VW T-Roc R: a Golf R in SUV drag
The T-Roc is a neat crossover. The Golf R is a great hot hatch. Merge their best bits into a new car and you get this
VW cracked the all-wheel-drive hot hatch long before any other brand, so much so that more than 200,000 have been sold. So, when VW R boss Jost Capito calls for reinforcements for the ageing Golf R, it’s natural that the trendy T-Roc SUV is the first suggestion.
The formula is quite a familiar one. A turbocharged 2.0-litre making 296bhp, sent to all four wheels via a seven-speed DSG auto ’box. There’s an MQB-A platform underneath. It can sprint to 62mph in under five seconds and maxes out at over 150mph.
We’d forgive you for thinking we’d copyand-pasted our review of the VW Golf R, or the Cupra Ateca, or even the Audi SQ2. There really is a strong resemblance. But there are a couple of differences between the T-Roc R and the cars that preceded it. The new VW R has shorter gear ratios and specific damping settings, for example. There’s also been a lot of engineering effort put into distinguishing the R from the rest of the T-Roc range. Capito told us the rollover protection sensors had to be fiddled with to stop them killing the fun when you’re driving hard.
Gone is the cutesy T-Roc face, its squircular daytime running lights replaced by a Joker-smile front bumper arrangement. The wider wheels and 20mm lower ride than a standard T-Roc definitely give the R a more purposeful stance. That look is enhanced when you drop an extra £3000 on an Akrapovič sports exhaust.
Inside, the look isn’t quite so dramatically different; the T-Roc’s hollow dashboard plastics remain and the optional coloured trim inserts still look like they’ve been done with a £4.50 B&Q spray can. The R seats have loads of lateral support, allowing you to really lean into them, but the driving position is high; pumping the height adjustment lever in search of a lower posture yields no joy.
Ah, but that near-infinitely-flexible turbocharged engine. The T-Roc R is properly quick, with its power managed in a smooth surge. It’s actually more satisfying to short-shift instead
of wringing the engine out all the way to the redline, even if the steering-wheel-mounted paddles aren’t anything special.
The Akrapovič exhaust is a treat if you’re in Race mode, with throttle lift-off producing no end of anti-social pops ’n’ bangs, some even sounding like machine gun fire. There’s also standard-fit launch control.
And, when you’re done with scaring the locals and switch it back to Normal or Comfort, it resumes duty as your friendly neighbourhood crossover: discreet, comfortable and easygoing.
While it’s more expensive than the SQ2 or Cupra Ateca even before the exhaust upgrade, the T-Roc is the one of the trio to have.
First verdict
The extra car VW R has been gagging for. It might not feel hugely di erent from the Golf R, but that’s not really much of a bad thing #### #
When you’re done with scaring the locals it can resume being discreet and comfortable