The 2020 Volkswagen T-Roc Cabriolet is a drop-top version of the company’s subcompact crossover. Launches two years after the coupe regular version, the 2020 T-Roc Cabriolet isn’t just a T-Roc with a soft-top, it also features only two doors instead of four. What’s more, the soft-top has a sleeker design, so the Cabriolet looks sportier than its standard sibling. Inspired by the Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet and the Range Rover Evoque Convertible, the 2020 T-Roc Cabriolet is Volkswagen’s only small convertible to date after the discontinuation of the Beetle.
Volkswagen has unveiled its drop-top T-Roc Cabriolet, which it's billing as the only mainstream crossover with a proper convertible roof. Based on the T-Roc SUV, the company's drop-top crossover follows in the footsteps of the soft-top Range Rover Evoque and Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet by blending wind-in-your-hair thrills with the taller ride popular with buyers at the moment. Although it bears the T-Roc name, the Cabriolet isn't just a normal T-Roc SUV with the roof prised off. It's actually 34mm longer than the hardtop with a 37mm longer wheelbase, while front seat occupants sit 599mm above the road – which Volkswagen says ensures they "enjoy a great view".
PROS Traditional SUV attributes with wind-in-the-hair fun Marks a return of convertibles to VW’s line-up Trims start with well-equipped Design It certainly makes a statement...
CONS Less practical than the five-door T-Roc SUV Cabriolet quite a bit pricier, too Reduced engine range with no diesel Handling becomes a bit wobbly
Not only is the MX-30 an all-new model for Mazda, it marks the first time the Japanese automaker has experimented with an all-electric powertrain. It's similarly sized to the current CX-3 and the upcoming CX-30 crossovers, but borrows the MX nomenclature of the MX-5 Miata, giving us hope that it will be a performance-oriented option in the electric-SUV marketplace.
Another day, another electric vehicle. This time around it's from Mazda, and it blends all the hallmarks of a sporty city SUV with a fully-electric heart. The MX-30 debuts Mazda's pure-electric e-SkyActiv platform, along with a number of new interior technologies likely to filter through the rest of the Japanese brand's line-up in due course. The all-electric MX-30 is part of Mazda's plan to offer an e-SkyActiv (hybrid, plug-in hybrid, or fully-electric) vehicle in each of its model lines by 2030. That includes everything from the Mazda 2 through to the dual-cab BT-50 replacement.
Mazda could have played it safe with this one but it didn't. Instead, it went bold. Rugged, in fact. All the more impressive is the fact that the all-new 2021 Mazda MX-30 is the Japanese automaker's first-ever all-electric vehicle. Going bold is something GM, for example, never would have done. Just look at the Chevrolet Bolt. The new MX-30, by contrast, has unique styling inside and out that may not be to everyone's liking. Mazda has been repositioning itself over the past few years as a more premium brand overall, and the MX-30's slightly more rugged look is not what everyone expected. But it also serves as the ideal gateway model for the brand as it takes its first step towards all-out electrification. The question is whether the MX-30 can successfully challenge the likes of the popular Hyundai Kona Electric, Kia Niro EV, and even the upcoming BMW iX3.
