Welcome to our first drive of the Volkswagen T-Roc R Grid Edition. In this case,
does a little bit less add up to just a little bit more? Let's find out.
The T-Roc is Volkswagen's smallest SUV and the R is the highest performance model in the range.
The Grid Edition is an Australian-only model that is a response to the global microchip
shortage. It strips out some gear and cuts the price compared to the R, but retains the same
sparkling performance. That performance comes courtesy of this 221 kW version of Volkswagen's
EA888 two-liter turbo petrol engine, that's also seen in other members of the R family.
The 7-speed DSG gearbox and the 4MOTION all-wheel-drive system is also part of the R car
lineup. The 4.9 seconds nought to 100 kilometer an hour time is pretty hot for a compact SUV. You'll
struggle to find anything at this money matching the Grid Edition. Picking the Grid Edition from
the more expensive T-Rock R isn't that easy. There's different alloys, black roof rails,
a manual tailgate, slightly different LED head and taillights, and some badging. It's
in the cabin and under the skin where the Grid Edition has some equipment deleted compared to
the T-Rock R. Heated, powered, leather seats have been omitted and so has some safety gear,
including Blind Spot Assist. The Grid Edition is instantly comfortable in that typical Volkswagen
way. With a supportive driver's seat and a sport steering wheel that adjusts through a wide range.
The Grid Edition houses its infotainment information in this 9.2 inch color touchscreen,
while the instrument panel is also digital and can flip through multiple views. Being little
more than 4.2 meters long, the Grid Edition is not that generous in the rear seat. You notice it
mostly in terms of leg room. You also notice that there's more hard plastics obvious back here than
in the front seat. The perceived quality isn't as high. However, you do get some good features like
these USB-C ports and these air conditioning vents. With a 392 liter boot, the Grid Edition
can pack in a fair amount of gear. But what we're really here to do is find out how much driving fun
it can actually pack in. So let's go do that and find out. I don't think there's a car brand in the
world that does a better job of making the first few driving minutes feel so comfortable as what
Volkswagen does. And the T-Rock R Grid Edition is no exception. It's just ready and eager to go.
Thanks to plentiful torque, the engine is broad, deep, and flexible in its responses. There's
no need to thrash through the gears trying to keep it on the boil. It's always ready to go.
Lowered sport suspension and adaptive shocks deliver the T-Rock R Grid Edition with a really
versatile and adaptable chassis. Stick it in Comfort Mode and it can cruise around the burbs.
Wind it up to Race Mode and it hunts corners like these with real enthusiasm.
The torque vectoring and Drift Modes that feature in other R models don't make it into the T-Rock R,
but that's something that's not badly missed. In fact, it's not really missed at all. Considering
only the Polo GTI is a cheaper sports model in the VW range, the T-Rock R Grid Edition is as
close to a sports bargain as you're going to get in these times of rapidly escalating car prices.
There are just 300 of these T-Rock R Grid Editions coming to Australia. So
if you want one, you are gonna have to do what it does, move quickly.