DT Garage: VW T-Roc cabriolet – why all the hate?

As Donovan once sang, “They call me mellow yellow (quite rightly).” It lives in my head rent free anytime I hop into my fabulously mustard – official name Turmeric Yellow – Volkswagen T-Roc Cabriolet.

The VW T-Roc Cab has got a bit (ok, way more than a bit) of hate from CAR PEOPLE. And honestly, I don’t get it. I’ll be spending four months with this lil ray of sunshine, to see if I feel the same way after all that time – and see if I can sway any of you over to the yellow side.

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For those of you not in the know, this is the convertible version of the VW T-Roc SUV, with two doors, and a longer wheelbase (34mm) than its hard-topped sibling. That’s to make space for people in the back, as the roof mechanism takes up quite a bit of space. You couldn’t really have a convertible SUV that only seats two people now could you?

It’s fitted with VW Group’s super popular and very good 1.5-litre, 150hp petrol engine. The stats aren’t mind-blowing. It takes 9.6 seconds to get from 0-62mph, but it doesn’t feel slow. It does weigh a significant 200kg more than the standard T-Roc.

From the off, it certainly feels quick enough, if you can get enough power down without the front wheels spinning, which does happen quite regularly. And there’s enough poke in the midrange too. Max torque is 250 Nm between 1,500-3,500 rpm.

How much does it cost and what's it got fitted to it?

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The T-Roc Cab is available from £28,420 for the 1.0-litre three-cylinder version you’re unlikely to want to go for. The 1.5-litre engine bumps it up to a starting cost of £30,260.

And it keeps on climbing. My car is the top-spec R-Line version with 7-speed DSG automatic gearbox, which would cost £35,615 before options.

But then there’s also one or two options fitted to this jar of Colman's too…

We’ve got Vienna leather upholstery, heated front sports seats with embroidered ‘R’ logo (ooh), and electrically adjustable lumbar support. That will set you back, um, £2,260.

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There's a £340 wind deflector and £70 steel space saver spare wheel with tool kit and jack.

To make it look eeeven more wonderful, there’s the black design pack at £620, which adds 19-inch alloys, black painted door mirror housings, a centre console in high-gloss black and black gloss decorative trim on doors.

It also comes with keyless entry and a start/stop button on the centre console for £410. Keyless entry is fine, but it’s annoying you can’t also lock the car this way. I always lose my keys in my bag, but then have to find them anyway when I get out the car to lock it.

There’s a decent beats sound pack, with six speakers, subwoofer and eight channel digital amplifier for £445.

Park assist, in the form of a sensor controlled steering aid to assist parallel or bay parking, and a rear-view camera for £365.

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And *breathe*, second to last one… Dynamic Chassis Control, which gives you variable suspension settings and a choice of Sport, Comfort, Normal, or customised, for £1,120.

Oh, and most importantly, that gorgeous paint job, which is an extra £780.

All that means my car costs £42,025. Which we can all admit, is a lot of money. And yes, there are many other cars you could get for that money.

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Over the next few months, I’ll be seeing whether it deserves the hate (it doesn’t), and trying to work out if it can justify the £42,025. I’ll be taking it on a few adventures around the UK, and getting reactions from both CAR and NON-CAR PEOPLE.

And I can promise you, I will always live by my very important motto of, ‘no rain, no roof’. Why have a convertible if you’re not going to have the roof down at every available opportunity hey?

Dare I ask: What do you think of the VW T-Roc Cab?