Volkswagen'sultra-niche, two-door T-Roc soft-top might look appealing to some but it sadly won't make it to South Africa.

Volkswagen's new T-Roc SUV is due to arrive in South Africa later this year (Q3) but its soft-top sibling won't be offered locally.

Nonetheless, let's dream for a second…

If you like wearing a really big hat whilst driving your Volkswagen crossover, the German brand has made your potential driving experience that much more appealing with its latest cabriolet.

Although the folding fabric roof vehicle market is contracting, in lieu of customers choosing crossovers instead of cabriolets, Volkswagen has managed to combine both with its new T-Roc Cabriolet.

It's apparent that Volkswagen designers have done an excellent job of transforming the T-Roc from a metal-to-fabric roof vehicle, whilealso making it a two-door.

Only available in front-wheel drive, the cabriolet configuration has added 40mm of length compared with theT-Roc SUV. Volkswagenclaims that it is a true four-seater cabriolet and although it only has two doors, there is a nod to practicality with ski-hatch load tunnel which opens through to the cabin when the rear seats are folded down.

The fabric roof takes 9 seconds to open and close but space in the load bay is compromised.

For the T-Roc Cabriolet, Volkswagenis releasing 2 exterior design packages, with the Style version being a touch subtler: featuring 17-inch wheels and dark plastic body cladding. Upgrade the T-Roc Cabriolet to R-Line trim and it looks more the part of a compact summer status car: rolling 19-inch wheels and featuring more body coded exterior finishes.

Powering the T-Roc cabriolet will be Volkswagen's1- and 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engines. The smaller triple produces 85kW and 200Nm, whilst the larger four-cylinder engine is good for 110kW and 250Nm. 6-speed manual gearboxes are standard, with an option to upgrade to the convenience of a seven-speed dual-clutch.

How clever is the roof mechanism? Well, Volkswagenclaims that it can open or close at speeds of up to 30kph and should take no longer than 9seconds to retract – which is impressive.

The image appeal of VW’s crossover cabriolet does come at a sacrifice to the T-Roc luggage capacity. Whereas a five-door, metal roof T-Roc can carry 445-litres of gear in the back, the cabriolet’s capacity is reduced to 280-litres.

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