It’s not very often that the words “SUV” and “convertible” are used in the same sentence to describe one vehicle, unless you are talking about the Range Rover Evoque Convertible of course. Convertible SUVs are a rare, almost mythical breed of cars that seemingly don’t exist. Land Rover initially introduced an Evoque convertible concept car at the Geneva 2012 Auto Show, and it left everyone scratching their heads.
SUVs, depending on your personal tastes, are already somewhat of a polarizing vehicle, but a convertible SUV? Surely that’s just insane. Well the brand is going to produce this vehicle and it will be set to launch sometime in mid-2016, so let’s take a look at what the Range Rover Evoque Convertible is all about and what we can expect from the Evoque’s strange cousin.
There is an ongoing global trend where consumers are demanding more and more luxury SUVs, which is why we are seeing nearly every car manufacturer create newer vehicles to meet this growing demand. There is only so much you can do with the modern SUV, so Land Rover figured they’d try something a bit different. Naturally the Range Rover Evoque Convertible’s main selling point is that it is a convertible SUV. While it is not the first of its kind, it is still a fairly new form of vehicle, and a form that is certainly not very popular. It’s fairly compact, has a folding soft-top roof, and it starts at $50,475 dollars. So right away it’s expensive and polarizing, and Land Rover is hoping that people will buy a lot of them. Seems like it’s going to be a tough sell, but Land Rover is staying committed with the vehicle.
Naturally the exterior design looks exactly like the standard Evoque minus the roof. The roof has been replaced with a insulated fabric, soft-top roof that Land Rover calls the “Z-Folding Roof”. The roof can be fully deployed in just 18 seconds, and can even be deployed or retracted at speeds of 30 mph. However despite the vehicle being a convertible, Land Rover does exclaim that the Evoque Convertible is “a convertible for all seasons”. They even go as far as showing the car driving on snowy slopes of a mountain and then have pictures of the car traversing a desert, which is pretty comical because we all know Range Rover owners don’t take their cars mudding or anything. But if you ever had the desire to drive a luxury, convertible SUV off-road up a snowy mountain, you will be able to soon do so.
All jokes aside, besides the fact that this vehicle is a convertible, all of the differences between the standard Evoque and the convertible end there. At the hart of the Evoque Convertible is just your standard Range Rover Evoque. It comes standard with a 2.0-liter, four-cylinder gasoline engine that delivers 236.7 hp in total. Buyers also have the choice of a 2.0-liter, four-cylinder diesel engine that will be available in two power outputs, 148 hp and 177 hp respectively. Outside of those engine choices, the vehicle comes standard with four-wheel drive and a nine-speed automatic transmission.
The interior of the Evoque Convertible is quite similar to the standard model, with just a few updates. Like all Land Rovers or Range Rovers, buyers will have a list of options that they can add on. The Evoque Convertible also has many modern driving technologies and amenities: it has an HD instrument panel, a touchscreen multimedia/control display, adaptive cruise control, a laser-based heads up display in the windshield, lane keeping assist, blind spot monitoring, it can recognize traffic signs, it has a Meridian surround sound system, configurable mood lighting, Wi-Fi hotspot, and more. We can’t forget that this car, as weird as it may be to some, is a Range Rover, and with that name comes a host of luxury features.
At the end of the day, the Range Rover Evoque Convertible is essentially just an Evoque without a roof. It has virtually all of the same features but now you can drive around in a premium SUV with the top down. In terms of performance, the Evoque Convertible is fairly decent for what it is, but you don’t buy this car to drive fast. It has all of the luxury amenities and features seen on any $50,000+ luxury SUV, so the driving experience will be comfortable and enjoyable. The Evoque Convertible’s design is actually good in my opinion. It’s hard to make a convertible SUV look attractive, but I do think Land Rover has done a good job here. If you’re someone that truly wants a convertible SUV with luxury features, then you really don’t have many options. For what it is, the Range Rover Evoque Convertible excels at what it sets out to accomplish: be a solid, convertible SUV.
However at the end of the day, you have to wonder: who exactly is this car for? There hasn’t been a global uprising among consumers demanding more convertible SUVs. In fact, I’d argue that most don’t want a convertible SUV. The Range Rover Evoque Convertible appeals to a fairly niche market of consumers who: A) want a luxury SUV, B) also demand a convertible, C) have over $50,000 dollars to spend on a car, and D) live in an area where a convertible is a viable option. I’d be willing to bet that only a small group of consumers can check off all of those points. But hey, options are good, right?
The Good
If you are someone that really wants a luxury convertible SUV, then the Range Rover Evoque Convertible is arguably the best one you can get….because it’s more or less the only one you can get. Designing an attractive convertible SUV is tough, but ill give it to Land Rover here because I think they’ve done as good of a job as they could have. It’s compact, fairly capable if you want to adventure off-road, and packed with features that deliver a comfortable driving experience.
The Okay
The interior design of this car is quite lacking, in my opinion, especially since it starts at around $50,000 dollars. Sure there are options to make it more “pretty”, but those will cost more. There’s also very little trunk space in this car, which is a trade-off when you want a convertible.
The Bad
The Evoque Convertible’s chief selling point is that it’s a convertible SUV, and with that comes its greatest downfall. This car is extremely niche and it will be entering into a product category that the general consumer or car enthusiast finds unappealing. The only reason I can see someone buying this car is because they want a convertible SUV, and Land Rover needs to figure out how to properly market this vehicle, because I don’t think theres a large demand for cars like the Range Rover Evoque Convertible. We will have to wait until it’s released in 2016 to see how consumers react, as this is a very interesting vehicle, to say the least.
Photos from Land Rover
