The Range Rover Evoque is the world’s first luxury SUV convertible and will be making its public debut at the LA Auto Show next week.
The Range Rover Evoque was a bold new step for Land Rover back in 2011 and the company surely didn’t disappoint. Keeping things as radical and bold, the British automaker has officially unveiled the new 2016 Range Rover Evoque Convertible, a luxury SUV with its roof off. Tagged as the world’s first luxury SUV convertible, the new Evoque will make its public debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show in the US next week.
Easily one of the quirkiest attempts at building an SUV, Land Rover gets it right with the drop top matching the striking lines of the updated Range Rover Evoque facelift. The design gets no changes apart from the updates of the 2016 edition while the large windshield encompasses the three-door model with ease. For the convertible, the fixed roof has been replaced with a retractable soft cloth top that can be stowed away at the back in 18 seconds and goes back up in 21 seconds while doing speeds of up to 50 km/hr.
Being a convertible, Land Rover had to rework on the structural integrity of the Range Rover Evoque. Hence, the A-pillars are now stronger and the drop head luxury SUV gets additional underbody bracing. Compared to the standard Evoque, the Convertible is 270 kgs heavier due to the extra strengthening along with the electric roof mechanism and deployable roll-over bars hidden in the rear bodywork. The Evoque has also taken a hit in terms of cargo space and offers a decent 251-litres of boot capacity instead of the 420-litres. That said, the letter box opening tailgate is plain odd on the SUV.
In terms of engine options, the 2016 Range Rover Evoque Convertible will be powered by a 2.0-litre turbo petrol motor producing 240 PS along with the new 2.0-litre TD4 Ingenium diesel motor churning out 180 PS of power. Both powertrains will come paired to the 9-speed automatic transmission. In addition, Land Rover has also introduced the next generation 10.2-inch InControl Touch Pro infotainment system on the Evoque Convertible.
There is no real competition to this Range Rover Evoque Convertible per se, but as far as gorgeous drop tops go, the stylish Evoque will be locking horns with the Porsche Boxster convertible, Mercedes E-Class Cabriolet, BMW Z4 and the likes.
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