Photo: X-Tomi Design
The EPA can disagree, but downsizing doesn't work. That's why the 200 horsepower performance crossover we want needs to have a big 2-liter engine, as this imaginary T-Roc GTI would get.
For whatever reason, Volkswagen employees are dreaming of the T-Roc R, not the GTI. We don't know if it has to do with the AWD, the flagship status or the simple fact that the GTI name is cherished like a pagan idol.
But the simple fact of the matter is that the T-Roc is based on the same platform as the 2018 Polo, which has a 200 horsepower GTI model. Over the years, Volkswagen strayed away from the path of downsizing, replacing the twin-charged 1.4-liter with a 1.8-liter in the previous GTI and now using a 2-liter turbo making 200 horsepower.
But we think the output would be too low for the T-Roc GTI, as the regular version of the crossover already goes up to 190 HP. Now, the regular Nissan Juke 1.6 and the Juke Nismo are also pretty close in output, but that's because of the small engine's limitations. Here, a 230 or even 245 HP 2.0 TSI could easily be sourced from the Golf GTI.
But by the time you add that, an AWD system and a DSG gearbox, you end up with a 4.2-meter crossover that costs about €35,000. Hence, it really would be better for Volkswagen to stick an R badge on the rump and call it a "flagship crossover."
X-Tomi Design's rendering makes us sorry to say that. Red paint and black accents work well here. Some of the styling at the front looks a little forced, but add a honeycomb grille and a GTI logo to any Volkswagen, and it will look the part. Also part of the transformation is plenty of skirts and spoilers, 18-inch wheels, lowered suspension and presumably a twin exhaust system.
But the simple fact of the matter is that the T-Roc is based on the same platform as the 2018 Polo, which has a 200 horsepower GTI model. Over the years, Volkswagen strayed away from the path of downsizing, replacing the twin-charged 1.4-liter with a 1.8-liter in the previous GTI and now using a 2-liter turbo making 200 horsepower.
But we think the output would be too low for the T-Roc GTI, as the regular version of the crossover already goes up to 190 HP. Now, the regular Nissan Juke 1.6 and the Juke Nismo are also pretty close in output, but that's because of the small engine's limitations. Here, a 230 or even 245 HP 2.0 TSI could easily be sourced from the Golf GTI.
But by the time you add that, an AWD system and a DSG gearbox, you end up with a 4.2-meter crossover that costs about €35,000. Hence, it really would be better for Volkswagen to stick an R badge on the rump and call it a "flagship crossover."
X-Tomi Design's rendering makes us sorry to say that. Red paint and black accents work well here. Some of the styling at the front looks a little forced, but add a honeycomb grille and a GTI logo to any Volkswagen, and it will look the part. Also part of the transformation is plenty of skirts and spoilers, 18-inch wheels, lowered suspension and presumably a twin exhaust system.
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