[moncar]

Originally Posted by tristis2008

Anyway, am planning to do TD tomorrow. Is there anything you wanted to check today and could not ? I guess I can check.

Would appreciate if you can take a detailed look at the car settings menu and confirm presence / absence of various options available from the listed ones.
Also your feedback on the rear headroom/ legroom and overall airiness of the cabin from the averagely heighted rear passenger point of view.
Is the ground clearance good enough?
Sound system performance ?
Also whether the boot floor is adjustable for height.
Sorry for the long list and thanks in advance!

[Mr.Perera]

Originally Posted by tristis2008

Now, Harneet and Mr. Perera can together post a detailed comparative study !

what about a video comparison over a zoom call ? I really want to test drive the T-Roc so badly. The T-Roc is lighter compared to the Karoq. So it should be more fun to drive ! I am sure a remap will do wonders considering the fact that everything else like the suspension and brakes are really good in stock form !

Originally Posted by 84.monsoon

Could this be the reason why the clearance of the T-Roc for sale has been stopped for many weeks until now?

If so, I imagine ARAI would have extracted a promise from VW to fix a 100% cars with audible alerts through some kind of update within a certain number of days post sales commencing. If so, you may not be able to escape the chimes for too long

I really doubt that. As per my understanding, the chime thingy is only applicable for cars 'Made in India'. Since the T-Roc is a full CBU it doesn't need to go through various certifications put up by Indian government, and just need to be homologated in their specific country of manufacture. These chimes are not there even in my Karoq.

[Venkatesh]

T-Roc First Drive review

https://youtu.be/wmJfV8hxonw

[rkv_hunter]

I think this is a wonderful car, which gives a great driving experience for the money it is asking for. It also has a good amount of features. Pricing is similar to the Skoda Octavia Onyx which was the mid level variant. I guess the Skoda/VW TSI/DSG driving experience and build quality of the chassis is unmatched by any other manufacturer car under 20 lacs. If I had a budget of 20 lacs ex showroom, this would have been my first choice.

[Harneet.S]

Originally Posted by moncar

Also your feedback on the rear headroom/ legroom and overall airiness of the cabin from the averagely heighted rear passenger point of view.
Is the ground clearance good enough?
Sound system performance ?
Also whether the boot floor is adjustable for height.
Sorry for the long list and thanks in advance!

If I may,

1. Headroom is ample for people below 5'10''. If you're taller, you'll fit but if you move your head around at all angles when seated, you're gonna brush against something.
2. GC is good enough for broken roads. I would assume the laden GC is about 140. It is unsettled but not very uncomfortable. You'll be shaken around the cabin a little, though.
3. Sound system is very good, I would compare it to the Seltos's Bose system but more acoustic enthusiast tuned.
4. Boot floor has a slot for height adjustment but you can't do it because the spare is too high up. You'll have to remove the spare for that.

Originally Posted by Mr.Perera

what about a video comparison over a zoom call ? I really want to test drive the T-Roc so badly. The T-Roc is lighter compared to the Karoq. So it should be more fun to drive ! I am sure a remap will do wonders considering the fact that everything else like the suspension and brakes are really good in stock form !

Personally, I wouldn't dare with a remap considering the Torque limit for this DSG is 250nm. Too many things to go wrong.

Originally Posted by Venkatesh

T-Roc First Drive review

Echoes my sentiments exactly. There is no other car below 50L who has as European a suspension setup. Mostly flat around corners - almost car like. Supremely planted at speeds above 80kph.


Thye don't give you floor mats with the car. Freaking floor mats. And since this is that new a car, they don't have ones to sell either. So I've put in paper lol. I need carpet/textile mats which aren't really available anywhere.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by Venkatesh

T-Roc First Drive review

Surprised at the full-on praise for the interior - which goes against most member observations here?

As per ACI observations - everything is 'very very good quality' and 'so high quality and so well screwed together that it is hard to point fingers at'!

Rest of the car is expected of a Volkswagen CBU.

[moncar]

Originally Posted by Harneet.S

If I may,

1. Headroom is ample for people below 5'10''. If you're taller, you'll fit but if you move your head around at all angles when seated, you're gonna brush against something.
2. GC is good enough for broken roads. I would assume the laden GC is about 140. It is unsettled but not very uncomfortable. You'll be shaken around the cabin a little, though.
3. Sound system is very good, I would compare it to the Seltos's Bose system but more acoustic enthusiast tuned.
4. Boot floor has a slot for height adjustment but you can't do it because the spare is too high up. You'll have to remove the spare for that.
Thye don't give you floor mats with the car. Freaking floor mats. And since this is that new a car, they don't have ones to sell either. So I've put in paper lol. I need carpet/textile mats which aren't really available anywhere.

Thanks for your inputs. Overall I get the impression that your wait was worth it and the car justifies its price in terms of satisfaction within the initial ownership timeframe .
Maybe you could consider 3M car mats if available.

[Harneet.S]

Originally Posted by moncar

Thanks for your inputs. Overall I get the impression that your wait was worth it and the car justifies its price in terms of satisfaction within the initial ownership timeframe .
Maybe you could consider 3M car mats if available.

This car suspension and driving mannerisms are completely comparable to a bare bones 316i 3 series that I drove recently in Spain. The ride is so eerily similar, and yes I'm completely satisfied.

I have a a soft spot for carpet mats. They get dirty and wet and muddy and torn after a while, and will need to be replaced in a few months but I love feeling them against the ball of my foot if I'm driving with loafers/chappals.
It's very much like wanting no screen protector or case on your fancy cellphone, knowing fully well you'll drop and break it in a few months but you love the feeling of a beautiful glass sandwich!

[AamodB]

Originally Posted by Harneet.S

Echoes my sentiments exactly. There is no other car below 50L who has as European a suspension setup. Mostly flat around corners - almost car like. Supremely planted at speeds above 80kph.

*no other car below 50L apart from the Karoq. The T-Roc and Karoq are mechanically identical after all

[Timothy]

The Autocar review for the T Roc is not bad at all. Everyone has been cribbing about the hard plastics but the reviewer compliments on the high quality of the interiors and how everything feels so well screwed together. Yes soft plastic would have felt better but its not really a deal breaker.

Overall it is an excellent package . You have got everything like a panoramic sunroof, virtual cockpit, 6 airbags, a lightening shift DSG gearbox, a great TSI engine that produces more power than the much bigger Honda Civic, ambient lighting, a slick high resolution 8 inch touchscreen, plus the solid quality of a German brand CBU. The only thing lacking seems to be the powered driver seat otherwise it is loaded to the hilt. You even have heated front seats which should be enjoyable in the winter months. So its not all that bad at all for 20 L & it is a pretty handsome looking car.

[SSR0608]

Originally Posted by Timothy

The Autocar review for the T Roc is not bad at all. Everyone has been cribbing about the hard plastics but the reviewer compliments on the high quality of the interiors and how everything feels so well screwed together. Yes soft plastic would have felt better but its not really a deal breaker.

Overall it is an excellent package . You have got everything like a panoramic sunroof, virtual cockpit, 6 airbags, a lightening shift DSG gearbox, a great TSI engine that produces more power than the much bigger Honda Civic, ambient lighting, a slick high resolution 8 inch touchscreen, plus the solid quality of a German brand CBU. The only thing lacking seems to be the powered driver seat otherwise it is loaded to the hilt. You even have heated front seats which should be enjoyable in the winter months. So its not all that bad at all for 20 L & it is a pretty handsome looking car.

Agree. I’m sure they have got reasons to do that
I stick with my previous comments though.. and yes it’s a very handsome looking car but it stops right there for me.. that quality unfortunately , doesn’t extend to the interiors for sure.

[moncar]

Originally Posted by Timothy

So its not all that bad at all for 20 L & it is a pretty handsome looking car.

Finally could check it out today at the dealership. The Ravenna blue T-roc easily stole the limelight from the other VWs. Have to wait a few more days for the test drive though.
I would concur with your summary. Impeccable build quality, fit and finish . The plastics though hard could be acceptable due to the high quality.This would have been a complete package with cruise control. Both infotainment system as well as Active Info Display display are of high resolution. Menus are user friendly. Driver assist systems : front assist,lane assist and manoeuvre braking are activated in the menu. The interiors especially rear cabin appear smaller due to the dark shades used. A beige interior would liven up the cabin. However the sunroof compensates.
The front led headlamp and DRL combo is the signature of the car which makes it stand out in the crowd.
Of course the drivetrain is top notch for the car size.
If one is aiming for an enthusiastic , four seater car I doubt if one could get a similar German CBU at this price tag.

[Amsdoc]

I think soft plastics, cruise control and for that matter Panoramic sunroof are extremely over rated features which serve little purpose at least for me and consequently are definitely not deal breakers for me.
What is unfortunate is the lack of rear space and independent rear suspension. Electric adjustable seats would have been expected as well.
What the Autocar review got spot on was the last comment he made that this is not a SUV but more like the Golf that they could bring in India! And having driven the Golf quite a lot, I think this will be good as well!

[AamodB]

Originally Posted by Timothy

Everyone has been cribbing about the hard plastics ...ambient lighting

I feel the Autocar reviews of late feel more like commercials or promos rather than a comprehensive look at the pros and cons of the car. Most videos apart from the ones presented by Renuka gloss over the shortcomings and only list the really obvious ones. It's as if they're trying to sell the car for the manufacturer.

It's not the "hard"-ness of the plastics that I think people including myself have a problem with. It's the overuse of plastics, particularly those in places you touch that bothers me personally. However it all does feel solid apart from the strange smooth plastic on the armrest on the doors which just felt like it was stuck on like an afterthought. I would definitely suggest those whose budget ceiling is 24-25L on-road to go for this. It offers more value than the Korean twins ever could.

The T-Roc unfortunately doesn't get ambient lighting.

[tristis2008]

Finally, I got a chance to drive the car for quite sometime. I drove through some wide and well laid roads!! Also drove through narrow roads with lot of intersections and turns. And of course the roads, with quite a few speed breakers with both crests and troughs , were not be avoided anyway.

Noted the following:

1. The car pulls quite well, albeit there seems to be some hesitation starting from rest with engine in ON condition (after auto engine on/off turns the engine ON ).
2. I did not face any issues with visibility and judgement. The bonnet edges are visible to the driver and aid in good judgement. Of course its a matter of getting used to anyway.
3. The car is slightly jittery over pot holes and rough patches. Seems to throw the rear passenger around a bit.
I did check the pressure in tyres and it was above 40 psi. Just drove with that level, just to feel the discomfort it would cause. I asked them to correct the pressure anyway.
4. The ride was quite nice over our beloved white cemented roads!
5. The car negotiated most humps well but unfortunately I did not encounter those nasty ones.
6. The auto start stop requires getting used to. One needs to be patient with it, albeit slightly. The rear fellows are rarely patient anyways.
7. The steering is quite light. It seems quite accurate though, of course this is just a feeling and not a thorough testing. Also I did not get to drive faster, but then we have to see how it weighs up in that case.
8. The headroom was fine and so was the shoulder room.
9. The legroom was not great and my family immediately commented that the space is less at the rear.
10. Seat comfort is good, but not as hugging as I had thought. But no complaints here.
11. AC seemed fine, but Bengaluru is quite pleasant today.

I could not do or check:
1. Reverse parking
2. music system quality or any of those menu items
3. and many more!

Features:
1. As noted by others, only the Lane Assist, Emergency braking and manoeuvre braking are available.
2. Under the Lane assist, I also see Adaptive Lane Guidance option being made available, which I had not seen before. The SA warned me if we enable this, the steering becomes very rigid over higher speeds. Did not try to go against him. Need to check this.

But the following two bothered me
1. I am not sure what this behavior is all about. Is it the DSG getting confused ? I was driving slowly through rough and pot holed road and my foot was off accelerator. The gearbox was in D2. Then it decided to go to D1 and then the RPM increased a lot ! And again it decided to goto D2. I managed to record it after being able to reproduce the behavior . Is it normal with DSG boxes ? It did cause some discomfort in the passengers. I don't have driving experience with them and I don't see this type of behavior with my Vento's TC, a lethargic fellow.

See video, can skip to 13th second. Pardon poor recording !

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAcck1QBE2U

2. Being not used to, I switched off the Auto Start / Stop feature. At a junction the car once switched off by itself, as though it has been enabled. There seems to be some fault here! I indicated this to the SA and asked him check with their technical team.

Coming to other aspects,
1. They have to share this car across showrooms for TD. It took sometime for me to get to drive, after having missed my earlier appointment.
2. Few cars are being shipped to Bengaluru, mostly whites are coming.
3. The accessories and so called essential kits are not available yet.
4. The Dashcam record feature is available in Tiguan with an add-on hardware and SA said they should get it on T-Roc as well as per their internal information.
5. DSG is under 4 year warranty only and there is no clarity on extended warranty yet.
6. There is no clarity yet on service costs and spare costs.

I thank SA for his patience.