First Drive: 2022 Volkswagen T-Roc R

Apples, the expression says, should only be compared with apples, but how much scope for variation is permitted within a genotype while still allowing an accurate and credible account?

Can the tart and verdant Granny Smith really go-head-to head with a succulent and sherbet-like Cox’s Orange Pippin and expect a fair fight? And if cider is your game I challenge anyone to find a finer specimen than the Kingston Black with its complex tannins, high sugar levels and puckering astringency decidedly wiping the floor with any dessert apple under the sun.

Speaking of tempting treats, here is the Volkswagen T-Roc R presented in blushing red, crisp and ripe for the tasting. Think of it as the same attractive small-to-mid-sized SUV package you get from the existing T-Roc range but with a serpent’s sales pitch and something a little more sinful.

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Instead of the milder 1.5-litre and 2.0-litre engines common to the rest of the family, the R denotes something more exciting under the bonnet and the same 2.0-litre turbocharged powertrain you’ll find powering the potent Golf R along with a host of accompanying refinements and additions to warrant the Volkswagen performance halo branding.

It won’t arrive on Australian shores until about July 2022 but when it does, it’ll go up against other classy high-performance go-anywhere models including the closely related Audi SQ2 as well as the Mini Countryman JCW, BMW X2 M235i, Jaguar E-Pace P300, Mercedes-AMG GLA35 and Volvo XC40 T5. Or will it?

My first drive of the T-Roc R’s twin-under-the-skin SQ2 was in the vaulting mountains of the Austrian Alps and in the name of context and consistency I’ve returned to the stunning scenery for a first blast in the Dub, because It’s okay to compare a Pink Lady with a Sundowner as long as they were picked in the same orchard.

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Volkswagen is yet to confirm pricing for Australia but it will almost certainly be a giant-killing bargain by comparison.

Volkswagen is yet to confirm pricing for Australia but it will almost certainly be a giant-killing bargain by comparison. The current T-Roc flagship – the 140TSI Sport – costs $41,000 before on-roads and it too gets a 2.0-litre bolted to AWD. If the R comes in at even $15,000 more it’ll still be cheaper than anything remotely similar and substantially less expensive than every rival with comparable power – but let’s wait and see.

If we’re close, that’s sharp value before you even get to the standard equipment but when you do, the T-Roc R feels anything but cheap.

There’s smartphone mirroring via a crisp 8.0-inch central touchscreen complemented by 10.2-inch digital driver’s instruments, all-LED exterior lighting, keyless entry and start, adaptive dampers, 19-inch wheels, a sports interior with combination cloth/Alcantara upholstery and extensive driver assistance and safety systems.

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A head-up display, sunroof and electrically adjustable seats are a few notable exclusions for this particular vehicle, while some cheap plastics were not, but the Australian jury is still out on all that stuff. Don’t be surprised if we get a little more premium offering as standard.

What it definitely will get, however, is the defining donk under its bonnet; a prodigiously powerful EA888 four-cylinder that puts out an effervescent 221kW and 400Nm via all four wheels through the proprietary 4Motion and seven-speed dual clutch powertrain – all of which is donated by the Golf R.

That means strong, consistent acceleration whether it’s dragging on dry roads or finding a line through unsealed mountain passes – officially the dash to 100km/h from nothing takes 4.8 seconds. Braking is similarly confident with rotors donated by the special Performance Pack option available for the Golf R with a 430mm diameter disc albeit with sliding single-piston calipers.

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Several driving modes are available but they’re buried in touchscreen menus and the default normal mode is absolutely the best all-rounder that preserves a respectable level of sportiness without spoiling the pleasant ride. As this is the T-Roc though, it gets a few different terrain modes to fiddle with as well, boosting the versatility compared with its hot hatch sibling.

This particular car was fitted with the optional titanium Akrapovic exhaust that looks a million bucks, a million times classier than the standard chrome quad-tip affair. Although it adds a slightly meaner note, we would expect a bit more brat-brapp to justify the added expense.

The single choice of ubiquitous dual-clutch auto brings a familiarly likeable balance of urgent and aggressive cog-swaps but intuitively smooth shifting when required and the paddleshifters were rarely grabbed at.

As the scenery blurs along, it’s difficult to identify an arch-rival for the R. Something about its suspension feels livelier than the SQ2, with an almost complete refusal to understeer.

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More options, terrain modes and customisation features broaden the appeal of the new T-Roc flagship, but there’s a simplicity to the new variant that could be better celebrated and its beautifully deft fire-and-forget nature is one of its greatest strengths. If it was a smartphone, I’d be sticking with the ringtone and screensaver it came with out of the box.

As the scenery blurs along, it’s difficult to identify an arch-rival for the R. Something about its suspension tune feels livelier than the SQ2, with an almost complete refusal to understeer and beautifully confident front-end grip adding to a similar stubbornness experienced in its resistance to body roll. That said, body control is excellent while the ride is not crashy or severe.

Actually, there’s an unexpected serenity to the R’s cruising nature thanks partly to the Hankook Ventus S1 Evo rubber that strikes a lovely balance of low noise, grip and comfort, as well as those adaptive dampers. In the zone from 130km/h to 180km/h the T-Roc feels fundamentally competent and defies its measurements with a stability more common to large SUVs on the freeway. And while it weighs an average 1575kg, it carries it with the stamina of a marching marine.

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And while the spectacular scenery is passing by so fast, it’s easy to forget there is a boot 12 litres bigger than a Golf's following you around (392L) along with three adult-sized seats in the second row, and a chassis that offers a modicum of off-road ability rolling underneath. Hell, it even did an average of 7.8 litres per 100km.

With its combination of high-speed comfort for when the way ahead is straight but a brutish confidence to tackle corners when it isn’t, the T-Roc R has an almost mystic ability to shorten distances and evaporate time. Ironically though, you’ll almost always want to take the longer route.

In many ways, the T-Roc R is the perfect interpretation of VW's first principles and exactly where the brand should be positioning itself in the market. Rather than trying to compete with the high-premium offerings that come with luxury price tags to match, the hottest T-Roc has comparable performance paired with no-nonsense level of specification and a price that you can expect to be as sharp as its looks.

Until Skoda rolls out an RS version of its Karoq, Audi announces a substantially cheaper SQ2-lite, or perhaps Cupra weighs in with something similar, this is the small high-performance SUV to have – and there’s nothing sinful about that.

EDITOR'S NOTE: While the review above shows a mix of press images and our journalist's own road–trip photos, you can click on any of the photos to enter our gallery, where you'll find a bevy of dynamic press photos.

2022 Volkswagen T-Roc R specifications