of the Volkswagen T-Roc R-Line are very comfortable and easily adjustable using the controls on the side of the seat bases. They have he white contrasting panelling on the outsides of them which does make me nervous with little kids' fingers! However, we did manage to keep them spotless during our week with the car!
The seats are also perforated which can mean they collect little kids crumbs and spills and are hard to keep clean.
But angle of the headrests meant I could not wear a ponytail while driving 🙁
I had spent hours styling my hair this morning to get this ponytail just right too… said no new mum ever!!!
For a mum travelling in the back beside one child seat, the rear seats are extremely comfortable too. In the central seat there is quite a high hump in the central footwell, which you do need to straddle.
For the first year of my daughter's life when we would go out as a family, if I wasn’t driving, I would travel in the back with bub so it’s important to check the back seat comfort as you may be spending a lot of time in them! They were never something I gave any thought to before but I definitely notice a good or bad back seat now!
The steering wheel is fully adjustable in/out and up/down.
Across the front dashboard, there are four air conditioning vents, two in the centre either side of the media screen and one at either end of the dashboard.
There are vents in the back of the central console box for the rear passengers too. I found I could reach those to adjust them from the front seats.
The climate controls are in a panel below the media screen and are easy to reach and use while driving.
Being a small SUV, visibility in the Volkswagen T-Roc is good when maneuvering or parking and the crisp camera image quality helps when reversing.
One thing I have noticed since being a mum is I hate it when I reach a destination or get home from being out and Bub has either done really well in the car or she is screaming her head off and I have done really well to keep it together for the entire journey (usually the latter!!) and it takes 10 minutes to park the car! It can be really stressful. Usually I dread parking new cars as they take longer in our tight apartment block carpark, but the little VW T-Roc R-Line, was very easy to park.
BabyDrive Indepth - Safety
How safe is the Volkswagen T-Roc?
The VW T-Roc scored a five-star ANCAP safety rating and has six airbags as standard. There are frontal airbags for driver and front passenger and side chest airbags for the front passengers and head curtain airbags for the first and second-row outboard passengers.
In testing the VW T-Roc scored 87% for child occupancy protection (43 points out of 49), 96% for adult occupancy protection (36.56out of 38), 71% for safety assist technology and 79% for vulnerable road user protection.
In adult occupancy testing, the VW T-Roc scored 7.45 out of 8 for the frontal offset test and 7.68 out of 8 for the full-width frontal, 8/8 for the side impact test and 8/8 for the pole test.
In both the frontal offset and side impact test, protection was GOOD for all critical body areas for both the 6 year and 10 year child dummies with maximum points scored in these tests.
The Volkswagen T-Roc is fitted with lower ISOFix anchorages and top tether anchorages on the rear outboard seating positions.
Some of these safety features are also features that drive me crazy as a mum! Like the lane departure and forward collision alert or the parking sensor beeping sound. I want all the safety technology AND to be able to mute the sound when Bub’s asleep!
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About Tace Clifford
Tace Clifford founded BabyDrive in 2017 after discovering a huge information gap in mainstream car reviews that left new parents and expanding families in the dark when it came to one of the biggest purchasing decisions of their lives.
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1 Comment
This was the only review that I could get clear information on the boot practicality for prams etc. I was initially worried given the smaller boot space with the AWD system on the 140tsi model. Glad everything just still fits though! Thank you for this.
Storage is minimal throughout the Volkswagen T-Roc with a tiny central console box and very small door bins in the back. They are more practical in the front and there is a hidden storage drawer underneath the driver's seat, perfect for your phone or wallet when you go to the park or beach.
This was the only review that I could get clear information on the boot practicality for prams etc. I was initially worried given the smaller boot space with the AWD system on the 140tsi model. Glad everything just still fits though! Thank you for this.