Back in August this year (2022), I took VW’s latest T-Roc Cabriolet for a test. It’s the newly facelifted model and it comes in two engine sizes, a 1.0 and a 1.5 TSI. The one that I tested was the 1.5 TSI and it was hooked up to a seven-speed DSG gearbox.

I took the car to VW Festival at Harewood House in Leeds and what a weekend to have a convertible. It was the middle of a heatwave, 30 degrees. It was certainly a warm one. The car was quite the attraction. Not just because it’s the only convertible in VW’s range at present, but the colour drew everybody in. It’s a teal blue and it’s a really bright, summery blue. It looked fantastic in the sun.

On our way home from the show, I had the grace of a little cloud cover, giving a little respite from the sun over the top of my head. I’d never driven a convertible before, but driving one this weekend, I realised why so many people driving convertibles wear a peaked hat. When the sun is bright, and high in the sky, even if it’s over the top of your sunglasses, it can be quite tiring.

Engine

The engine in this car is a 1.5 TSI 150PS and that’s enough to carry the car on to 0-62 in 9.4 seconds and a top speed of over 127 miles an hour.

I’m testing the T-Roc on English roads, so couldn’t test the top speed, but the acceleration if you knock it into sport mode, and give it a bit of kick down, was pretty awesome.

Gearbox

This is a DSG model, so it does all the gear work for you. It pre-selects what gear you need and what you’re going to change into. But should the preference take you, then you can just knock the gearstick to the side, the ‘M’ comes up on the dashboard and everything’s all manual.

It’s got flappy paddles on the steering wheel, but you can also use the gearstick itself. So, there are loads of options for how you can drive, and you don’t have to accept that it’s automatic. Yeah, there’s no clutch, no clutch control, but you can still tell it what to do.

Driving Aids

As you’d expect, with anything new from the VW range, the T-Roc is full of driving aids. It’s got adaptive cruise control, lane assist, and speed sign recognition.

One of my favourite features is the adaptive cruise control (ACC). Using adaptive cruise control along with speed sign recognition, the T-Roc can automatically select the correct speed limit to set the cruise control to. But it doesn’t end there, as the cruise control is adaptive, it keeps you a safe distance from the cars ahead and adjusts your speed accordingly and it will automatically slow you down for corners and obstacles on the road ahead. Some might say that’s intrusive, but I like it. It’s a definite license saver.

It’s got another great gadget that I quite like. I really wish that my Polo had it because I hate the handbrake position on the Polo. In this, auto-hold handbrake.

Roof

The car has an electro-hydraulic roof. It takes just 9 seconds to open and 11 seconds to close. It’s all electronically controlled by a little switch down where you’d normally find the handbrake. You can open or close the roof while you drive, as long as you’re not going faster than 19 miles an hour.

Colour

Now, over the course of the weekend, I talked to a lot of people about the car. I had it at the side of our club stand, and whenever we take a car along to a show, we always seem to get a lot of attention for it. I talked to a lot of people that have come up and said, “wow, this is a great colour”.

The colour was an absolute show winner. What surprises me about this colour, particularly on a car that’s been used by the VW Press Office for promotion, is that it’s a free colour option. It doesn’t cost any more, which I think is fantastic.

Extras

As the car was a demo model from VW’s Press Office, it had a few extras. One of which was a windbreaker. That made a big difference to the wind noise in the front. There is a choice though… you can have the windbreaker in, or you can take two passengers in the back. You can’t do both!

It’s even got a lap timer. There’s a reversing camera that’s extra, bigger wheels than standard and a Beats audio upgrade.

It’s also got the winter pack. I didn’t test it. It was 29 degrees, so I really don’t want to turn the heated steering wheel on, but it had one. And I really don’t want to turn the heated seats on, but it had them too along with heated wing mirrors and heated washer jets.

Touch Controls

VW has continued with the touch controls on things, but we have still got some buttons. And my favourite thing is there are no buttons on the ledge under the infotainment system. I can rest my fingers there while I change the radio station, without changing the fans, the temperature, or the volume. That’s a good U-turn compared to the ID range. Thank you Volkswagen!

However, we’ve still got touch buttons on the steering wheel and touch button heater controls. I’m still not a fan of the touch buttons on the steering wheel because you have to look where you’re putting your thumbs.

If it’s a tactile button, if it’s one that you have got to press, you can feel where you are. You have a familiar cross shape. The ups and downs, set and resume on your cruise control, etc… But with these touch controls, just a swipe of your thumb, can change your speed. It can turn the cruise control off, can change your volume settings, and change your radio station. And it’s quite easy to catch it without realising it.

Interior

The T-Roc on the test was not an ‘R’, but it was an R-Line. So, it comes with extra trim, different wheels, and a different interior. The seats were lovely. There’s a mix of upholstery with Titan Black ArtVelours cloth and a leatherette insert. It’s a bit of a mix of materials, but they’re comfy, they look nice and they’re nice colours. I like blacks and greys on interiors.

Boot Space

The other thing that captured the attention of visitors to our stand was the boot space. You’d expect the boot on a convertible to be, well, minimal, but there’s quite a substantial space back there and the back seats still fold down. You can slot your snowboards and your skis back there. I suppose it makes up for not being able to put a roof rack on.

The convertible top folds down into a storage space above the boot so it doesn’t encroach into the storage area. You can load your boot up and still load the roof down without any worry of breaking anything that you’ve put into the boot.

Cost

As this car stands, with the extras listed, the on-the-road price is just a sniff short of £40,000. Now I’m a tight Yorkshireman and I think that’s a lot of money.

But I spoke to a lot of people this weekend and they were like, “that’s not bad, I thought it would have been more”. So, yeah, a bit of a split opinion there, but as I said, I’m a cheapskate.

T-Roc Technical Details

T-Roc Cabriolet R-Line 1.5-litre TSI 150 PS 7spd DSG 2dr (MY ’22).

Powertrain: Transverse-installed 1.5-litre four-cylinder in-line direct injection turbocharged petrol engine with four valves per cylinder
Transmission: 7-speed DSG automatic
Running gear: Front-wheel drive; Macpherson front axle suspension; Torsion beam rear axle suspension; Front and rear anti-roll bar
Top speed: 127 mph
0-62 mph: 9.4 seconds
CO2 emissions – WLTP: 144 g/km
Emissions class: EURO 6
Cubic capacity: 1,498 cc
Maximum power: 150 PS at 5,500-6,000 rpm
Maximum torque: 250 Nm / 184 lb ft at 1,500-3,500 rpm
Fuel consumption – WLTP (mpg) Low / Medium / High / Extra High / Combined: 34.4 / 45.6 / 51.4 / 42.8 / 44.1
Unladen weight: 1,546 kg
Length/width excluding mirrors/height: 4,271 mm / 1,811 mm / 1,527 mm
Boot capacity: 284 litres
Fuel tank: 50 litres
Roof operation time: 9 seconds
Insurance group (1-50): 22 E
Warranty: 3 years / 60,000 miles; 3 years paint; 12 years body protection
Breakdown assistance: 1 year Volkswagen Assistance (UK & Europe)

This vehicle is WLTP (Worldwide Harmonised Light-Duty Vehicles Test Procedure) type approved. More information is available at http://www.volkswagen.co.uk/owners/wltp

Figures shown are for comparability purposes only. Only compare fuel consumption and CO2 figures with other vehicles tested to the same technical procedures. These figures may not reflect real-life driving results, which depend upon a number of factors including accessories fitted (post-registration), variations in weather, driving styles and vehicle load.

T-Roc Summary

• With over 70 years of Volkswagen cabriolet heritage and numerous celebrated drop-top models, the wind-in-the-hair driving experience returns once again with the T-Roc Cabriolet
• Designed to breathe fresh air into the fast-growing SUV segment, the T-Roc Cabriolet combines the robustness of an SUV with the joy of open-top motoring
• Design was a key factor in the development of the car and its appearance immediately reveals what the T-Roc Cabriolet stands for – driving fun, freedom and vitality. A strikingly wide front end, prominent lines and tight proportions give the car a mix of effortlessness and beefy SUV looks
• Klaus Bischoff, Head of Design at Volkswagen said the T-Roc Cabriolet embodies a “highly expressive, almost cheeky design”
• The electrohydraulic roof mechanism takes only nine seconds to open and eleven seconds to close, it can be operated at speeds of up to 19 mph
• The T-Roc Cabriolet continues as the brand’s flag-carrying Cabriolet model for 2022, following seven decades of Cabriolet heritage. The model is built at Volkswagen’s Osnabrück facility, the home of the legendary coachbuilder, Karmann
• The enhanced T-Roc family opened for order in the UK in March 2022; since its initial launch in 2017 the model has sold more than one million units worldwide
• When the T-Roc launched, it was Volkswagen’s fourth SUV. The model now sits between the Taigo and Tiguan in a nine-strong SUV family, with more models in the pipeline
• T-Roc proves the flexibility of the MQB platform, being offered with two body styles, and available with a variety of petrol and diesel powertrains, manual and DSG, front-wheel drive or 4MOTION all-wheel drive, with the 300 PS T-Roc R serving as the model’s performance flagship
• Practicality, performance, design, value, technology and dependability are all among the T-Roc’s strengths
• With eight alloy wheel designs, eight body colours and two design packs, the T-Roc maintains its focus on individuality and personalisation
• The T-Roc’s D-shaped daytime running lights with integrated indicators are standard-fit equipment. These distinctive lights are instantly recognisable and unique to the family of models
• The MQB platform offers a range of advantages: tight proportions are combined with a high level of body rigidity, safety properties and a low kerb weight. Thanks to MQB, the T-Roc is available with technologies and quality standards associated with higher vehicle classes
• At 4,236 mm long, 1,819 mm wide and 1,573 mm tall, the T-Roc is just 49 mm shorter, 30 mm wider and 82 mm taller than the Golf, but 273 mm shorter, 20 mm narrower and 102 mm lower than the Tiguan. Boot volume, at 445 litres, is 17% larger than that of the Golf. Whilst boot volume for the Cabriolet is 284 litres
• Two engine options are in the T-Roc Cabriolet range: 1.0-litre TSI 110 PS and 1.5-litre TSI 150 PS with the latter having the option of either a 6-spd manual or 7-spd DSG gearbox
• R-Line is predicted to be the top-selling trim in the T-Roc Cabriolet range, with more than half of T-Roc customers expected to opt for the dynamic-oriented specification
• Every T-Roc is fitted with a Digital Cockpit (8.0-inch or 10.25-inch, specification depending), as well as an extensive suite of Driver Assistance Systems
• The T-Roc Cabriolet has two trim levels: Style offering luxury and design, and R-Line providing sporty styling and a dynamic edge
• Within the wider T-Roc family, the Cabriolet accounts for roughly 5% of total T-Roc sales in the UK. Last year, 21,663 T-Rocs found a home in the UK
• Total Volkswagen registrations in the UK across 2021, including passenger-carrying Commercial Vehicles models, was 147,826; SUVs represented over 40% of total Volkswagen sales in the UK in 2021