Volkswagen T-roc R

This month: semi-precious cargoes and a rare-metal option

IT’S ALL ABOUT METAL THIS MONTH: iron, gold and titanium. The iron was in the form of a Pinto engine. Some of you may recall that, upon investigation by ACH Classic, my Escort Mk2 rally car’s engine was deemed kaput (see issue 278 for the full details). So after some searching I found a nice, recommissioned motor on ebay – a later, ‘205’ block this time – to form the basis of a new engine build and went over to Bicester in the T-roc to pick it up. The chap’s workshop at the bottom of his garden was the sort of oily Aladdin’s Cave that can only evolve through decades of building engines. It was wonderful.

The Pinto wasn’t actually the sternest test of the T-roc’s load carrying abilities because the little 2-litre, four-cylinder can easily be picked up by two people of average strength. Or one person of average strength and me if I’m feeling a bit Hulk. Anyway it didn’t trouble the 392 litres of boot space too much and the gross vehicle weight of 2070kg was also not in danger.

Slightly more challenging for the load capacity was the gold. This wasn’t actually an Italian Job haul, but rather the spare set of four wheels and tyres for the Escort. The rims have been sprayed a nice, not too bling, shade of Aurum, you see. Fortunately, with the seats down the T-roc’s boot space goes up to 1237 litres – a whole 4 litres more than a Mk7.5 Golf’s. Perhaps more importantly, the T-roc R is a much nicer height to lift things into and out of.

Then there is the titanium; perhaps my favourite metal. The four, rather beautiful, titanium tailpipes – check them out on page 127 – are one of the few visual clues that the T-roc R is something out of the ordinary. On the outside of each pipe is the Akrapovic name and logo and on the inside are four concentric rings of perforations. The tips look as though they have been sliced off with the sharpest of blades and there is a quality to them that really stands out.

At over £3000, the system should of course reek of quality. I suspect it is a pretty rarely selected option because of the cost, but it really does add some character to the way the car sounds. It’s unobtrusive if you want it to be, but switch the system into Race mode and there are more pops and crackles than the cereal aisle in Sainsbury’s.

And if you want more justification for splashing the cash on the Akrapovic, then just think of the benefits of saving 7kg over the standard system. Tangible. Possibly. Now that I mention it, perhaps I should investigate some titanium for the Escort to join the iron and gold.

Date acquired December 2020 Total mileage 6764 Mileage this month 810 Costs this month £0 mpg this month 28.6