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Volkswagen T-Roc Cabriolet 2020.

Volkswagen T-Roc Cabriolet — how the T-Roc crossover turned into a convertible.
The popular German brand really surprised its fans by presenting to the audience a new convertible — T-Roc 2020, a month before its official premiere, which will take place at the Frankfurt Motor Show.

By the way, Volkswagen did not produce convertibles for many years until recently. The latest VW Eos retractable roof model was discontinued a long time ago, and what prompted the brand’s marketers to make a new move into this market is not clear, given that recent similar versions of competitors have not been successful.

Perhaps the guys from Volkswagen turned their heads by the good sales of the T-Rock SUV, which, in fact, became the donor for the Cabriolet version, because in two years it sold more than 380,000 units in total.

It is worth noting that for the release of the new item, the base T-Rock was significantly redesigned, because it would be too easy to cut off the roof, and sales in this case would repeat the fate of competitors. We will consider what happened in the end below.

Specifications

The exact trim levels have not yet been reported. Most likely, many details will simply be transferred to a novelty from the donor.
Today it is known that the car will receive two engines. One as a basic version, the second will be installed in the «business» package.

The cheap version will be equipped with a gasoline engine with only 1 liter of volume, but with a turbine. The power of the compact car with three cylinders will be 115 horses and 250 Nm. A 6-speed mechanics will also be installed here.

The more expensive version will receive a volume of 1.5 liters, 4 cylinders and, again, turbine support. The gasoline engine will be able to produce 150 hp. and the same 250 Hm. The engine company can be selected to choose from — either a 6-speed mechanics, or a 7-position robot.

Unlike its donor, the T-Roc convertible will not be all-wheel drive. The SUV received 4 × 4 when ordering the 4MOTION option, for a convertible such a solution is not yet planned, and it will remain only with front-wheel drive.

As already mentioned, it was not possible to simply cut off the roof of the crossover. To create a novelty, I had to work well with the body, security systems and wheelbase. Almost all parts received reinforcing panels, including reinforced windshield frame, thus increasing the body weight by 70 kg.

The wheelbase has expanded by 40 mm. Understandably, a hydraulic roof lift was registered in the luggage compartment, which is able to raise it even at a speed of 30 km / h.

Safety in the VW T-Roc has also been thought about. In the event of a rollover, the frame frame will fly out for the rear passengers in just a split second.

Electronic assistants are naturally included. Things like ABS, cruise, climate control, parking sensors, lane control, pedestrian recognition sensors have long become the default platform of the VW lineup.

Appearance

In addition to the absence of rear row doors, a fifth door and a roof, there were several other changes to the body. The convertible is 34 mm longer and 51 mm lower than the crossover.

The new dimensions are:

Length — 4268 mm;
Width — 1811 mm;
Height — 1522 mm;
The distance between the axles is 2630 mm.

Immediately in the salon, buyers will be offered a choice of 17, 18 or 19-inch original light-alloy wheels.
The front has the classic look of the latest models. The optics and the radiator grill are separated by a separate element and have become a little angular.

A logo flaunts in the middle of the grill. The fog lights are hidden in compartments at the bottom of the bumper. In general, everything is standard. There is also nothing special at the back. Even the traits of the donor are recognized.

But from the side you can see all the unusualness of a modern convertible. It is very unusual to look at due to its height and too pronounced wheel arches. If earlier convertibles were presented as trimmed sports coupes, then the same T-Roc looks more like some kind of castrated crossover, which, however, it is.

Additionally, it can be noted that the folding roof does not take up useful trunk space, but is separated into a special niche, so that the lifting mechanism will not interfere with folding things.

Salon

The salon has almost completely migrated from the donor. Although it is worth noting that the landing height has been increased to 599 mm. The rest is a standard VW interior, everything is simple and tasteful.

The tidy remains analog, in the middle is a multimedia screen. All trims are in uniform black leather tones. «Bumpy» chairs got a sporty shape. The steering wheel was slightly cut from below and endowed with chrome elements.

The rear sofa in the new T-Rock turned out to be two-seater and there are no amenities for the third passenger. If the interior seems too boring, the guys from the car dealership will offer a sports kit, which will offer a two-tone range with more expensive finishing materials.

Price and start date of sales

The exact dates of the start of sales are not yet discussed. The company is now actively modernizing its old plant in Osnabrück, after which the convertible will be able to get onto the assembly line.

VW representatives said they plan to start production in early 2020 and begin producing the first deliveries in the spring.

Nobody knows whether the T-Roc will be delivered to Russia, but given the brand’s loyalty to our market, the novelty should be introduced somewhere in Krasnodar or Sochi.

The estimated price so far revolves around 26 thousand euros, which is about 1.82 million rubles.