Watch the Golf R Cabriolet in action

By Nick Jaynes December 19, 2012

Golf R Cabriolet — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Just a few weeks ago at the LA Auto Show, we were speaking with some of the Volkswagen public relations folks, asking if we’d ever see the Beetle R that the corporate folks in Germany had just announced. They informed us that we would not.

Today comes a glimpse of a vehicle just might be able to get our hands on here in the states: The Golf R Cabriolet. Powered by a turbocharged 2.0-liter inline four-cylinder engine producing 256 horsepower and 243 pound-feet of torque, the Golf R is the most powerful Golf ever sold in the US. With a close-ratio six-speed manual transmission, all-wheel drive, and a 17-PSI BorgWarner turbocharger, the Golf R will achieve 19 MPG city and 27 highway.

We’ve seen stolen patent images and spy shots of the Golf R Cabriolet for a while now, but this is the first look at the vehicle in motion. And boy does it look and sound good.

Part of the cache of owning a hot hatch, like the standard Golf R is its ability to be a mental, road-hugging German machine and just as easily become a sensible utility vehicle. The Golf R Cabriolet gives up half of that equation – at least — when it loses its roof.

The roof will undoubtedly fold in a matter of seconds but will then stow where there once was a cavernous hatch space. Not only that, as previous convertible-ized cars of the past have demonstrated; when you cut the roof off, you sacrifice driving crispness. Suddenly a very well mannered hot hatch is rendered a loose lump of metal as the roof holds a lot of stiffness in the body.

Regardless of its potential loss of utility and responsiveness, we think the Golf R Cabriolet looks fantastic. Not only that, the Cabriolet version of the Golf R would fill a much-needed hole in the market: an accessible, fast, all-wheel drive German convertible.

No specifics have been released on the Golf R Cabriolet at this time but we’ll be certain to keep our ears to the ground and bring you information as soon as it comes available.

Editors' Recommendations

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Nick Jaynes is the Automotive Editor for Digital Trends. He developed a passion for writing about cars working his way…

Cars

Don’t let the gimmicks fool you. The Ioniq 5 N is a serious track car

2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 N drifting.

We’re finally getting to the fun part of automakers’ methodical quest to replicate their lineups with electric cars.

Performance versions of ordinary cars have been a staple of the auto industry for decades. But while we’ve already seen some variants of EVs boasting more power and more impressive stats — think Tesla Model S Plaid or Lucid Air Sapphire — the 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 N is the first to truly apply that format to an EV.

Cars

The Maserati GranCabrio Folgore is one of the best-looking EVs yet

Front of the Maserati GranCabrio Folgore

Maserati is adopting electrified vehicles with open arms, and while that could potentially signal an identity crisis for the luxury Italian brand, that’s probably a good thing in the long run.

The company recently took the wraps off of the new Maserati GranCabrio Folgore, which is essentially a convertible version of its already released GranTurismo Folgore electric car. The new EV is its third go at electrified vehicles so far, and it flew us out to Rimini, Italy, to witness the big reveal in person.

Cars

EV warranties aren’t like those for non-electric cars. Here’s what you should know

Close up of the Hybrid car electric charger station with power supply plugged into an electric car being charged.

EVs are on the rise. With awesome new models finally rolling out and charging networks rapidly expanding, it feels like we're at the tipping point of electric cars being as mainstream as non-electric vehicles. But with a whole new type of vehicle come new challenges. One challenge is adapting to charging times. Another is paying closer to attention to range. And another, as some drivers are finding out, has to do with electric car warranties.

Turns out, the warranty that comes with electric cars isn't necessarily quite the same as the one that you might get with your non-electric car. If you really think about it, that's probably not all that surprising -- after all, while they can look the same, electric cars have a completely different makeup under the hood compared to their gas-powered cousins. But understanding an EV warranty could be the difference between winding up having to pay thousands for a battery replacement, or getting one repaired on the house.
It's not all new
Before diving into things like battery warranties, it's worth doing a quick primer on car warranties in general. EVs and internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles usually come with two different warranties -- at least when they're bought new. First, there's the basic warranty (also known as bumper-to-bumper warranty), which covers every part of a car except for basic maintenance, usually for up to three years or 36,000 miles.