Volkswagen reveals T-Roc Cabriolet
● New drop-top SUV revealed ● Prices from around £25,000
THIS is the brand-new Volkswagen T-Roc Cabriolet – and in a world of increasingly niche SUVs, this could be the peak of the genre. It joins the 302bhp T-Roc R as an offshoot of the standard SUV, and it will make its public debut at next month’s Frankfurt Motor Show.
In the UK, it marks the return of a convertible to VW's line-up; final orders for the Beetle Cabriolet were taken in February, and no drop-top has been in the range since.
It’s a car without a direct ancestor to look back upon, while the Range Rover Evoque Convertible is the only recent compact SUV to lose its roof. However, while that car was a totally radical departure for Land Rover, the T-Roc Cabriolet can at least hang a little of its image and purpose on the likes of the Mk1 Beetle Cabriolet, Karmann Ghia and Golf Cabriolet. To that end, it’ll be produced at the same Osnabruck factory as those cars, continuing 70 years of convertible production at the facility.
It’s also a segment below the Evoque in size, something VW marketing and sales boss Jürgen Stackmann believes is vital to the car’s chances of mainstream acceptance. He thinks that buyers won’t see this as a convertible SUV specifically, but rather, just a compact convertible car.
The T-Roc loses its rears doors and B-pillars in the transition to becoming a Cabriolet in order to accommodate the folding fabric hood. The electrically folding arms and brackets for the roof are positioned in the bodywork either side of the second row of seats, squeezing the back bench down to take just two rear passengers.
At the press of a button, the roof will fold away or reappear in nine seconds, and it
“The T-Roc Cabriolet continues 70 years of convertible production at VW’s Osnabruck factory”
can do this at speeds of up to 19mph. The mechanicals for the roof have been taken from the last Golf convertible, and the T-Roc uses the same MQB platform as that car.
To deal with the enormous loss of stiffness due to the absent roof and B-pillars, the chassis has been strengthened with new crossbeams, and the A-pillars have been reinforced, too. VW hasn’t revealed how much heavier the newcomer is, but history would suggest a few hundred kilos have been added.
Every piece of bodywork from the front wheelarches back is new, and the T-Roc Cabriolet actually grows in size compared with the five-door SUV. The wheelbase is up 40mm to 2,630mm, while the body grows in length to 4,268mm. Of course, the folding roof mechanism means that boot space is reduced, to 284 litres, and the opening is more of a chute than a wide hatch. The rear bench folds almost flat at the pull of a lever, however.
The roof will only be available in black fabric and it arches high and almost to the very end of the bootlid, to create as much headroom as possible. While the rear bench has been modified, up front the cabin environment does not change from the standard T-Roc, with an eight-inch touchscreen placed centrally. VW’s 11.7-inch Active Info Display digital instrument panel will be an optional extra.
As for engines, the entry-level car will use a 113bhp turbocharged 1.0-litre three-cylinder TSI petrol engine, with a six-speed manual gearbox driving the front wheels. One level up will be a 148bhp 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbo, again linked to a six-speed manual, with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic optional.
In the UK, the base model will come in Design trim, featuring 17-inch wheels as standard and part-leather upholstery available inside. An R-Line car has also been readied, with a sporty bodykit, 17-inch wheels, sports seats, lowered suspension and progressive steering fitted as standard.
The T-Roc Cabriolet will be on UK roads in spring 2020, priced from around £25,000.