Volkswagen T-Roc Cabriolet revealed

Move over Range Rover Evoque Convertible, there’s a new drop-top SUV in town and it comes in the form of the Volkswagen T-Roc Cabriolet, which was confirmed for production in 2018 and spied in testing just recently.

Revealed ahead of its world public debut at the Frankfurt motor show next month, Volkswagen’s newest convertible is based on the T-Roc that’s due on sale in Australia alongside another small SUV – the T-Cross – early next year.

In this case, however, the open-air small SUV sheds two doors and replaces its steel roof with a cloth soft-top, making it the world’s only convertible crossover following the demise of Land Rover’s insta-famous Evoque Convertible.

While the Volkswagen T-Roc 140TSI 4MOTION SUV will come Down Under in April priced at about $37,000, followed by less expensive versions later on, the T-Roc Cabriolet could also join the range Down Under.

“We’ve not sold a soft-top since Mark 6 Golf Cabrio,” Volkswagen Group Australia’s general manager of corporate communications Paul Pottinger told carsales.

“That said, should this new variant become available to us, we’d surely be interested.”

In Europe, the two-door, four-seat drop-top crossover will be offered in two variants -- entry-level Style and more performance-focused R-Line, the latter gaining fog lights, a mixture of fabric and leather-appointed seats and specially tuned running gear and steering.

In both models, the powered soft-top opens in a claimed nine seconds and can be activated at speeds of up to 30km/h. A top-hinged boot is capable of holding 284 litres of cargo.

There are pop-up rollover hoops hidden behind the twin rear head restraints, plus reinforcements for the windscreen frame, underbody, side panels, cross members and doors.

Riding on a 37mm longer wheelbase than the hard-top, the Volkswagen T-Roc Cabriolet is also 34mm longer overall and front seat occupants sit 599mm above the road.

As with the hard-top T-Roc, a raft of safety equipment is standard, including autonomous emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian detection, lane keeping assist and automatic post-collision braking, plus an 8.0-inch infotainment touch-screen.

Exactly which variants and drivetrains may reach the Aussie market is yet to be confirmed, but other markets will be offered 85kW/200Nm 1.0-litre three-cylindr and 110kW/250Nm 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engines matched with six-speed manual and seven-speed DSG auto transmissions.

If it’s sold here, expect a single high-spec variant powered by the larger engine and fitted with premium equipment like 19-inch alloy wheels.

European owners can also upgrade to a 400-Watt Beats Audio system and an 11.7-inch Active Info Display, but off-roading isn’t recommended as the T-Roc Cabriolet will only be offered in front-wheel drive form.