Volkswagen has revealed a drop-top iteration of its T-Roc SUV, the T-Roc Cabriolet. Claimed to bring an “extroverted and emotive design” to the brand’s range, the Cabriolet will make its public debut at the 2019 Frankfurt motor show in September.

Far from chopping the roof off a standard T-Roc, the Cabriolet’s body and structure are mostly new, with 37mm added to the wheelbase and a 34mm increase in overall length. Unique design elements on the convertible include the absence of rear doors as well as a different rear-end design. There is also structural strengthening in the underbody, windscreen frame, side panels, cross members and doors. Engineers are confident that it would achieve a similar 5-star score as the hard-top T-Roc in Euro NCAP crash tests.

The soft-top itself features a mechanism that’s similar in concept to the outgoing Golf Cabriolet’s, with the roof stowing in an exposed compartment above the boot rather than under a panel. This allows it to be one of the fastest-opening roofs, retracting in just 9sec via a switch on the centre console or the key, at vehicle speeds of up to 30kph.

The T-Roc Cabriolet’s roof design is also space efficient, allowing for two usable rear seats – with enough leg and head room for six-footers to be comfortable on short journeys – and a 284-litre boot (down 161 litres from the standard T-Roc). VW claims noise levels are kept low by specially developed door and roof seals.

Only two petrol engines will be offered with the Cabriolet at launch – a 115hp, 1.0-litre three-cylinder engine and a 150hp, 1.5-litre four-cylinder unit. While the 1.0 can only be had with a 6-speed manual gearbox, the 1.5 gets the option of a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic as well. There are no plans for diesel engines to be offered.

While VW is considering bringing the standard T-Roc to India as a CBU under the government’s new 2,500 unit annual import quota, it is not known whether the T-Roc Cabriolet will form a part of the carmaker’s plans for our market.

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