Volkswagen T-Roc R 2024 Review

Pricing for the 2024 Volkswagen T-Roc R starts at $63,490 plus on-road costs. There have been numerous price rises across the VW range in recent months, the T-Roc R itself having increased more than $4000 in less than 18 months.

This is a whopping (but not unjustified) $15,500 premium over the next rung on the T-Roc ladder, the visually similar R-Line AWD, now that the Grid Edition – a special model created thanks to various supply issues – has been discontinued.

It is worth noting, however, that currently the MY23 T-Roc R is available for $64,990 drive-away until March 31 or while stocks last.

Bar its Audi SQ2 sibling (same engine and platform) at $69,700 plus ORCs, there really isn’t any other competitor to the VW T-Roc R – no other small SUV from a mainstream brand has anything like this power and performance.

There are lower-slung rivals within the VW family with a similar mix of pace and practicality like the Volkswagen Golf GTI (from $56,090) and Skoda Octavia RS (from $58,490), but the Subaru WRX tS Sportwagon (from $58,990) is worth a mention.

As befits its status at the top of the range, the 2024 Volkswagen T-Roc R comes with a lot of kit as standard.

An extensive body kit with gloss black trim, chrome roof rails, mirrors and exhausts, 19-inch wheels, adaptive Matrix LED headlights and tinted LED tail-lights differentiate it externally.

On the inside there’s keyless entry/start, dual-zone climate control, heated and electrically-adjustable front sport seats with three-position memory for the driver, Nappa leather upholstery, a heated sport steering wheel and an electric tailgate.

All six paint colours – white, grey, silver, black, blue and red – are no-cost options, but the $1200 Black Style pack offers black mirrors, roof rails, body strip, roof and interior trim, the panoramic glass sunroof is $2000 and the $250 Lapiz Blue Matte decorative inlays are likely to be an acquired taste.

The standard five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty applies with services required every 12 months or 15,000km. VW offers three- ($1700) or five-year ($2950) pre-paid service plans, which are worth considering as the latter will save you almost $700 over the first five visits.

The 2024 Volkswagen T-Roc R is now listed as unrated as its five-star ANCAP rating from 2017 has expired – despite the model only being introduced to Australia in 2020.

Nevertheless, its credentials are still sound with front, side and curtain airbags and VW’s full IQ.Drive safety suite including adaptive cruise control, autonomous emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian detection, lane assist and departure warning, park assist for parallel and perpendicular manoeuvres, rear cross traffic alert, a rear view camera and front and rear parking sensors.

The 2024 Volkswagen T-Roc R is clearly a last-generation product but that isn’t a criticism. You’ve probably read plenty of comments about the infotainment systems in newer VWs like the Mk8 Golf, and while the next-generation system has more features and looks sleeker, in terms of useability the older car is a definite winner.

This is partly because VW’s last system, from the era of the Mk7.5 Golf, is particularly easy to use and understand yet still has the benefit of wireless smartphone mirroring (Apple and Android).

At 9.2 inches the screen is enormous but it’s big enough and there’s also AM/FM/DAB+ radio, satellite navigation, wireless phone charging (and a duo of USB-C ports front and rear), voice and gesture control, and it all plays through a 300W six-speaker (plus subwoofer) stereo.

Behind the steering wheel is a widescreen digital instrument display with multiple views to choose from, whether it be a pair of traditional dials, full screen navigation, trip or assistance information or plenty of combinations of each.

If you want the maximum amount of power in a VW for the smallest possible outlay then the 2024 Volkswagen T-Roc R is where you’ll find it.

It doesn’t quite have the full 235kW/400Nm whack of the Volkswagen Golf R, but at 221kW/400Nm it’s very close behind and the 0-100km/h claim of 4.9sec reflects this, trailing the hot hatch by just 0.1sec. And for $7000 less!

If you’re feather of foot on the highway the 2024 Volkswagen T-Roc R may well dip into the 6L/100km bracket.

Conversely, hard use will see it slurp 98RON premium unleaded at almost 20L/100km, but in typical use you’re likely to hover around the 9L/100km bracket depending on your driving circumstances.

If you’ve driven a last-generation VW Golf R then the 2024 Volkswagen T-Roc R is going to feel very familiar. Aside from sitting a fraction higher, this is essentially a hot hatch and a pretty good one at that.

It is properly fast. The EA888 is a great engine that’s responsive, powerful and revs hard. It’s everything you could want, really, and the seven-speed dual-clutch is a fine partner when you’re driving with verve, though as ever you’ll have to put up with some low-speed hesitation as the computer sorts out the clutch release.

There are five driving modes to choose from – Eco, Comfort, Normal, Race and the customisable Individual – that alter steering weight, throttle response, gearbox mapping, suspension stiffness and more, and they are useful.

The ride is on the firmer side but knocking the suspension into Comfort – there are just three settings to choose from rather than the 15 in newer VW products – soaks up most bumps acceptably.

Individual is also handy as Comfort mode means the powertrain is pretty dozy, so pepping that up but retaining the softer suspension is a good compromise for daily use.

Possibly the T-Roc R’s greatest shortcoming is a serious amount of road noise on coarse-chip surfaces, of which there are many in Australia. It can easily be drowned out by the stereo but you’re likely to need to have it a few notches higher than normal.

Of course, the reason you’re interested in a T-Roc R rather than one of the more prosaic models is performance and handling. Again, it impresses. It’s not as capable as the previous-gen Golf R – it’s a little higher, a little heavier – but especially on the road it’s as near as makes no difference.

Strong brakes, plenty of grip, ample composure when thrown through corners, a bit of body movement to keep you entertained, it’s a proper performance car that could embarrass much more serious machinery in the right hands.

Being Haldex-based rather than having the fancy rear diff of the new Mk8 Golf R, the T-Roc still feels to pull you rather than push you – in other words, the front wheels feel to be doing the lion’s share of the work – but there is ample traction.

We didn’t test it on this occasion, but we suspect that on a loose surface the T-Roc R would be an enormous amount of fun.

If you’re wondering why the 2024 Volkswagen T-Roc R has such a price advantage over the Golf R, stepping inside quickly answers the question.

This isn’t to insinuate it’s bad, but aside from the tech being a generation behind, hard plastic proliferates across the doors and dash. Just like many hot hatches, this is the price you pay for being based on a much cheaper car.

There are plenty of good bits, though. The sports seats are nicely supportive, hooray for hard buttons for the climate control and commonly used functions, the steering wheel is the proper R unit and the giant shift paddles look and feel great.

On the downside, the haptic steering wheel controls mean that in enthusiastic driving you’re likely to either constantly activate either the steering wheel heating or R mode depending on which way your weight is shifting. This may depend on where you hold the wheel, but it was an issue for me.

The T-Roc is also marginal for family duties. If you’re not buying it with that in mind disregard, but if you are hoping this small SUV can do it all you might struggle.

Fitting a rear-facing child seat requires a significant compromise in terms of front passenger space, though front-facing is much easier. Even so, the 392L boot is just a bit tight in terms of all the stuff young kids need to come along. Could be fine, but make sure you have a poke around in person.

The sales figures suggest that you don’t need our encouragement to buy the 2024 Volkswagen T-Roc R, but it’s not difficult to see why the package is proving popular.

Combine small SUV practicality and useability with hot hatch performance and a price tag that – by 2024 standards at least – is quite palatable, and you can’t go wrong.

2024 Volkswagen T-Roc R at a glance:
Price: $63,490 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 221kW/400Nm
Transmission: Seven-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel: 8.0L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 182g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Unrated