The T-Roc R Grid Edition brings less gear and a lower price for Volkswagen’s fast and frenetic small SUV. Can less equal more?
- How much does the Volkswagen T-Roc R Grid Edition cost?
- What equipment comes with the Volkswagen T-Roc R Grid Edition?
- How safe is the Volkswagen T-Roc R Grid Edition?
- What technology does the Volkswagen T-Roc R Grid Edition feature?
- What powers the Volkswagen T-Roc R Grid Edition?
- How fuel efficient is the Volkswagen T-Roc R Grid Edition?
- What is the Volkswagen T-Roc R Grid Edition like to drive?
- Can the Volkswagen T-Roc R Grid Edition go off-road?
- What is the Volkswagen T-Roc R Grid Edition like inside?
- Should I buy a Volkswagen T-Roc R Grid Edition?
When life gives you lemons then make lemonade. That, folks, is the Volkswagen T-Roc R Grid Edition. Faced with faltering supply because of the global microchip shortage, Volkswagen Australia came up with a de-contented limited-edition version of the T-Roc R hot compact SUV to keep sales bubbling along. Critically, the Grid Edition keeps the key mechanical bits from the ‘R’ but cuts the price $6000, making it something of a performance bargain in these times of rapidly and dramatically escalating new vehicle prices.
How much does the Volkswagen T-Roc R Grid Edition cost?
The 2023 Volkswagen T-Roc R Grid Edition is a 221kW all-wheel drive performance-oriented compact SUV that costs $54,300 plus on-road costs.
That compares to the better-equipped Volkswagen T-Roc R at $60,300 plus ORCs. We’ll get into what the spec differences are between the two in a moment.
The Grid Edition’s pricing makes it the second-most-affordable performance model in the VW line-up, bested only by the $39,250 Volkswagen Polo GTI.
Despite being a flagship ‘R’ model, the Grid Edition undercuts the $55,490 Volkswagen Golf GTI on pricing, albeit only marginally.
Of course, getting hold of the GTI or any other Golf right now is almost impossible, so that’s another advantage of the hot T-Roc.
Beyond VW, the Grid Edition’s closest rival is the front-wheel drive Hyundai Kona N, the Mini Countryman JCW and the Grid Edition’s twin-under-the-skin – but pricier – Cupra Ateca VZx.
What equipment comes with the Volkswagen T-Roc R Grid Edition?
The key equipment omissions for the 2023 Volkswagen T-Roc R Grid Edition compared to the T-Roc R include lower-spec LED headlights and tail-lights, and the swap from a power to manually operated tailgate.
Inside, sports seats trade in Nappa leather for cloth/microfleece upholstery and delete heating and power adjustment from the driver’s seat.
There are also a couple of safety items that have been dropped which we will deal with in the safety section of the review.
Externally, the T-Roc R Grid Edition is distinguished by matte black 19-inch Pretoria alloy wheels and black roof rails. A Grid Edition badge is found on the tailgate. It all looks stealth and a bit menacing.
Standard equipment the Grid Edition does share with the T-Roc R includes dual-zone climate control with adjustable rear vents, keyless entry and start, aluminium finish for the accelerator and brake pedals, an electric park brake and a leather-trimmed flat-bottom steering wheel with dimpling and heating.
Metallic and pearl-effect paint is standard, as is a space-saver spare tyre. The only option is a $2000 panoramic sunroof.
The T-Roc R Grid Edition is covered by VW’s five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty. But note, any parts “damaged or affected” by motorsport activities including track days aren’t covered.
The Grid Edition is serviced every 15,000km or 12 months and VW does offer capped-price servicing. As of March 2023, the first five services come out at $3641, or an average $728.20. Alternately you can buy a five-year care plan in advance for $2950.
How safe is the Volkswagen T-Roc R Grid Edition?
Like the T-Roc R, the 2023 Volkswagen T-Roc R Grid Edition is unrated by ANCAP.
The mainstream T-Roc range gets a five-star ANCAP rating, albeit from 2017.
The equipment deleted from the Grid Edition compared to the R includes blind spot assist with rear traffic alert and an anticipatory safety system that closes the sunroof, tightens the seat belts and things like that when it judges you’re about to crash. This gear is also deleted from the mainstream T-Roc range for 2023.
The LED headlights are downgraded from Matrix with dynamic light assist to performance grade. This means they don’t shield oncoming drivers from glare, nor do they have a cornering function.
The LED tail-lights are downgraded from the premium spec that have dynamic indicators.
Safety gear the Grid Edition retains includes six airbags, autonomous emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian monitoring, adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go function, lane assist with departure warning and driver fatigue detection.
The lane assist does an unobtrusive job on straight roads. The stability control system’s intervention threshold can be raised via an ESC Sport button if you feel like a fang.
Parking and manoeuvring are aided by a reversing camera and front and rear parking sensors with both audio and visual guidance. Big windows are another practical aid for tight spaces.
All five passengers get three-point seatbelts, while there are three top-tether anchorages and two outboard ISOFIX mounts across the rear bench for child restraints.
What technology does the Volkswagen T-Roc R Grid Edition feature?
The 2023 Volkswagen T-Roc R Grid Edition’s infotainment interfaces include a 10.25-inch colour digital instrument cluster and a 9.2-inch colour touch-screen mounted tablet-style on the dashboard.
The former can be tuned through three different views that has traditional speedo and tachometer dials at one extreme and a full width sat-nav map at the other.
A digital speedo and gear indicator is included, while being an R model you can drill down to find a lap timer.
The touch-screen is how you access services such as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, both of which have wireless connection. Phones can also be inductively charged.
Other services provided by VW’s in-car technology include voice control, satellite navigation, Bluetooth connectivity and streaming and DAB+, AM and FM radio.
A six-speaker audio system supplies the sound and there are two USB-C sockets in both the front and rear compartments.
What powers the Volkswagen T-Roc R Grid Edition?
The 2023 Volkswagen T-Roc R Grid Edition is powered by VW’s ubiquitous EA888 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder engine.
In this case it makes 221kW at 5300-6600rpm and 400Nm from 2000-5300rpm.
The engine distributes drive to all four wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox and to all four wheels via VW’s multi-plate clutch 4MOTION system.
VW claims this translates to a 4.9sec 0-100km/h time for the Grid Edition (and R for that matter). There is a launch mode but it wasn’t sampled on the day.
If you’re thinking the Grid Edition’s drivetrain spec reads a bit familiar, you’re right. This combo – or something very close – is found in Golf R, Audi SQ2 and Cupra Ateca VZx, to name a few.
The latest Golf R has more gear, more power and a tricky rear diff with a drift function, but it’s also $16,690 more expensive … and currently unobtainable.
How fuel efficient is the Volkswagen T-Roc R Grid Edition?
The official combined fuel consumption claim for the 2023 Volkswagen T-Roc R Grid Edition is 8.3L/100km, which equates to CO2 emissions of 191g/km.
The claim is achieved with the help of engine start-stop on the recommended 98 RON fuel. The fuel tank is 55 litres.
According to the onboard trip computer, we averaged 8.7L/100km driving from downtown Melbourne to Marysville.
By the time we got up the hill to Lake Mountain it had escalated to 10L/100km.
The engine comes with a petrol particulate filter and is rated to the EU6 emissions level.
What is the Volkswagen T-Roc R Grid Edition like to drive?
Volkswagen does a great job of those first few driving minutes. Jump in just about any VW and it simply feels right. There is an accessibility and reward to the driving that is instant.
Maybe it’s because so much of the underlying tech is familiar from so many other models in the brand, but it is just easy to feel at home. VW must have sold many cars after short test drives thanks to this trait.
What that means when it comes to the 2023 Volkswagen T-Roc R Grid Edition is a delicately tuned demarcation between everyday useability and enthusiastic responses.
The engine is a cracker. Because it has so much torque at low to middling revs it’s not at all peaky. There’s no frantic thrashing up and down the gearbox on a winding road to keep it on the boil. Pulling power reigns supreme.
There’s no need to muck around with drive select modes because the engine responds best in Race (there is no Sport). It can feel a bit doughy under-foot in Comfort or Normal and you don’t get any crackly exhaust audio on the overrun (not that atmospherics are ever any closer than in the distance).
The DSG did not display too much evidence of the lagginess experienced in the past. But it tends to show up in slow-speed urban running and there wasn’t much of that going on. Some obvious thunking gearchanges were still part of the mix.
The 20mm lowered independent sports suspension employs adaptive dampers that obviously respond to different modes. They are truly firm in Race, settled for touring in Normal and acceptable for everyday driving around town without being truly supple in Comfort.
You’ll notice on coarse-chip surfaces the Hankook Ventus tyres generating some roar.
Punt along on a winding road and the Grid Edition’s torquey engine and adaptive chassis combine to deliver an involving and enjoyable experience, backed up by a responsive gearchange, strong ventilated disc brakes and accurate steering.
Pleasingly, you can mix and match modes. So if you want a Sport drivetrain, Normal damper mode and the lightest-effort Comfort steering set-up, you can do that via the Individual menu.
Fundamentally, the Grid Edition has a quick and grippy front-end for corner turn-in and a nailed-on rear-end for the mid-to-exit transition. While there’s a little vertical motion it copes well with mid-corner bumps. It’s a combination that delivers confidence.
For expert drivers it may be a little too distant, a little too safe and secure. Maybe Volkswagen needs a feral R+ performance grade?
Can the Volkswagen T-Roc R Grid Edition go off-road?
The answer to that question is yes, the 2023 Volkswagen T-Roc R Grid Edition can go off-road. Theoretically.
There are even two off-road modes in the driving profile selector including one dubbed ‘Expert’.
But we didn’t venture off-road, not even onto a gravel road. This drive was all about bitumen performance.
What is the Volkswagen T-Roc R Grid Edition like inside?
Like the driving, settling into the 2023 Volkswagen T-Roc R Grid Edition is welcoming experience. Little things, like grab handles on all the doors that are actually useable, are part of that.
The new front seats come with an appropriate suggestion of sporting VW tartan trim, are heavily bolstered and provide great support. They also come with manual height and lumbar adjust.
The steering wheel adjusts through an extensive reach and rake range and there is plenty of foot-room in the pedal box.
The most annoying thing for the driver is the buttons on the steering wheel can be accidentally activated as the palm of your hand rolls across the spokes when turning.
On the right spoke it was the steering wheel heating and on the left it was a shortcut to Race mode.
The instrument panel and the touch-screen are relatively easy to navigate, as long as you spend a few minutes familiarising yourself and don’t just randomly start stabbing at the controls (guilty!).
There are few tuneable dials. Volume is adjusted via plus and minus buttons on the left-hand side of the screen, as well as steering wheel controls. Air-conditioning can be adjusted via the touch-screen or dedicated controls in the centre stack.
The T-Roc measures up at only 4236mm long, so the amount of rear seat space is actually impressive. At 180cm with the driver’s seat set in my preferred position I was only slightly squeezed on leg space.
More of a negative was the way the rear seat area was obviously downgraded in terms of trim and materials compared to the front. Hard plastics and drab colours impact on perceived quality more than fundamental comfort, but it does feel like a cheaper car in the back.
Storage is generous enough in the cabin with door bins for all four outboard occupants (smaller in the back) and seat-back pockets in the rear. A drawer is hidden under the driver’s seat and a bin under the centre console arm rest.
There’s also a fold-down arm rest in the rear seat with two cup holders.
The boot measures up at 392 litres with the seats upright and 1237 litres with them split-folded.
There are hooks and bins in the boot but nothing special in the way of added storage compartments and so on. A removable luggage cover keeps your valuables hidden.
Should I buy a Volkswagen T-Roc R Grid Edition?
The 2023 Volkswagen T-Roc R Grid Edition is very easy to like.
It’s got a bubbling, happy drivetrain, an adjustable chassis that can cope with a range of driving requirements and it is still well equipped despite losing some gear.
Add in some very competitive pricing – again we stress that’s by modern day inflationary standard – and the T-Roc R Grid Edition stacks up as an appealing package.
Just 300 are so far confirmed for production, so if this sounds like your sort of car then head to your VW dealer.
This just might be one of the best bang-for-your-buck performance buys of 2023.
2023 Volkswagen T-Roc R Grid Edition at a glance:
Price: $54,300 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 221kW/400Nm
Transmission: Seven-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel: 8.3L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 191g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Not tested
Keyword: Volkswagen T-Roc R Grid Edition 2023 Review