Item: Land Rover Range Rover Evoque Convertible
Rating: 2
Author: What Car? Team

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Land Rover Range Rover Evoque Convertible

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Introduction

Performance & drive

Interior

Passenger & boot space

Costs & verdict

If you’re looking to buy outright, the Evoque Convertible isn’t a cheap car and, due to the demand, you’re unlikely to get much if any discount.

That demand has had a positive affect on resale values; not only will it hold on to a good chunk of its value after three years, it also means the Evoque Convertible is surprisingly affordable on a three-year PCP or leasing deal.

Unfortunately, the car’s weight and four-wheel drive system means it won’t be as economical as a 4 Series or C-Class Convertible, and will cost company car drivers thousands more in benefit-in-kind (BIK) tax. Thank the at-best CO2 emissions of 149g/km, which is for the most efficient TD4 180 – the 237bhp petrol and diesel are even worse.

As you’d hope with such a high purchase price, you do get plenty of equipment with the Evoque, so we’d stick with the enrty-level SE Dynamic trim. This includes heated and eight-way electrically adjustable front seats, climate control, leather upholstery, Xenon headlights, 19in alloy wheels.

The next HSE Dynamic trim might appeal if you like a few extra luxuries, with 20in alloy wheels, a reversing camera, higher-grade Windor leather trim, 12-way electric seat adjustment with lumbar support, configurable ambient lighting and paddle shifters for the gearbox.

The Evoque Convertible comes with a three-year unlimited mileage warranty as standard that can be extended for a fee. That may not be the worst idea; Land Rover as a brand performed poorly in our last reliability survey, where it ranked 23rd out of the 32 manufacturers examined.

In terms of safety, the Evoque Convertible hasn’t been tested by Euro NCAP, but the fix-roof version has which should give some pointers. It received a five-star overall rating, but didn’t do as well on adult, child and pedestrian protection as some of its rivals. In particular, it lost points for providing only average whiplash protection in rear-end shunts, and also for not displaying clearly enough whether the passenger airbag was switched on or off, or the dangers of using rear-facing child-seats without first switching off the appropriate airbag.

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We’re sure most Range Rover Evoque Convertibles will spend their entire lives on the road, but Land Rover has made sure that its new drop-top is just as capable off-road as the hard-topped variant. To cope with the kind of abuse that could entail, it has added several hundred kilos of reinforcement to the Evoque’s underbelly.

The good news is that the Evoque feels solid, with very little of the flex and shake that some convertibles suffer from. Yes, there is still the odd shimmy on very rough surfaces, but it’s better than many rivals out there. Unfortunately, there is a price to pay.

With the additional bracing underneath, the Evoque Convertible weighs in at very nearly two tonnes before you’ve even put a driver behind the wheel. Naturally that blunts both performance and handling. We recorded a 0-60mph time of around 10.5sec for the 178bhp 2.0 TD4 180 diesel, which isn't outright slow, but it is pedestrian enough to require plenty of planning when overtaking on a single carriageway. Both the 237bhp diesel and petrol versions are significantly faster, but even these still need working hard to deliver any real performance.

You can feel the additional weight when cornering quickly, and especially when braking hard. Stamp on the middle pedal and the nose dives noticeably, although to be fair it still scrubs off speed pretty effectively in the process. In the bends, meanwhile, you notice plenty of body lean, and the Evoque Convertible doesn’t feel overly keen to change direction quickly; a BMW 4 Series Convertible is far more agile. Even so, the ride is quite firm at low speeds, thanks in part to the big wheels that come as standard. The ride isn’t helped by the fact you sit so high, amplifying any movements and leading to your head being jostled around, which can be off-putting.

As you pick up the pace the ride smoothes out but it is never totally settled, and those big tyres produce quite a bit of road noise. When up, the well-insulated roof keeps wind noise well supressed though, and when it’s down with the optional wind deflector fitted, there’s not too much buffeting, either.

The automatic gearbox tends to be a bit slow-witted, leading to a noticeable delay when accelerating from a standstill. Once rolling it shifts smoothly, though.

The Range Rover Evoque Convertible is something of an oddity, combining the lofty driving position and go anywhere ability of a 4x4 with the pose factor of a convertible. Although it doesn’t have any direct rivals, it should appeal to those looking at a <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/mercedes-benz/c-class/saloon/review/?aq=mercedes-benz%20%20c-class&amp;amp;type=review&amp;amp;src=searchdropdown&amp;amp;oq=mercedes%2520c">Mercedes C-Class Cabriolet</a> or a <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/bmw/4-series/sports/review/?aq=bmw%20%204%20series%20convertible&amp;amp;type=review&amp;amp;src=searchdropdown&amp;amp;oq=bmw%25204%2520">BMW 4 Series Convertible.</a>

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Under the bonnet, you get a choice of two 2.0-litre diesel engines or a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol, and they come as standard with an automatic gearbox and four-wheel drive. All of which allows the Evoque Convertible to go anywhere a regular Evoque can go.

It has plenty going for it, beating the competition in a couple of key areas. Read on to find out what they are and to find out which version makes the most sense.

Sports leather seats come as standard and there’s plenty of leather-effect material covering the dash and doors, making the interior look and feel an attractive place to sit. It all feels well screwed together for the most part, too.

The entry-level SE Dynamic trim comes with eight-way electric seat adjustment but no lumbar support – for that you need to move up to HSE Dynamic, which gets you 12-way electrically adjustable seats. Despite large side bolsters the seats don’t hold you particularly well through corners but otherwise are comfortable, and with a good range of adjustment to the steering wheel it’s easy to find a driving position that suits.

Being an SUV, the driving position is much higher than you’d normally get in a drop-top. Not only does this mean you get a commanding view of the road, it also allows you and your passengers to enjoy fully a panoramic view with the roof down – it can be opened or closed at speeds up to 30mph.

The latest version of Incontrol Touch Pro, Land Rover's touchscreen infotainment system, comes as standard. This has a 10in wide display with fairly clear icons and graphics. It’s reasonably easy to navigate through the menus, but not as intuitive as BMW’s iDrive system in the 4 Series.

Unfortunately there’s no Apple CarPlay or Android Auto compatibility for your smartphone, though. Instead, you have to download an app to hook one up, and while this works reasonably well, it can be sluggish at times.

Sports

Land Rover is synonymous with SUVs, and especially with the Defender – the rugged runabout that has seen service in war zones across the world, but also as part of the Queen’s personal garage.

If off-road prowess is one of Land Rover’s core values, though, the other is luxury. Indeed, the Range Rover, Range Rover Sport and Range Rover Velar are among the best luxury SUVs you can buy.

The Discovery, meanwhile, is a practical rival for the Audi Q7 and BMW X5, while the stylish Evoque (which is available as a three-door convertible as well as a traditional SUV) goes head to head with Audi’s Q3 and BMW’s X1.

In the coming years, we’ll see a new road-biased ‘Road Rover’ as well as an all-new Defender.

LAND ROVER

RANGE ROVER EVOQUE

The Range Rover Evoque Convertible is expensive to buy and hampered by its weight, but likeable and has great resale values

It’s unlikely that front seat passengers will have any complaints regarding space; the wide interior means you won’t bash elbows with your passenger. Even with the roof up, head room is very good and drivers have a well-placed footrest for their left foot.

There’s decent storage space under the centre armrest along with USB and aux inputs - a perfect place to hide a mobile phone in other words. There are a couple of well-sized cup holders between the front seats that can be hidden with a sliding cover. There’s further oddment storage hiding behind the base of the dashboard, although this is a touch awkward: you can’t see what’s there, which means it’s easy to forget your belongings.

Moving to the rear, leg room is pretty good by four-seat convertible standards. Helping is the high mounted rear bench that means your knees aren’t forced up towards the roof. Although the interior narrows in the rear, there’s still enough space for two to sit side-by-side without issue. Fitting the flimsy optional wind deflector, which helps reduce buffeting with the roof down, completely blocks off the rear seats.

Unfortunately, the boot has shrunk considerably with the soft-top conversion. You’ll struggle to get a pair of reasonably sized suitcases back there and there’s no folding rear seat, either. The only added flexibility comes from a ski flap fitted to the top-spec models. To make matters worse, the upwardly opening bootlid is perfectly placed to catch your head on when loading or unloading.

The Range Rover Evoque Convertible is expensive to buy and hampered by its weight, but likeable and has great resale values

What we're looking for:<ul><li>Wind-in-the-hair excitement</li> <li>Roof that’s quick and easy to raise and lower</li> <li>Comfortable seating for four adults</li> <li>Sufficient practicality for everyday use</li> <li>Little wind buffeting</li> <li>Quietness, whether the roof is up or down</li> <li>Minimal shaking and shimmying over bumps</li></ul>

Despite the British weather, UK car buyers are among the biggest enthusiasts for wind-in-your-hair motoring, so convertibles have always been surprisingly popular here. It’s best to be able to react to the fickle climate, though, so we’re after a roof that opens (and closes) slickly and quickly and good top-down cruising refinement.

There are precious few bespoke drop-tops these days, so your choice of models is generally limited to soft-top&nbsp;versions of existing models. Mini will sell you a drop-top version of its style-focused hatchback, if you’re after a bit of flair. The Audi A5&nbsp;Cabriolet, meanwhile, brings all of the benefits of the regular A5&nbsp;– refined engines and a beautifully finished interior. Alternatively, the much more expensive Mercedes-Benz S-Class Cabriolet is one of the most luxurious convertibles on sale.

Convertible

Land Rover Range Rover Evoque Convertible review

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Read the definitive Land Rover Range Rover Evoque Convertible 2022 review from the expert What Car? team. Check specs, prices, performance and compare with similar cars.

The Range Rover Evoque Convertible is something of an oddity, combining the lofty driving position and go anywhere ability of a 4x4 with the pose factor of a convertible. Although it doesn’t have any direct rivals, it should appeal to those looking at a Mercedes C-Class Cabriolet or a BMW 4 Series Convertible.,,Under the bonnet, you get a choice of two 2.0-litre diesel engines or a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol, and they come as standard with an automatic gearbox and four-wheel drive. All of which allows the Evoque Convertible to go anywhere a regular Evoque can go.It has plenty going for it, beating the competition in a couple of key areas. Read on to find out what they are and to find out which version makes the most sense.

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