Volkswagen T-Roc Cabriolet Is A Crossover For Droptop Lovers

Droptop crossovers have always been rather odd and the T-Roc Cabriolet is no different. It will be the only convertible Volkswagen on sale for the foreseeable future and will celebrate its public debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September.

Rather than simply removing the roof of the standard T-Roc, Volkswagen has drastically altered the vehicle’s structure and body. In fact, its wheelbase is 37 mm longer than the standard T-Roc while its overall length is up by 34 mm. In addition, the Volkswagen T-Roc Cabriolet features structural strengthening in the underbody, side panels, cross members, doors, and windscreen frame to make up for the lack of a roof.

The folding fabric roof developed by Volkswagen retracts in just nine seconds at speeds of up to 19 mph (30.5 km/h) and is similar in operation to the roof of the outgoing Golf Cabriolet. The presence of the soft top reduces trunk space by 161 liters down from the 284 liters of the run-of-the-mill T-Roc. We don’t think buyers will be too fussed about this, however, because no one buys a convertible if practicality and luggage space is important to them.

The German car manufacturer will sell the new T-Roc Cabriolet with a 1.0-liter three-cylinder petrol engine delivering 113 hp and a 1.5-liter four-cylinder petrol with 148 hp from launch. The latter of these engines is mated exclusively to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic while the 1.0-liter model has a six-speed manual.

Two design packages will be made available. The first, dubbed the Style package, features 17-inch wheels, standard ambient lighting, and an available leather interior package. Also available is the R-Line trim that adds fog lights, leatherette sport seats, 17-inch wheels, and some tweaked body panels.

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