2023 Volkswagen T-Roc CityLife review

09/19/2023 04:01 AM

2023 Volkswagen T-Roc CityLife

CityLife. Why does that name ring a bell?

Similar to what underpinned the business case for the Tiguan Allspace Adventure last year, this 2023 Volkswagen T-Roc CityLife is a case of supply lines defining new specification levels, rather than the other way around.

In other words, it’s something of a semiconductor special. However, CityLife also pushes the T-Roc into a lower price category and promises to fight in a competitive segment with value on its side.

That’s it! CityLife reminds me of this story about the long-lived Volkswagen Golf Mark I in South Africa.

Instead of taking on a newer, bigger and more expensive model with the new-generation Golf in 1983, Volkswagen South Africa decided to keep making the old model but renamed it Citi Golf.

It was marketing it as a fun, cheap and cost-effective option for the local market, and was a great success. After 25 years and 377,000 examples, the Citi Golf was retired as not only a success, but also an icon of South African motoring.

In that sense, there are lots of similarities between the two, CityLife and Citi Golf. Less focus on fancy specifications and more about affordability.

How much does the Volkswagen T-Roc cost in Australia?

With an asking price of $36,990 drive-away, the T-Roc CityLife sits $3000 below the recently reinvigorated Style spec level, which got an upgrade in gear and increase in asking price.

From the outside, some key elements of the T-Roc include 17-inch alloy wheels, darkened grille and roof rail elements, and a CityLife badge on the back.

On the inside, we’ve got cloth seats with manual adjustment, wireless charging, an 8.0-inch infotainment display, dual-zone climate control, and an 8.0-inch digital instrument cluster. Push-button start and keyless entry are included as well.

Shared with the Style is a 1.4-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine under the bonnet, which powers the front wheels via an eight-speed torque converter automatic transmission.

What this spec misses out on – in comparison to Style – is microfleece seat upholstery, 18-inch wheels, projector headlights, chrome grille and roof rails, and upgrades for the infotainment and digital instrument cluster.

These two grades also share a semi-independent rear suspension set-up – along with MacPherson struts on the front – while higher specification grades get fully independent rear suspension.

How much space does the Volkswagen T-Roc have inside?

While this model grade does clearly miss out on a few things, it doesn’t feel like a cheap entry-level model. Volkswagen has had a knack of making even its cheapest grades look and feel good, and there is no difference here.

And I think more broadly speaking, the days of the true stripped-out special are gone. This T-Roc CityLife feels good inside despite missing out on some of the fancier materials and finishes.

Cloth seats have embroidery-style patterns to keep things interesting, and the amount of manual adjustment on offer works well from an ergonomic point of view.

Classic Volkswagen traits of a quality steering wheel help out, as well as the presentation of the infotainment and climate controls. There’s a volume dial here – a significant improvement over what you get in a Golf, for example – and I’ve got to say adjusting climate control via dedicated (and backlit) controls is a positive step.

Along with the wireless charging pad, we get two USB-C power outlets and a 12V plug, and small centre console. You’ll find two cupholders in the regular spot and space to put your key fob. There’s no manual handbrake here to take up space.

Some additional storage can be found under the driver’s seat in the handy drawer, and there is room for bottles in the doors. The classic Volkswagen touch of flocking here has been replaced with a rubberised bottom for those who love the granular details.

In the second row, there is a decent amount of space on offer (remembering, of course, that we are dealing with a hatchback-sized SUV here). I could sit behind myself driving with a smidge of spare leg room, for example, but taller adults and rearward-facing child seats could find things tight.

With 445 litres of boot space, the T-Roc sits towards the pointy end of the segment when it comes to luggage space. There are four tie-down points and a ski port in the rear seats, plus folding the rear seats down gives you 1290L of space.

Under the floor of the boot is a space-saving spare wheel, along with jacking equipment and a small amount of additional space.

As luck would have it, an errant nail into my front driver’s tyre led me to test out the scissor jack and wheel brace, all of which worked quite easily.

Does the Volkswagen T-Roc have Apple CarPlay and Android Auto?

An 8.0-inch infotainment display, which has all of the right boxes ticked for this kind of car, is a quality set-up in this T-Roc. Sure, there might be more pixel acreage available in other models, but this system in the T-Roc CityLife is bright and fast to respond. There’s AM and FM radio reception, along with digital radio and native navigation.

And, of course, wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are accounted for by the infotainment display in the CityLife.

Another point that points to the death of the true econobox is the six-speaker sound system in the T-Roc CityLife. For a base specification model, it’s not bad and responds well to some additional bass and treble inputs.

Is the Volkswagen T-Roc a safe car?

ANCAP gave the Volkswagen T-Roc a five-star safety rating against 2017 criteria.

Adult occupant protection gets a particularly high score of 96 per cent. Child occupant protection gets an 87 per cent rating, while pedestrian protection is rated at 79 per cent. The safety assistance systems, which include lane support and autonomous emergency braking performance, are rated at 71 per cent.

What safety technology does the Volkswagen T-Roc have?

Safety kit includes adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go functionality, forward collision warning, lane-keep assistance and autonomous emergency braking. This crucial technology includes pedestrian detection, and there is low-speed autonomous braking in forward and reverse, as well as parking sensors front and rear.

Unfortunately, CityLife specification misses out on blind-spot monitoring and rear-cross traffic alert that other model grades (and key competitors) get.

How much does the Volkswagen T-Roc cost to maintain?

Servicing is relatively expensive for the T-Roc coming in at $2197 for the first three years. This works out to be an average of $732 per year to keep the logbooks up to date, while five years goes out to $739 per year on average, the fourth visit sticking out at $1057 alone.

Although, opting for a five-year prepaid Care Plan (where you pay upfront) does reduce the cost to $2450.

Insurance for the CityLife-spec T-Roc costs $1164 based on a comparative quote for a 35-year-old male driver living in Chatswood, NSW. Insurance estimates may vary based on your location, driving history, and personal circumstances.

Is the Volkswagen T-Roc fuel-efficient?

While the onset of hybrid options (like the Corolla Cross and HR-V) will always hold the high ground in terms of efficiency, the 1.4-litre T-Roc isn’t too bad. A claim of 6.3 litres per 100 kilometres is good, and we saw a number that was 7.0L/100km during our time with the vehicle. Resetting the trip computer on the highway showed a lower number is certainly achievable, but conversely, spending time in stop-start traffic in the ‘burbs will push the figure a little higher.

It’s worth noting that this T-Roc does drink the good stuff, with 95RON premium unleaded being required. For those counting all costs during ownership, prepare to shill out a few extra dollars at the bowser.

Fuel Consumption – brought to you by bp

What is the Volkswagen T-Roc like to drive?

Strapping a turbocharger to the relatively small 1.4-litre Volkswagen engine makes a lot of sense, and leaves you with a power delivery that really suits this kind of vehicle. There’s 110kW and 250Nm – a decent amount of shove – available between 1500 and 3500rpm, which gives the engine a pliable nature for usable, responsive acceleration.

Those wanting more of an aggressive dash in acceleration should look at the R-Line or full-fat T-Roc R model, which both use a 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine in two different forms for more outstanding performance, but this 1.4-litre donk feels well suited to the application.

One major difference between the more powerful T-Roc models – and an important note for everyday usability – is moving away from a dual-clutch automatic transmission and instead embracing a torque converter automatic.

This more common set-up might not have the same crisp and sharp-feeling gear changes when on the move, but this gearbox certainly is smooth. Furthermore, it also has a lot of ease of use at low speeds for parking and manoeuvring.

For me, I would much prefer a torque converter gearbox over a dual-clutch in this kind of vehicle. Plus, I would also prefer a smaller turbocharged engine like this rather than a 2.0-litre naturally aspirated engine.

Using Volkswagen’s prevalent MQB car platform, which you can find in a huge range of Volkswagen Group vehicles, the driving experience of the T-Roc feels nicely dialled for the most part. Previous reviews of the T-Roc point out good ride quality for town driving, which I can also attest to. However, adding in a dose of pace, say 60km/h or more, on uneven surfaces can give a slight feel of jostling.

I need to stress ‘slight’ here – I noticed it on particular parts of the road with sharp expansion joints and harder edges, and was the only inclement part of the driving experience overall.

When laden with passengers and gear, this would likely dampen off, and the T-Roc had a nice trade-off of feeling sharp and confident through corners and winding roads. The steering is well-weighted between ease and feel, with the T-Roc tracking with a confident sense through more demanding corners.

And when combined with a solid torquey engine and well-behaved gearbox, the T-Roc is a compliant and easy companion for town and highway driving.

Should I buy a Volkswagen T-Roc?

The omission of blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert are the only two major points to consider with the T-Roc CityLife, which feels like it nails the rest of the important points solidly.

Australians have a strong penchant for higher-spec models, and many will likely walk past this somewhat humble CityLife specification as they look at the Style, R-Line and R options. And power to you if that’s within your purchasing scope. However, the CityLife does hit a lot of nice areas in terms of inclusions while keeping the asking price down.

When you consider the likes of the Nissan Qashqai ST ($33,890 plus on-road costs), Toyota Corolla Cross GX Hybrid ($36,480 plus on-road costs) and Hyundai Kona N-Line ($36,000 plus on-road costs), there’s plenty of stiff competition available.

However, the Volkswagen T-Roc takes on the small SUV segment in its own strong way, and has plenty of the typical strengths we’ve come to expect from the German automotive giant.

How do I buy a Volkswagen T-Roc – next steps?

Like I intimated earlier, many Australian buyers will walk right past this CityLife specification on their way to spend more money on a different spec level. But aside from the omissions in safety technology, this CityLife spec could be the best value-for-money choice in the range.

Volkswagen Australia told us at the launch event that it is expecting a good level of supply of this new T-Roc CityLife to showrooms in Australia, and a quick perusal of the Volkswagen Australia website – which does give stock levels around the country – backs up this claim.

So if you’re more interested in a T-Roc, check the Volkswagen Australia website to see if there are any examples that tickle your fancy at a nearby dealership, and also see what is in stock at

We strongly recommend taking a test drive at a dealership before committing because personal needs and tastes can differ. Find your nearest Volkswagen dealer via this link. We'd also recommend test-driving the Nissan Qashqai, Toyota Corolla Cross, Hyundai Kona and Skoda Kamiq against this T-Roc to be confident in your choice.

If you want to stay updated with everything that’s happened to this car since our review, you’ll find all the latest news here.

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