Johannesburg - Volkswagen South Africa has officially confirmed that its T-Roc crossover, first revealed in 2017, will be coming to South Africa in 2020.
This follows previous denials from VWSA that the Golf-sized crossover would be offered locally.
The T-Roc, which slots beneath the Tiguan, is closely related to the Audi Q2 but should come in at a lower price point. But Volkswagen is still aiming it at the funky end of the C-segment crossover market, where it is expected to go up against the Toyota CH-R. While the VeeDub’s styling is more restrained than its Japanese rival, it does sport two-tone paintwork as well as a sloping roofline and fairly beefy wheel arches.
The local engine line-up has yet to be confirmed, but local fans will no doubt be praying that the
gets the nod, which is essentially a Golf R on stilts, powered by a 221kW, 400Nm version of VW’s 2-litre turbo four.
This and select variants will get 4Motion all-wheel-drive, but expect most models to be front-driven. European buyers have a choice of 85kW 1-litre and 110kW 1.5-litre turbopetrol engines, and 85kW 1.6 and 110kW or 140kW 2.0 TDI turbodiesels.
The T-Roc has a highly digitised cabin, offering VW’s Active Info Display digital instrument cluster as an option and a range of touch-screen infotainment systems featuring various online services and apps.
The T-Roc is not the only new compact crossover destined for South Africa.
The smaller, Polo-based T-Cross is also heading our way, in the second half of the year.