I think it's safe to say there's almost a kajillion compact crossovers available on the Dutch markets, so this Volkswagen T-Roc R doesn't seem very weird.
Go figure. It has big bumpers, 19-inch wheels, a special blue color only available on R-models... You even get four exhausts because it's an R.
Optionally, they can be Akrapovic's. It produces 300 horsepower, it has four-wheel drive, a 7-speed DSG automatic gearbox...
That's how you distinguish yourself from all of the noise. However, that's not entirely true either, because the amount of quick...
crossovers grows rapidly as well. You have the BMW X2 M35i, the Mini Countryman JCW, the Jaguar E-Pace P300, a Volvo XC40 T5 Twin Engine,
and we're waiting for the GLA AMG-versions. A pretty busy market, right? Also, it has two rivals from its own family.
They're even on the same platform with the same drivetrain. The Audi SQ2 and the Cupra Ateca.
Luckily, Volkswagen has a lots of experience with building cars on the same platform but still feel a tad different so that they...
appeal to a different audience. And it's the same with this T-Roc R. The SQ2 is sharper, more agile and it has a quicker gearbox.
The Cupra Ateca on the other hand is a tad bigger, a tad slower and the gearbox is slower.
This T-Roc R is right inbetween the two, so it could be the best of the three to be honest.
It doesn't really fail at anything. You can go for incredibly long distances with it. Sure, it has a hard ride, but that's also because of the 19-inch...
wheels with fairly thin tires. But the comfort is very acceptable. It can process speedbumps with ease and it's able to cope with imperfections.
It's a tad noisier however, because of the 235 mm tires. But it's very doable. If you switch to Sport- of Race-mode, the adaptive dampers don't...
don't make a huge difference, but you do notice them tightening up. The steering offers more counterpressure as well.
The engine also sounds a tad sharper, and if you start looking for them, this car becomes one that can do a lot of things.
Basically, this is still a front-wheel drive crossover with a transversely mounted engine. But you would't say that if you drive it.
It's crazy how long this stays neutral. Every time you throw it into a corner at high speeds, you're able to go even faster.
Because of the 4Motion-four wheel drive, which sends power to the rear wheels before the front wheels lose grip, you're able to put your foot down...
very early, which means you'll be slingshotted out of corners. But it still won't give you the impression you're on the ragged edge.
Only when you're really pushing it to the limit, you'll find it. The limit being the car remaining neutral for a long time before succumbing...
to the understeer. Because it's 4Motion, it won't counter the understeer incredibly quick, but I can't really fault it for that.
It's very impressive. The steering has an adaptive system which feels good. There's not a lot of feeling to it, but it has just enough consistency to know...
what you're up against. That makes it very accessible. You're able to drive this very fast in a very easy way.
And that's mostly because of the engine. The well-known 2.0-litre TSI 4-cylinder, with turbo of course. It produces 300 horsepower...
and 400 Nm of torque, and it's an incredibly nice engine. It's able to go fast incredibly easily.
It builds up quickly in the lower revs and it has a very strong mid-range. The maximum power output is available at 5.300 RPM,
but it'll remain available up to the rev limiter. It won't level out, so it's very flexible. This has the optional Akrapovic-exhaust fitted,
which makes it sound decent as well. It offers a deep track really, a bit of rumbling as well. So yeah, it's more special than a 190 horsepower version.
However, and this might be subjective, but I don't like the fact that this is a crossover is a raised car which is lowered again to make it sporty.
It's just not as a sporty as a Golf R. On one hand, that's not a disaster, because the Golf is 100 kg lighter and lower than this T-Roc R,
but it kind of makes this car look like an incomplete car. It is cheaper than the Golf R though, and you get the Performance-brakes as standard.
That's a good thing, because in the mountains I've been using them a lot. I didn't smell them, the pressure remained consistent and such...
You do get what you pay for, however if you get the Akrapovic's, the special color, 19-inch wheels... It does creep towards €60.000.
That's almost two times as much as a regular 2.0-litre 4Motion, and it's not two times better or anything.
On the other hand, it's not as good as the Golf R, which is more expensive in turn. It's a very good and impressive car, but I wouldn't spend...
50% extra on this car. Also, I know we are notorious dashboard-huggers, but this dashboard is about as huggable as a cactus.
It's not very pretty aboard here, even if you could expect it from this price range. So it doesn't really excel at anything.
It's still very impressive. And because the added taxes will play a role, I don't think a lot of people will spend €60.000 on this car.
That does come with an advantage, because if you do spend €60.000 on this car, you do get a very distinctive car.