Volkswagen to Rock Amped-Up T-Roc R in Geneva
The good news is that Volkswagen announced today that the T-Roc R, a high-performance version of the T-Roc small SUV, will be introduced at the 2019 Geneva International Motor Show. The bad news? This one isn’t coming to the U.S., either.
Related: VW: T-Roc ‘Not Coming to the U.S.’
Most of the forbidden fruit from Europe that doesn’t make its way to the U.S. tends to be a sports car or a hot hatch, but this is a hot SUV. Think of the T-Roc R as being analogous to the Golf R: It takes one of Volkswagen’s vehicles, slightly tweaks the styling and adds on performance parts to make it a blast to drive.
Under the hood of the T-Roc R (similar to the Golf R) is a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine. It makes 296 horsepower and 295 pounds-feet of torque and comes with a standard seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission; no word on a manual. All-wheel drive is also standard, and Volkswagen says the T-Roc R sprints from zero-to-62 mph in just 4.9 seconds on its way to an electronically limited 155 mph.
Beyond the engine, the T-Roc R will also sport a lowered suspension, a special race mode and launch control. In addition, the electronic stability control can be manually switched off for those who want the purest (and surliest) driving experience.
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On the outside, 18-inch wheels come standard, with 19-inch dark-graphite matte wheels optional. Up front, the bumper and grille are unique to the R, and “R” badges are added to both the grille and the liftgate. In the rear, there is a prominent rear diffuser and quad exhaust tips.
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It’s an enticing package in totality, and I remain curious as to why it won’t come to the U.S. If the Volkswagen lineup has a hole here, it’s for a subcompact SUV to fit below the embiggened Tiguan, which pushes the upper boundary of what can be called a “compact” SUV. The T-Roc is about 10 inches shorter than the Tiguan and would fill that space rather nicely (hint hint). No official on-sale date or pricing is available yet for the T-Roc R … not that it matters … and not that I’m bitter.
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