Rocking the T

The arrival of the stylish T-Roc adds a fourth option to Volkswagen’s T-range of SUVs. But is this a case of one musketeer too many?

- PIERRE STEYN

Volkswagen is a company rich in evolution, not revolution. They’re a conservative bunch who will spend years camped on the banks of the Rubicon, surveying its ebb and flow. But when they eventually do decide to cross, they do it with intent.

While other automotive manufacturers jumped onto the sport utility (band)wagon almost immediately, Volkswagen spent two decades doing things systematically and carefully. The big, luxurious Touareg came first in 2002, followed by the family-friendly Tiguan in 2007. Despite the fact that the mid-sized Tiguan was a hit (it’s the best-selling car in the whole VW range), the diminutive T-Cross only made its appearance 12 years later in 2019 – at the tail end of the small SUV market boom.