The Evoque Convertible uses the same turbocharged 2-liter four-cylinder found in the three-door and five-door variants. It does have plenty of torque at low revs which helps make it quick around town but it doesn’t feel as flexible as the other two when it comes to faster paced roads. You’ll feel like you’d have to push engine harder thanks to the extra weight of the chassis and electric motors to actuate the ragtop. The biggest complaint we had with the Evoque Convertible wasn’t the fault of the car it was the sheer fact that everywhere we went people stared at us and had a million questions to ask about the vehicle. Many of them looked as if this were a monstrosity of a vehicle. Have people never seen a Nissan Murano cross-cabriolet? That was one convertible that was ugly both inside and out but drove actually better than it looked. The Evoque Convertible drives better than the Murano Cross-cabriolet did and it looks better too so it really is a win-win here.
The steering feedback is okay, nothing to really brag about. What we really do like though is how comfortable it is to drive. Despite the roof being chopped off the ride comfort is actually quite good and doesn’t shimmy around like some convertibles we’ve tested. Driving around town with the roof down on Lake Shore Drive was actually one of the most enjoyed driving experiences we’ve had. Despite the lack of horsepower, it wasn’t really short of puff and the fact that we felt even more confident in the corners and bends put a smile on our face. It’s one of those convertibles that is meant to be seen in and well the last leg of our test drive was spend on Michigan Ave aka Magnificent Mile where all the shoppers gagged at how awesome we looked in this convertible. Who says that men can’t look good in a convertible? We certainly felt we rocked the hell out of it.
The driving position is what you’d expect of it. You can see practically in all directions with the top down, with the top up you’ll be thankful for parking aids and blind spot monitoring system which was fitted on our tester car. We hadn’t had the chance to check if this were optional equipment or not but we’re pretty sure that it might’ve been ticked as optional kit. The infotainment system is decent to navigate through and well some of the menus can get a bit confusing; what we didn’t like is how lag luster the response of it was. The navigation system worked on its own time and the Bluetooth flat out refused to connect to our mobile devices. The rear seats are definitely meant for shorter passengers. I myself is 5’8 while my fellow tester was 6’2 and with the seat positioned the way he would feel comfortable meant that you’d have to have your legs chopped off to even think about sitting back there. Small children wouldn’t even dare to sit there either. What’s the rear seat good for? Well a wind shade is about the only thing fitting back there unless you are willing to share out the space or buy a used Murano Cross-Cabriolet. But who wants to drive that ugly lug around?
Our tester car came equipped with 20-inch alloy wheels, smoked finish fog lamps and headlamps, bi-xenon headlamps and heated steering wheel. Heated windshield washer jets and 14-way climate bucket seats were also added into the options list along with a heated windshield. Despite having all these added bits on top of an already decently kitted car the price tag is what made our eyes water, before dealer discount the Evoque Convertible came out with a price tag of nearly $65k! That’s some serious cash for a car that many will only use to flaunt around in the warmer climates and maybe go to the ski resort. You could drive this convertible off-road thanks to the advanced four-wheel-drive system but we don’t even see that happening, too much either. But if you ever did decide you surely can and yes it is capable of holding its own the way a proper Land Rover should.
This has had to be the most interesting vehicle we have ever driven. It certainly has the price tag to appeal only to a select few and while it is just a darling little convertible. We can’t get over how expensive it really is. Dear lord! One can almost have a heart attack just from the price tag alone. But you can’t fault it too much because it is just a smashing vehicle to have had for a short period of time. We wish that all convertibles made you feel this special because this one certainly did.
Likes: This is quite literally the only convertible you can drive on-road and off-road, yet it’s comfortable and luxurious where it matters most. It’s devilishly handsome inside out.
Dislikes: Land Rover Reliability certainly needs improvement. Dear lord! How much does it cost?
Our pick: Go right for the HSE Dynamic because if you have the cash to buy the SE you can certainly spend the extra money to get all the bells and whistles. The version we built on the Land Rover website costs nearly $70k! Yes we do think that the price is insane but we love the way it looks and that alone would’ve encouraged us to consider it if we had money to blow on a car such as this.
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