Photo: X-Tomi Design
Volkswagen made it quite clear that convertibles were a bad idea back when it pulled the plug on the Eos and Golf 6 Cabrio. However, the company still developed the roofless T-Roc, which we think was a mistake.
Yes, cabriolets aren't profitable. They sell in lower volumes, appear to be more difficult to own, less economical, not to mention the added cost of procuring them in the first place. Excluding maybe the Miata and Abarth 500C, we can't fully get behind anything cheap and open-top.
Volkswagen doesn't openly talk about why it made the T-Roc Cabrio, though we think it's got something to do with a specific demographic made up of young women that are into crossovers but also want to stand out.
But there's something fundamentally wrong with that idea. The industry as a whole is getting more feature-oriented. Just look at Tesla, which has been making the same shape of a car over and over again, yet is at the top of its game because the tech is innovative and the features get updated. You couldn't do that with the T-Roc Cabrio. Since it's a separate chassis, every new engine needs more testing than it's probably worth financially.
So what you'll be left with is a cool idea in concept but a car that feels outdated. Just picture the T-Roc's current interior and compare it to what the Golf is bringing to the table - new shifter, dual screens and so on.
And as for the exterior, we're not huge fans of the Golf 8, but the T-Roc is much worse, especially at the front. If you still have trouble imagining what a Golf 8 Cabrio looks like, you can thank X-Tomi Design for the rendered solution. A Golf 8 Cabrio would also be less of guilty buy, as it would have access to mild-hybrid or even plug-in powertrains. However, for a truly fresh take, we'd still want to see a 300 horsepower EV with a cool retractable targa top. How much for one of those?
Volkswagen doesn't openly talk about why it made the T-Roc Cabrio, though we think it's got something to do with a specific demographic made up of young women that are into crossovers but also want to stand out.
But there's something fundamentally wrong with that idea. The industry as a whole is getting more feature-oriented. Just look at Tesla, which has been making the same shape of a car over and over again, yet is at the top of its game because the tech is innovative and the features get updated. You couldn't do that with the T-Roc Cabrio. Since it's a separate chassis, every new engine needs more testing than it's probably worth financially.
So what you'll be left with is a cool idea in concept but a car that feels outdated. Just picture the T-Roc's current interior and compare it to what the Golf is bringing to the table - new shifter, dual screens and so on.
And as for the exterior, we're not huge fans of the Golf 8, but the T-Roc is much worse, especially at the front. If you still have trouble imagining what a Golf 8 Cabrio looks like, you can thank X-Tomi Design for the rendered solution. A Golf 8 Cabrio would also be less of guilty buy, as it would have access to mild-hybrid or even plug-in powertrains. However, for a truly fresh take, we'd still want to see a 300 horsepower EV with a cool retractable targa top. How much for one of those?
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