Used Land Rover Range Rover Evoque Convertible 2016-2019 review

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 on the used car market, it should appeal to those looking at a Mercedes C-Class Cabriolet or a BMW 4 Series Convertible.

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.

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.

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.

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.