DRIVEN
VOLKSWAGEN T-ROC R Massively popular compact SUV gets 300bhp, sports-focused suspension and a great deal more in a bid to become the Golf GTi of the 4x4 world
IT HARDLY SEEMS LIKE ANY TIME (though it’s getting close to two decades) since VW introduced its first SUV. ‘What does Volkswagen know about 4x4s?’, people thought. ’Shouldn’t they just stick to making Golf GTis?’ Then those same people drove the Touareg and the penny dropped. Volkswagen meant business.
Fast forward to today, and VW is slugging it out with Toyota for the honour of being the world’s biggest SUV maker. The Touareg has been joined by the Tiguan, T-Roc and T-Cross, as well as a new generation of electric vehicles, and associated brands Skoda, Seat, Audi, Bentley and Lamborghini have all joined the fun too.
And they’re still making the Golf GTi, too. In fact, they’re also making the Golf R, which is like the GTi only more so. For years, it’s been the definitive super-hatch. You know, like a hot hatch, but so hot it sets your trousers on fire. Which brings us to the T-Roc R. It would be a bit much just to call this
Golf R on stilts, but the two vehicles are closely enough related for the preceding five paragraphs to be more than just a load of old guff. The T-Roc R is powered by a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine which puts out 300bhp and 295lbf. ft. Fitted as standard with all-wheel drive and a 7-speed DSG auto box, it promises a 0-62 time of 4.9 seconds
Volkswagen’s 2.0 TSI petrol engine is pushed to 300bhp and 295lbf.ft for the T-Roc R. Mated to a 7-speed DSG automatic gearbox as standard, it drives all four wheels and can be tuned from the driver’s seat via a mighty array of drive modes – including Race, courtesy of the optional DCC adjustable chassis set-up, and not one but two offroad settings
4x4 3pp VW T-Roc R.indd 30
29/08/2021 21:38
