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Tiguan R, Arteon R and T-Roc R Are All Rumored to Debut in 2018

Today in rumors that may or may not be true, we're reporting that Volkswagen will launch three overpowered cars this year. The R-badged versions of the Tiguan, T-Roc, and Arteon will sit in the space currently occupied only by the Golf R.
Tiguan R, Arteon R and T-Roc Are All Rumored to Debut in 2018 12 photos
Photo: CarPix
Spyshots: Tiguan R Testing With RS3 Engine, Could Be an RS Q3 MuleSpyshots: Tiguan R Testing With RS3 Engine, Could Be an RS Q3 MuleSpyshots: Tiguan R Testing With RS3 Engine, Could Be an RS Q3 MuleSpyshots: Tiguan R Testing With RS3 Engine, Could Be an RS Q3 MuleSpyshots: Tiguan R Testing With RS3 Engine, Could Be an RS Q3 MuleSpyshots: Tiguan R Testing With RS3 Engine, Could Be an RS Q3 MuleSpyshots: Tiguan R Testing With RS3 Engine, Could Be an RS Q3 MuleSpyshots: Tiguan R Testing With RS3 Engine, Could Be an RS Q3 MuleSpyshots: Tiguan R Testing With RS3 Engine, Could Be an RS Q3 MuleSpyshots: Tiguan R Testing With RS3 Engine, Could Be an RS Q3 MuleSpyshots: Tiguan R Testing With RS3 Engine, Could Be an RS Q3 Mule
We know for sure that the Germans are planning to revive the R badge, but we didn't expect it to happen all at once and definitely not in the year of our Lord 2018.

The Tiguan and Arteon definitely exist, since one has been spotted a couple of times at the Nurburgring and the other was a hot top of discussion over in Wolfsburg. But both had that "maybe if the planets align" vibe around them.

German publication Auto Bild says something we already know about the Tiguan R - that it might be power by a 2.5-liter five-cylinder engine. It's got a whole lot more character than anything that Volkswagen makes, especially in the soundtrack department.

We tracked down last year's spy video just to show you what an awesomely weird combo an RS3 engine in the SUV body can be. We expect that to be the most popular of the three cars we talk about here, because honestly, everybody wants that engine.

The Arteon R is expected to go a different route, even though we would love to see another 2.5 TFSI. A VR6 with, again, 400 horsepower is expected to be dropped where the four-door coupe normally has a 2-liter four-banger. Volkswagen has already shown a powerful 6-cylinder in the Touareg, but this is an entirely different platform and setup.

Finally, there's the T-Roc R. If you've already seen this small crossover on the road, you'll know that it looks good, despite what reviews have said about the price and interior plastics. Sales are already pretty good, and the R version will only help with that.

Currently, the most powerful engine available has 190 HP and, in the T-Roc Sport, feels about as fast as an early Scirocco coupe. The R version is going to bump that rookie number up to the same 310 HP as the current Golf R.

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About the author: Mihnea Radu
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Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
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