Volkswagen T-Roc R 2020 UK first drive

There’s no question about modern Volkswagen's ability to build an extremely desirable four-wheel-drive performance hatchback.

That car has a name, of course: the Golf R. But the proposition changed last week, because the Golf R officially went off sale (don’t worry, it will be back in Mk8 form) and the T-Roc R arrived to step into its 296bhp shoes.

Individual preferences being what they are, the fact that the T-Roc R is a crossover will automatically have made the notion of an ultra-quick, all-weather Volkswagen hatch less desirable to many people. And this being Autocar, you may well be one of them.

Equally, many people will only now begin to consider buying an ultra-quick, all-weather Volkswagen, because they can finally get one with crossover styling and a marginally roomier interior. 

And in this sense, the T-Roc R is quite a rare thing: the first Volkswagen R GmbH-developed SUV since the 2008 Touareg R50, which today is a model that any product planner would be escorted from the building at gunpoint for merely suggesting; it used a 5.0-litre V10 turbodiesel.

The point is that there may well be even greater demand for the T-Roc R than there was for the Golf R, and the owners will have subtly different priorities. Money will be a universal factor, however, because the T-Roc R costs more than £40,000 once you’ve ticked an option box or two – and we'll come back to that uncomfortable fact shortly.

We’ve driven this car before, in the sunny south of France; waterlogged Welsh roads feel a more representative test of its capabilities. 

First, though, you can tell an R-spec T-Roc by the new rear diffuser, skirts and wheelarch extensions, as well as additional daytime running lights at the front that sit within a new bumper. British cars also get 19in alloy wheels as standard to go with the 20mm drop in ride height. Then there are the quad exhausts, straight from the Golf R playbook; if you opt for the Akrapovič option, the tips are perforated. 

So, it doesn’t go under the radar like the Golf R Estate will, but it’s still reasonably subtle, especially in blue. 

The interior is more disappointing. The Alcantara-trimmed seats are comfortable and easy to slide into but fail to impart much in the way of occasion, while the quality of plastics below elbow height fails to live up to the £38,450 asking price. Typically for Volkswagen, the switchgear and infotainment are very well executed, but you can’t get away from the ergonomics and the practical ambience. In lesser T-Roc variants, the high ceiling and low transmission tunnel generate a welcome feeling of space, but for an R-branded product, it’s all a bit van-like. Except for the steering wheel, which is beautifully thin-rimmed and lovely to hold.