martinbo
Staff member
Wanker, wife of a wanker... pretty much the same thing to me.
Evoque [Official] Range Rover Evoque Convertible
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The Land Rover Range Rover Evoque, also known as the Range Rover Evoque or the Land Rover Evoque, is a subcompact luxury crossover SUV developed and produced by Jaguar Land Rover. The first generation Evoque was produced from July 2011 until 2018 in three and five-door versions, with both two-wheel and four-wheel drive. The second generation of the car went into production in 2018.
Wanker, wife of a wanker... pretty much the same thing to me.
JLBM
Oversteer Expert
Wanker is fine. But combined with a homophobic pejorative, is not, you wanker KiwiRob.
Rainer271
Kraftwagen König
First Drive: 2017 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque Convertible
Highly unusual yet strangely satisfying, this offbeat droptop is indeed a guilty pleasure.
I took it to Starbucks. Honestly, I couldn’t think of what else to do when the Land Rover Range Rover Evoque Convertible (what a mouthful) showed up at the Motor1 office. And while Land Rover will happily show you proof that the topless Evoque is just as capable off road as its other SUVs, I feel like the Starbucks drive-thru is probably a more appropriate test of this car’s capabilities.
The Evoque Convertible is a weird little thing. But I actually think if any vehicle is going to pull off the crossover-cabriolet thing here in the U.S., this is the one. Comparisons to the Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet are indeed warranted, but this is different. The Evoque is already the perfect definition of a lifestyle vehicle, driven by fashionable, well-heeled people in fashionable, well-heeled places. If you’re going to go all-in on that luxury/lifestyle choice, go big or go home. Get the Evoque Convertible. It’s actually a lot of fun.
It’ll carry four adults in reasonable comfort, and you can still ford up a river on the way to the mall, as long as the water doesn’t exceed a depth of 19.6 inches.
The formula here is simple: Take one Evoque Coupe (yeah, those still exist), chop off the roof, and there you have it. Because of that, the Convertible retains all of the standard Evoque’s capability. It’ll carry four adults in reasonable comfort, and you can still ford up a river on the way to the mall, as long as the water doesn’t exceed a depth of 19.6 inches.
It retains all of the standard Evoque’s style, too. Especially here with the optional 20-inch wheels at all four corners, the Evoque looks great in two-door, topless trim. The small spoiler out back is a convertible-only update, and looks pretty good here. Taken as a whole, the Evoque Convertible is both butch and chic, combining sharp lines and creases in a fashion-forward package. With the top up, the original Evoque design remains intact, with large enough side windows to alleviate blind spots, and a small rear hatch window that allows for decent-ish visibility out the back.
The Z-fold mechanism contorts the roof in such a way that it neatly stows behind the rear seats – it doesn’t bunch up like, say, a Beetle Convertible. The fabric roof can be raised or lowered in a scant 21 seconds, at speeds up to 30 miles per hour. It’s fully automatic, no levers or latches. The only tough part is finding the control lever – it’s hidden inside the covered center compartment, next to the cup holders.
It’s kind of a fatty. But you aren’t buying this thing for its spritely performance or fuel-mizing abilities, anyway.
Like the rest of the Evoque range, the Convertible is powered by a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four, with 240 horsepower and 250 pound-feet of torque. A nine-speed automatic transmission manages the power, and the Convertible comes standard with adaptive all-wheel drive. This specific nine-speed auto isn’t as clunky and off-putting as it is in other 9AT applications, like the Jeep Cherokee, but it still fails to deliver smooth shifts at times, often lagging on downshifts and clunkily upshifting.
The huge difference here is the added weight. The Evoque Convertible weighs in at a portly 4,525 pounds – around 400 pounds more than the four-door hardtop – and that’s noticeable as far as dynamics are concerned. This car is hardly quick, with a 0-60 time of 8.6 seconds, or 1.5 seconds slower than the equivalent hardtop Evoque. And even with its relatively low power output and small engine, you’ll only see about 23 miles per gallon in combined driving. So yeah, it’s kind of a fatty. But you aren’t buying this thing for its spritely performance or fuel-mizing abilities,
Even on 20-inch wheels, the ride is comfortable, and the Evoque doesn’t hate being pushed through a corner.
It’s the hilarity of driving a crossover convertible that makes this Evoque so interesting. It’s still relatively small, and easy to maneuver. But because it rides high you have a commanding seating position and great visibility. Even on 20-inch wheels, the ride is comfortable, and the Evoque doesn’t hate being pushed through a corner. Yes, it rolls a bunch, but no more than its hardtop sibling. The added weight honestly helps keep it planted most of the time. The steering is quick to respond, with sharp turn-in and a nice heft. And while there’s a fair amount of turbo lag, once you get past that initial dead zone, power builds progressively and it all feels perfectly adequate. 0-60 time aside, the Evoque can pass with poise.
From behind the wheel, won’t notice any big differences between the Evoque Convertible and its coupe counterpart (except, uh, the roof being gone). The interior is nicely appointed with soft leather on the dash and doors, and the center stack is logically organized with HVAC controls and other functions, Land Rover’s round gear selector prominently in the middle. The company’s new InControl Touch infotainment screen is a huge step forward from the previous system, and the 10.2-inch color display is bright and beautiful in the center stack. It’s still a little laggy to the touch, but make no mistake, InControl is a vast improvement over what Land Rover used before, and is a fully modern and robust infotainment package.
To everyone else, it’s not a crossover convertible, it’s a droptop Range Rover.
All of this comes at a price, though: $52,000 to start, or roughly $65,000 as-tested in this HSE Dynamic trim with a number of goodies added on. To put it in perspective, you can have a very lovely Mercedes-Benz C300 Cabriolet for just under $51,000. That, of course, is a more conventional approach, and I wouldn’t trust a C300 to wade through a river. Not that any Evoque Convertibles will actually do that sort of thing, unless the Starbucks floods, but the point is, they can. It’s not about what you will do, it’s about what you can do. I mean, hell, the Evoque Convertible will tow 3,300 pounds if you ask it to. Lifestyle!
Seriously, though, there’s a lot to like here. It’s cool and stylish like an Evoque, you can drive it anywhere (mountain-top shopping malls, anyone?), and people really seem to like it. Thinking back to my time in a Murano CrossCab, no one knew what the hell to make of the thing. But in talking to folks on the street with this Evoque, they’re impressed – to them, it’s not a crossover convertible, it’s a droptop Range Rover.
Think of it that way, and this Evoque starts to make a bit more sense. It’s the Evoque’s lifestyle factor turned up to eleven, and it’s a strangely satisfying way to experience a different kind of open-air motoring.
Photos: Steven Ewing / Motor1.com
2017 LAND ROVER RANGE ROVER EVOQUE CONVERTIBLE
ENGINETurbocharged 2.0-Liter I4
OUTPUT240 Horsepower / 250 Pound-Feet
TRANSMISSION9-Speed Automatic
0-60 MPH8.6 Seconds
TOP SPEED130 MPH
FUEL ECONOMY21 City / 28 Highway / 23 Combined
DRIVE TYPEAll-Wheel Drive
WEIGHT4,525 Pounds
TOWING3,300 Pounds
SEATING CAPACITY4
CARGO VOLUME8.9 Cubic Feet
BASE PRICE$52,000
AS-TESTED PRICE$65,000 (est.)
Highly unusual yet strangely satisfying, this offbeat droptop is indeed a guilty pleasure.
I took it to Starbucks. Honestly, I couldn’t think of what else to do when the Land Rover Range Rover Evoque Convertible (what a mouthful) showed up at the Motor1 office. And while Land Rover will happily show you proof that the topless Evoque is just as capable off road as its other SUVs, I feel like the Starbucks drive-thru is probably a more appropriate test of this car’s capabilities.
The Evoque Convertible is a weird little thing. But I actually think if any vehicle is going to pull off the crossover-cabriolet thing here in the U.S., this is the one. Comparisons to the Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet are indeed warranted, but this is different. The Evoque is already the perfect definition of a lifestyle vehicle, driven by fashionable, well-heeled people in fashionable, well-heeled places. If you’re going to go all-in on that luxury/lifestyle choice, go big or go home. Get the Evoque Convertible. It’s actually a lot of fun.
It’ll carry four adults in reasonable comfort, and you can still ford up a river on the way to the mall, as long as the water doesn’t exceed a depth of 19.6 inches.
The formula here is simple: Take one Evoque Coupe (yeah, those still exist), chop off the roof, and there you have it. Because of that, the Convertible retains all of the standard Evoque’s capability. It’ll carry four adults in reasonable comfort, and you can still ford up a river on the way to the mall, as long as the water doesn’t exceed a depth of 19.6 inches.
It retains all of the standard Evoque’s style, too. Especially here with the optional 20-inch wheels at all four corners, the Evoque looks great in two-door, topless trim. The small spoiler out back is a convertible-only update, and looks pretty good here. Taken as a whole, the Evoque Convertible is both butch and chic, combining sharp lines and creases in a fashion-forward package. With the top up, the original Evoque design remains intact, with large enough side windows to alleviate blind spots, and a small rear hatch window that allows for decent-ish visibility out the back.
The Z-fold mechanism contorts the roof in such a way that it neatly stows behind the rear seats – it doesn’t bunch up like, say, a Beetle Convertible. The fabric roof can be raised or lowered in a scant 21 seconds, at speeds up to 30 miles per hour. It’s fully automatic, no levers or latches. The only tough part is finding the control lever – it’s hidden inside the covered center compartment, next to the cup holders.
It’s kind of a fatty. But you aren’t buying this thing for its spritely performance or fuel-mizing abilities, anyway.
Like the rest of the Evoque range, the Convertible is powered by a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four, with 240 horsepower and 250 pound-feet of torque. A nine-speed automatic transmission manages the power, and the Convertible comes standard with adaptive all-wheel drive. This specific nine-speed auto isn’t as clunky and off-putting as it is in other 9AT applications, like the Jeep Cherokee, but it still fails to deliver smooth shifts at times, often lagging on downshifts and clunkily upshifting.
The huge difference here is the added weight. The Evoque Convertible weighs in at a portly 4,525 pounds – around 400 pounds more than the four-door hardtop – and that’s noticeable as far as dynamics are concerned. This car is hardly quick, with a 0-60 time of 8.6 seconds, or 1.5 seconds slower than the equivalent hardtop Evoque. And even with its relatively low power output and small engine, you’ll only see about 23 miles per gallon in combined driving. So yeah, it’s kind of a fatty. But you aren’t buying this thing for its spritely performance or fuel-mizing abilities,
Even on 20-inch wheels, the ride is comfortable, and the Evoque doesn’t hate being pushed through a corner.
It’s the hilarity of driving a crossover convertible that makes this Evoque so interesting. It’s still relatively small, and easy to maneuver. But because it rides high you have a commanding seating position and great visibility. Even on 20-inch wheels, the ride is comfortable, and the Evoque doesn’t hate being pushed through a corner. Yes, it rolls a bunch, but no more than its hardtop sibling. The added weight honestly helps keep it planted most of the time. The steering is quick to respond, with sharp turn-in and a nice heft. And while there’s a fair amount of turbo lag, once you get past that initial dead zone, power builds progressively and it all feels perfectly adequate. 0-60 time aside, the Evoque can pass with poise.
From behind the wheel, won’t notice any big differences between the Evoque Convertible and its coupe counterpart (except, uh, the roof being gone). The interior is nicely appointed with soft leather on the dash and doors, and the center stack is logically organized with HVAC controls and other functions, Land Rover’s round gear selector prominently in the middle. The company’s new InControl Touch infotainment screen is a huge step forward from the previous system, and the 10.2-inch color display is bright and beautiful in the center stack. It’s still a little laggy to the touch, but make no mistake, InControl is a vast improvement over what Land Rover used before, and is a fully modern and robust infotainment package.
To everyone else, it’s not a crossover convertible, it’s a droptop Range Rover.
All of this comes at a price, though: $52,000 to start, or roughly $65,000 as-tested in this HSE Dynamic trim with a number of goodies added on. To put it in perspective, you can have a very lovely Mercedes-Benz C300 Cabriolet for just under $51,000. That, of course, is a more conventional approach, and I wouldn’t trust a C300 to wade through a river. Not that any Evoque Convertibles will actually do that sort of thing, unless the Starbucks floods, but the point is, they can. It’s not about what you will do, it’s about what you can do. I mean, hell, the Evoque Convertible will tow 3,300 pounds if you ask it to. Lifestyle!
Seriously, though, there’s a lot to like here. It’s cool and stylish like an Evoque, you can drive it anywhere (mountain-top shopping malls, anyone?), and people really seem to like it. Thinking back to my time in a Murano CrossCab, no one knew what the hell to make of the thing. But in talking to folks on the street with this Evoque, they’re impressed – to them, it’s not a crossover convertible, it’s a droptop Range Rover.
Think of it that way, and this Evoque starts to make a bit more sense. It’s the Evoque’s lifestyle factor turned up to eleven, and it’s a strangely satisfying way to experience a different kind of open-air motoring.
Photos: Steven Ewing / Motor1.com
2017 LAND ROVER RANGE ROVER EVOQUE CONVERTIBLE
ENGINETurbocharged 2.0-Liter I4
OUTPUT240 Horsepower / 250 Pound-Feet
TRANSMISSION9-Speed Automatic
0-60 MPH8.6 Seconds
TOP SPEED130 MPH
FUEL ECONOMY21 City / 28 Highway / 23 Combined
DRIVE TYPEAll-Wheel Drive
WEIGHT4,525 Pounds
TOWING3,300 Pounds
SEATING CAPACITY4
CARGO VOLUME8.9 Cubic Feet
BASE PRICE$52,000
AS-TESTED PRICE$65,000 (est.)
sako97
Autotechnik Ace
I saw one at the dealer whilst there to service for my car; I wouldn't want to be caught dead driving one of these... ever. It has young Malibu heiress or Miami yuppie written all over it. Build quality is a joke compared to the larger RRs.
A sales associate informed me that the dealership (LR Manhattan; biggest volume Land Rover dealer) isn't optimistic about sales, therefore they had planned to make it a custom-order vehicle. LR USA, however, is requesting they have a ratio of 2 standard Evoques:1 Evoque Cabrio in stock.
A sales associate informed me that the dealership (LR Manhattan; biggest volume Land Rover dealer) isn't optimistic about sales, therefore they had planned to make it a custom-order vehicle. LR USA, however, is requesting they have a ratio of 2 standard Evoques:1 Evoque Cabrio in stock.
That is pretty ridiculous, I bet even RR's own sales projection won't even put it at such a unrealistic ratio..2:1...more like 200:1.
Centurion
Apex Apex Predator
That's crazy.
Is the Evoque Convertible featured in "Bridget Jones' Baby"? If not, then it's a big missed opportunity. This car will need a lot of marketing behind it to succeed e.g Fashion Week, bloggers movie premiers etc.
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Jaguar Land Rover
Jaguar Land Rover Automotive PLC is the holding company for
Jaguar Land Rover Limited, also known as JLR, a British
multinational manufacturer of luxury and sports utility vehicles.
JLR, headquartered in Whitley, Coventry, UK, is a subsidiary of
Tata Motors. Jaguar and Land Rover, with histories dating to
the 1920s and 1940s, merged in 1968 under British Leyland.
They later became independent and were subsidiaries of BMW and
Ford. In 2000, BMW dissolved the Rover Group, selling Land
Rover to Ford. Since 2008, Tata Motors has owned Jaguar Land
Rover.
Official website: JLR
Official website: JLR
