Are you ready to rock with Volkswagen’s new second-generation T-Roc compact SUV crossover?

I’ve had great fun roc‑ing and rolling about in this smart, sporty five-door family runaround that’s engaging to drive and practical.

Among its recent honours, it has been named Best Small SUV and Best Car for Caravans up to 1,300kg by What Car?.

The T-Roc features an unfussy interior and – hurrah! – a return to real-world physical buttons for commonly used functions such as air conditioning.

It even offers ‘Joy’, ‘Energetic’, ‘Minimal’ and ‘Lounge’ settings for music and interior lighting.

Compared with the original, launched nearly a decade ago, the T-Roc has grown, gaining more interior space, design revisions inside and out, new power options, and updated driver assistance systems.

Sitting on a flexible chassis, it offers features more familiar in larger cars, such as Travel Assist and Park Assist Pro, which are optional on Style and R-Line trims.

There are two versions available – both powered by a turbocharged 1.5-litre eTSI mild-hybrid petrol engine – producing either 116hp (from £31,635) or 150hp (from £33,700).

Both front-wheel-drive models are paired with a seven-speed dual-clutch DSG automatic gearbox.

Three trim levels are offered: Life, Style and R-Line.

I drove the more powerful, top-spec R-Line, which sprints from 0 to 62mph in 8.9 seconds and has a top speed of 132mph.

There are four main driving modes: Eco, Comfort, Sport and Individual.

R-Line specification is generous, with electronic stability control, heated sports comfort seats with integrated headrests and power-adjustable lumbar support, adaptive cruise control, and sports suspension.

My test car’s £37,570 base price rose by more than £5,000 to £42,775 thanks to a range of extras, including: a technology pack (£950) featuring a head-up display, additional cameras, proactive occupant protection, and travel and emergency assist; enhanced self-parking (£135); upgraded LED matrix lighting (£465); an electric tailgate (£340); a ‘black styling pack’ with 19-inch alloy wheels, trim details, mirror housings and roof rails (£580); plus celestial blue and metallic black paint with ‘Soul Black’ upholstery (£1,265).

The 116hp version accelerates from 0 to 62mph in 10.6 seconds and reaches a top speed of 122mph. Emissions range from 127 to 129g/km and 128 to 130g/km for the two variants respectively.

Two all-new full-hybrid versions are set to follow.

Boot space is a respectable 475 litres, and it remains nimble for manoeuvring, with an 11.1-metre turning circle.

Features once reserved for larger cars include Volkswagen’s Park Assist Pro, which allows the T-Roc to automatically manoeuvre over distances of up to 50 metres into and out of parking spaces. Drivers can also control parking remotely via a smartphone.

Top speeds far in excess of UK limits are clearly aimed at autobahn drivers in Germany, where some motorway sections remain unrestricted.

The latest version of Volkswagen’s Travel Assist supports automatic lane changes and responds quickly to changing speed limits.

It can also anticipate upcoming features such as corners, roundabouts and junctions, integrating them into the vehicle’s control systems and driver displays.

The T-Roc’s eTSI mild-hybrid system uses a 48-volt lithium-ion battery and an alternator that also acts as a small electric motor, boosting torque when pulling away.

The first-generation T-Roc was launched in 2017 and quickly established itself in the compact SUV market, with more than two million sales globally, second only to the larger Tiguan.

Total Volkswagen registrations in the UK last year reached 178,607, of which 28,075 were T‑Rocs.

Rock on!