Off-Roading The Range Rover Evoque On Women’s Day

Off-Roading The Range Rover Evoque

The Evoque is a car which breaks stereotypes and is an SUV which is a hot favourite with the fairer sex

Off-roading and SUVs are things associated with toughness and usually a very manly thing to do but today on Women’s day, I would like to break stereotypes. Thus I decided to go off-roading in an SUV and what better than a convertible SUV, the Range Rover Evoque convertible. A unique concept of having open-top motoring in an SUV, this British brute exudes a sense of style and toughness.

Before getting inside the car, I do a quick walk around in my high heels, to match the Evoque’s tall height. With the roof up, the drama hasn’t unfolded but there is still equal measure of theatre in spite of this generation of the Evoque now on its way out. A timeless design, the Evoque has concealed its age brilliantly and the convertible is the best looking model of the array of Evoque variants to be made available. My personal favourite has to be the black wheels as they contrast well with the white colour of the test car and the black roof.

The theatre continues when you get inside, I love the frameless doors which means keeping the windows down gives that sports car feeling. The cabin looks nice, the rising rotary gear selector on start up is super slick and you know this car was carefully designed with women in mind because the sun visor gets a proper mirror and twin lights (usually that’s not the case in convertibles), enough for me to quickly glam up before the photo shoot.

Alas, all the make up went in vain as the camera crew told me to keep the roof down while driving as the Evoque convertible looks the best that way. Out on the highway, the wind in the air feeling was just amazing and the smooth petrol engine meant that I could definitely hear more of the wind than anything else. Surely the refinement is excellent but I like the way the motor gets mood swings when you get into the higher rev range, sounding beautifully sporty.

Driving an SUV off-road is a whole lot of fun, more so when it’s a comfortable one

Today is all about off-road though, I see a patch which I dare not venture in my Skoda Superb but this is a Land Rover so I am all set, reaching out for the roof closing button as I intend to go hard and fast, throwing up some dust. But the camera crew intervenes yet again, asks me to leave the roof down, my make up protests but I give in and get on the gas, the Evoque surges ahead with surreal ease making me realise why Victoria Beckham has been such a big fan of this car, it’s a tough SUV but easy to pilot in any situation.

The Evoque’s cabin makes me feel I am in a luxury car and that’s what restricts my head from being at ease on the challenges that lay ahead, rocks and uneven terrain but knowing well this is a Land Rover, I quickly nudge ahead and the car just takes everything in its stride, no ground clearance issues whatsoever. Of course there are a slew of systems ensuring the off-road ability of this Range Rover, right from a 4-wheel drive system that channels power smoothly thereby ensuring optimum traction at all times to the Hill Descent Control and Roll Stability Control to of course the Terrain Response system which lets me select the off-road mode.

After throwing up some dust and driving on terrain where only SUVs are home at, I understand why more women are taking to SUVs these days and why most of us love the Evoque so much. This car beautifully merges a style statement which we all women love so much with the ability to go anywhere, thereby breaking stereotypes that SUVs have to be difficult to drive and can’t look beautiful. On this women’s day, I urge all females to get out of their comfort zone, get into an SUV and hit the nearest trail, trust me, the freedom of exploring the ‘road less taken’ is just unparalleled.