- volkswagen is reviving the golf cabriolet—sort of—in the form of the t-roc cabriolet, which it will introduce at the frankfurt auto show next month.
- this topless t-roc won't come to the united states, but we really wish vw would change its mind about that.
- two turbocharged engines, a four-cylinder and a three-cylinder, will be offered.
not since the days of the vw thing have we seen a subcompact convertible suv, but the t-roc cabriolet is set to rectify this injustice when it makes its debut at the frankfurt auto show in september. based on the the europe-market t-roc suv, the cabriolet comes with a power-operated soft top that opens in as little as nine seconds and can be operated at speeds up to 19 mph.
unfortunately, volkswagen isn't earmarking the t-roc or the t-roc cabriolet for sale in the united states. it's a shame, too, because it's adorable and would surely find homes across the sun belt.
the exterior styling is cheeky and fun, especially in sportier r-line guise. the softtop's sloped roofline reminds us of the now discontinued range rover evoque convertible. ultimately, though, it just makes us nostalgic for the old volkswagen cabriolet. all it needs is the golf's signature roll hoop to be a near match.
two turbocharged engines will be offered—a 1.0-liter three-cylinder or a 1.5-liter four-cylinder—paired to either a six-speed manual or seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. an 8.0-inch infotainment touchscreen and a digital gauge display are both optional, and the t-roc cabriolet will be available with vw's mib3 infotainment system, which has onboard internet connectivity.