Why the hell is this even a thing?
Despite the relative lack of sales success of the Range Rover Evoque cabriolet and the Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet, it seems that Volkswagen thinks it can do it better with the advent of the T-Roc drop-top, which will arrive in showrooms sometime in 2020. With two fewer doors, less practicality, and a ridiculous roofline, Volkswagen reckons that this is the convertible crossover that you never knew you needed.
This writer already questions the existence of coupe SUVs with their silly rooflines and hampered practicality, so this is just stupid. But Volkswagen says that considering that the crossover segment is set to grow by some 40% in the coming years, they’ve rationalised the offering of such a head-scratching variant of the T-Roc (which, by the way, we aren’t going to get for a while).
The sole teaser sketch of the T-Roc convertible shows off a canvas top and a revised rear end (with a decklid), elongated front doors, and a more dramatically-tapering roof. No technical details were offered with the release of the sketch, though it’s safe to assume that the underpinnings of the T-Roc won’t be too affected. That in mind, expect to see a range of three- and four-pot turbo mills running petrol or diesel providing motive power for the T-Roc cabriolet, with either front- or all-wheel drive, and a double-clutch gearbox in the middle.
*the aforementioned Range Rover and Nissan. The latter was killed off after just 4-years in production. The former, unfortunately, lives on.
Volkswagen has shown its willingness to go down this path before: In 2016, the company showed off the T-Cross Breeze, a two-door compact crossover with a foldable roof and a design that eventually translated into the production-ready T-Roc. As this story develops we will continue to rally against it, but be sure to stay tuned to CarShowroom as we bring you more updates as they come.
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