VW T-Roc R

A car I liked for no apparent reason before but love for many now. Even though it’s a car I didn‘t expect a lot from, it ended up delivering more than I hoped for. A lot more.

First off, I really like the way it looks, which is weird as I generally hate all those small SUV-Crossover hatchback. The T-Roc however just works for me. Clean and sporty lines paired with a lovely deep blue and phenomenal sporty rims, make it look fabulous. Another element which makes the car look phenomenal are the massive exhaust pipes bearing the lettering you want to see on any car. Akrapovic. But more on that later.

The T-Roc R can generally be considered as a Golf R on stilts, because it‘s more or less the same size as a Golf except for the overall height. But it‘s the prominent and aggressive front which makes it look more beefy and more mature than a Golf. Overall, I really like its looks and can confidently say that it is the best-looking small SUV currently on the market. And is it just me or does it look a bit like Darth Vader?

On the inside it‘s a bit of a different story though, as I found the interior to feel a bit cheap for a car in that price category. You don’t get many premium materials and some buttons and the dashboard feel a bit plasticky. But apart from the tactility, everything on the inside was brilliant. All the controls are at the right places, the infotainment system instantly recognizes your phone and lots of security systems and driving aids help you staying alive. It’s all very thought-out. All very German.

To test the car‘s abilities as a normal car, I used it for some simple everyday tasks like getting stuff from one place to another and driving to work in it. Did it do its job as intended? Yes. Anything I didn‘t like? No. And that‘s a weird thing, because I always find something that I don‘t like. Always.
And it was at this point where I realized that if any VW feels and functions like the T-Roc R I drove, their slogan is perfect. „Das Auto“.
It really is THE car as it reset my whole scale of measuring any car’s performance. Having decided quite quickly that the car is brilliant as a daily and performs any task successfully, I headed once again for the black forest to find out how it copes with some bendy bits and higher speeds. 

To do so I put the car in its most aggressive mode and put the hammer down. Now in all honesty I didn‘t expect much from the handling as it is a car that sits rather high and weighs quite a bit, but to my big surprise this thing handled like a charm. I didn‘t notice any roll and unsettling the car was nearly impossible. No understeer at all and mad traction out of the corners thanks to the power being sent to all four wheels. The brakes felt tremendous as they gripped nicely and were easy to modulate. The steering feel had the perfect weight and was very precise whilst providing lots of feedback. The gearbox was fast, responsive and did it‘s job nicely. However, I would have wished for a bit more theater on the shifts as they were a bi too smooth and sometimes quite slow. One of two smacks in the back wouldn’t have hurt.
But by far the centerpiece of the whole experience were the engine and the Akrapovic exhaust that was attached to it. I don‘t know how the R department managed to squeeze 400NM of torque and 300HP out of that engine but I have to admit that it‘s one of the best four cylinder engines I have driven so far. The way it pulls at all times paired with a perfect amount of power gives you the ability to use all of the car without having to worry spending the night in jail.

Now we finally get to the exhaust and yes I will make it a whole section because it‘s so good! Even though the Akrapovic exhaust comes as a very expensive option, I assure you that it‘s wort every single penny. In fact I‘d consider buying the car for it‘s exhaust only. Honestly, the noise is ridiculous. And not ridiculous in ear- deafeningly-loud but more like wondering how this sort of car can produce such a wide range of intoxicating noises. First off, the exhaust has a brilliant resonance inside the cabin which makes reving it a bit higher more enjoyable without having to get on every pedestrian‘s nerves. Secondly in Sport mode, it burbles and pops all the time when you get off the throttle, which means that you find yourself driving around like an idiot with a huge grin on your face as you approach any underpass or tunnel. But even without any tunnels the exhaust makes you smile as at 4k RPM the most dirty and metallic rasping noise is emited from the engine. And it‘s that very sound that sold me on the car.

To briefly summarize my few days with the T-Roc R, I have to say that it puts me in sort of a weird spot. Normally it‘s not the sort of car I am really passionate about, but this car is so good at everything that I genuinely loved every second with it. It‘s the perfect car for your everyday driving about and a really fun and fast car when you want it to be. So if you‘re looking for a car that does everything perfectly and you want some sort of an SUV for no apparent reason other than sitting higher than anyone else, you should definitely get a T-Roc R. And make sure to tick the Akrapovic exhaust option. Thank me later.