Volkswagen T-Roc practicality and boot space

• Plenty of headroom regardless of where you sit
• Useful storage cubbies for odds and ends
• Spacious boot, but loading lip is high

Although it's reasonably compact on the road, the T-Roc is large enough for young families in particular. At 4,234mm long it's roughly 100mm shorter than the outgoing Golf – but in terms of interior space for driver and passengers, it's about the same.

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The taller T-Roc offers a generous amount of headspace inside, but little more than the equivalent hatchback for legroom. It’s not an issue for front passengers, but if those sat there are tall and need their seats pushed back, rear space can suddenly become a little restricted.

There are plenty of storage cubbies dotted around the cabin, including in the door bins, centre console and trays that slide out from beneath the front seats. The glovebox is also large enough for A4 paper-sized objects.

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Cupholders can be found on the front centre console and the cubby underneath the front armrest is just about tall enough for a 500ml bottle. In the rear, the door pockets are equally generous and large enough for bottles, and there are two cupholders in the central armrest.

Will it fit in my garage?

Like any other SUV, the T-Roc is mostly larger and bulkier than the hatchback it’s roughly based on, so it’ll need a larger space than your average Golf owner, for example. It's less bulky to look at than many SUVs rivals of this size, which might explain why all-round visibility from the driver's seat is a strong point, but there are parking sensors, a rear-view camera and automatic parking functions available as options if you’re worried.

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One of VW’s major claims about the T-Roc is its vast luggage space – at 445 litres VW says the T-Roc has a larger boot than its rivals, which is correct when you compare it with smaller SUVs such as the MINI Countryman, but since the dimensions of the T-Roc effectively place it in-between rivals sizes, it's inevitably smaller than upmarket alternatives such as the BMW X1 and Mercedes-Benz GLA, but it isn’t that far behind the larger Tiguan in this respect. Still, the rear seats fold flat for a more capacious space at 1,237 litres, and there’s an automatic tailgate for your convenience as an option.

The loading lip is quite high, so it's something to bear in mind if you'll be lifting pushchairs and heavy items in and out regularly.

Is the T-Roc a safe SUV?

• Good safety equipment as standard
• Huge list of optional safety kit, too
• Two Isofix child seat points in the rear

Most of the T-Rocs sold in the UK are two-wheel drive versions, but there are 4Motion four-wheel drive versions available as well. The 4Motion system provides traction in spades and will help during the cold and slippery UK winters, but we’d urge you to look into whether a set of winter tyres would be a cheaper and more effective option than specifying 4Motion.

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The T-Roc was crash-tested by Euro NCAP at the end of 2017 gaining the expected five-star rating.

Standard safety equipment on the VW T-Roc:

• Six airbags: front driver and passenger, side impact airbags and curtain airbags
• Automatic lane assist
• Automatic emergency braking (AEB)
• Electronic stability control

Optional safety equipment on VW T-Roc:

• Adaptive cruise control
• Rear-view camera system
• Lane change system with Rear Traffic Alert
• Blindspot Monitor lane change system
• Lane Assist lane keeping system
• Park Assist with manoeuvre braking function
• Traffic Jam Assist (available early 2018)
• Proactive occupant protection system
• Driver Alert System
• Light Assist main-beam control system

Watch: Volkswagen T-Roc Euro NCAP crash test