Volkswagen T-Roc confirmed for Australia: On sale early 2020

New Golf-sized SUV coupe set to split segments with its bigger than small but smaller than mid-size packaging and premium equipment levels. 

Volkswagen has confirmed that the new T-Roc SUV will reach Australia, despite production constraints seemingly ruling it out for our market to date. 

Set to arrive in around 12 months, Volkswagen Australia product marketing boss Jeff Shafer told CarsGuide at this week’s ICONIC X19 event in Brisbane that Australia will be one of the first markets outside Europe to score the new coupe-shaped, Golf-based SUV.

Size wize, the segment-splitting T-Roc will sit beneath the five-seat Tiguan and above the Polo-based T-Cross that will arrive at about the same time, but will come in premium spec with a targeted entry price under $40,000. 

This starting point will align with around the middle of the Tiguan range, which is set to expand again at the end of the third quarter with the return of the price-leading 110 TSI models.  

Exact Australian specifications are expected to be confirmed in the fourth quarter of this year, but a comprehensive model line-up is planned, with Style, Sport and R-Line trim levels with personalisation available via optional two-tone paint schemes. 4Motion all-wheel drive with the Tiguan’s multiple off-road drive modes will also be available. 

The T-Roc’s interior will be similar to a Golf’s for space, but with a generous 445-litre boot. Exterior dimensions are both taller and wider.

Australia will be one of the first markets outside Europe to score the new coupe-shaped, Golf-based SUV.

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Australian specifications are yet to be confirmed, but a comprehensive model line-up is planned.

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The T-Roc’s interior will be similar to a Golf’s for space.

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The T-Roc will come with a generous 445-litre boot.

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The T-Roc was revealed at the Frankfurt motor show in August 2017.

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The T-Roc represents similar out-of-the-box positioning to the Arteon sedan, which has no obvious rival among mainstream brands, but is an early example of an expected industry-wide expansion of SUV offerings beyond the current small/mid-size/large segmentation to take advantage of the seemingly endless demand for high-riding passenger vehicles. 

Its closest alternative is likely to come from within the Volkswagen empire, with the Audi Q3 sharing similar proportions but likely to continue at a price premium when the second-generation model arrives in Australia mid year. 

The T-Roc was revealed at the Frankfurt motor show in August 2017, but until now it’s seemed European demand and production allocations would force Australia to miss out. 

The arrival of the T-Roc and T-Cross will bring Volkswagen’s dedicated SUV count to five, joining the Tiguan, Tiguan Allspace, and the new third-generation Touareg large SUV that arrives in May.

Have you got a hankering for a stylish but chunky Golf alternative with lots of equipment? Tell us what you think in the comments section below.