Volkswagen Golf Cabriolet

Volkswagen Golf Cabriolet

Volkswagen Golf Cabriolet

Since it is based upon the MkVI Golf, the new Golf Cabriolet largely resembles a two-door Golf with a missing top. Designers did take the opportunity to slightly restyle the front end of the car, blessing it with a tweaked grille, LED daytime running lamps, and a steeper windshield rake. The interior is virtually identical to those used in standard Golf models, although one longtime Cabrio hallmark -- the fixed "basket handle" roll bar -- has been eliminated in favor of a pop-up device.

Unlike VW's other Golf-based convertible -- the Eos -- the Golf Cabriolet utilizes a traditional folding soft top. According to the automaker, the electro-hydraulic power top can be raised or lowered in just 9.5 seconds, and at speeds up to 18 mph.

In Europe, Volkswagen will offer the Golf Cabriolet with a plethora of engines, including a 1.2-liter and a 1.4-liter I-4, along with a 1.6-liter turbodiesel I-4. The Golf TDI's 140-horsepower, 2.0-liter turbodiesel I-4 is also available, but buyers seeking GTI-like performance can always opt for the gasoline-powered, 2.0-liter turbocharged I-4.

Production is scheduled to begin in Onsabruck, Germany (ironically, in the former Karmann plant that previously built earlier Golf Cabrios) later this year, but Volkswagen's plans for the car in North America are still unknown. If the next-generation Beetle continues to be offered in a convertible guise, it may prove hard to squeeze three different drop-tops -- Beetle, Golf, and Eos -- into a single portfolio.

Volkswagen Golf Cabriolet

Volkswagen Golf Cabriolet

Volkswagen Golf Cabriolet