• Simple engine lineup
• Just two petrols
• Automatic available for more powerful engine

What engine options are there?

Choosing a VW T-Roc Cabriolet is simple as there are only two engine options. They’re both petrol, and they’re both excellent.

The range kicks off with a 1.0-litre three-cylinder. It produces 115hp and 200Nm of torque, making for rather leisurely performance. 0-62mph takes 11.3 seconds, and top speed is 116mph.

Now, if you’re unlikely to venture far beyond the town limits this will be plenty, but we’d personally opt for the next engine up. With 150hp and 250Nm it’s significantly more powerful – as a result, 0-62mph takes just 9.3 seconds. That means it’s far more relaxed to drive, especially when joining motorways or faster roads.

114

Given that the T-Roc Cabriolet is quite a heavy car, the additional power is most welcome – we wonder if Volkswagen will take the opportunity to make a T-Roc R Cabriolet, with the 2.0-litre engine from the R-badged SUV.

For an even more relaxed time, it’s possible to change out the standard six-speed manual gearbox for a seven-speed DSG automatic on the higher-powered engine. This is a really smooth transmission and though it’s significantly more expensive could well prove a worthy purchase if you want the T-Roc Cabriolet to be as easy to drive as possible.

How does it handle?

• T-Roc Cabriolet is a heavy car
• Not the most precise tool in the drawer
• Much more satisfying to drive slowly

Part of the R Line package is a toughened, lowered suspension set up – the last thing this Cabriolet needs. It may contain body roll a dash more adroitly than the standard springing, but, thanks to all that flex and shake, there really isn’t enough precision to the handling to make you want to even contemplate throwing the car into corners.

114

The Cabriolet’s fairground leaning in the ride department also make something of a mockery of the Dynamic Chassis Control which made up some of the eight grand’s worth of extras attached to the car we drove.

All of which serve to convince us that more power and a tougher ride are the last things you should wish for in a roofless T-Roc. Made – shudders aside – with VW’s usual painstaking attention to detail, the Cabriolet’s a perfectly fine place to be on a sunny afternoon, as long as you’re not in a hurry.