by Wallace Wyss –
OK, the Volkswagen Beetle Cabriolet is dead. So much for mining nostalgia. That’s over for VW. Now VW has introduced a new car but not sure if it’s for America yet. It was designed within VW by a team under Volkswagen Head of Design Klaus Bischoff.
The 2+2-seater VW T-Roc Cabriolet is based on the Modular Transverse Toolkit (MQB) an in-industry name for the chassis. The rear seats fold down.
The automatic top has three layers. It is opened and closed fully automatically. They brag you can put the top up while driving 30 mph. Forget about the top boot, the solid front cross strut acts as a cover.
Now some folks are wary of soft tops in case the car turns turtle. VW claims once it starts to roll, two thick panels extend behind the rear headrests to protect you. And overall the body compensates for the lack of a fixed roof.
If you pay extra you can get a Digital Cockpit with the infotainment system Discover Media.
There’s two lines, the Style Line that’s more design oriented and the R-Line, the performance model, available on the 1.5 TSI only, that has sports running gear, progressive steering and driving mode selection as standard.The R also has its own bumpers and sports convenience seats covered with fabric and leatherette.
Safety systems include Front Assist with City Emergency Braking System and pedestrian detection, the Automatic Post-Collision Braking System and Lane Assist. The standard wheels are 17-inch alloy wheels, but you can order larger wheels of 18 or 19 inch diameter.
There is no knowing what engines will come to the US. The base engine is a three-cylinder engine with an output of 85 kW/115 PS and torque of 200 Nm, while the four-cylinder 1.5 TSI delivers 110 kW/150 PS and 250 Nm. The standard gearbox with that is a six-speed manual but if you order the larger TSI that can be ordered with the seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox DSG.
Volkswagen adds this model to their SUVs which include the T-Cross, Touareg, Atlas and Teramont. The fastest-growing segment in the entire automotive sector is the compact SUV class. And now VW has one of the few SUV ragtops, maybe the only one.
Would it be too much to ask to offer it in 4WD? That Evoque was just too much money, and I can see this selling like hotcakes at $35,000…
Let us know what you think in the Comments.
THE AUTHOR: Wallace Wyss is the co-host of Autotalk, broadcasted weekly from KUCR-FM Riverside, California.
Nice of VW to re-offer the Plymouth PT Cruiser Convertible, years after its demise.
Ya beat me to it, LOL.
PT Cruiser side view, yeah except they forgot the roll bar. Did that roll bar work? I remember how shocked I was to see a Porsche 911 targa rolled over up in Lake Arrowhead and the “roll bar” had flattened out so I don’ t think roll bars should be offered unless they stay upward,i.e. roll. Course it being Arrowhead it might have fallen a few thousand feet down the mountain.