Land Rover has unveiled the world’s first luxury compact SUV convertible. As the fifth member of the Range Rover family, and the first ever convertible, the new Evoque Convertible features a sophisticated folding roof to create what the company calls “a no compromise, all-season convertible”.
Based on the standard Evoque, the convertible is said to have been engineered to meet Land Rover’s most rigorous standards, ensuring uncompromised structural rigidity and on and off-road versatility.
The fully-automated fabric roof – the longest and widest currently fitted to any vehicle on sale today – stows in 18 seconds and can be raised in 21 seconds, at speeds of up to 50km/h. A layer of acoustic insulation ensures interior comfort is on par with the five door Evoque. Its 251-litre of boot space is also faithful to the hard-top sibling.
Safety hasn’t been overlooked with a Roll-Over Protection Device featuring deployable roll-over bars hidden in the rear bodywork. It deploys two aluminium bars within 90 milliseconds in the unlikely event of a roll-over situation to create a survival space for occupants.
Apart from the folding roof, the Evoque Convertible also debuts a new high-resolution 10.2-inch touchscreen featuring the company’s next-generation infotainment system with improved connectivity and seamless smartphone integration.
Powering the Evoque Convertible is a range of economical and lightweight four-cylinder engines with a choice of either the 2.2 diesel 110kW engine, 2.2 diesel 140kW engine or 2.0 Petrol 177kW engine. A customary choice of four-wheel drive powertrains combines with Land Rover’s nine-speed automatic transmission, Terrain Response system, Wade Sensing and All-Terrain Progress Control to ensure Evoque is a convertible for all seasons.
The Evoque Convertible will go on sale in the third quarter of 2016 priced from $84,835 plus on-roads.
Pricing
Td4-180 SE Dynamic Convertible $84,835
Si4 SE Dynamic Convertible $84,440
Td4-180 HSE Dynamic Convertible $92,410
Si4 HSE Dynamic Convertible $92,015