AutoTrader SCORE
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STYLING9/10
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Safety8/10
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PRACTICALITY8/10
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USER-FRIENDLINESS8/10
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FEATURES8/10
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POWER7/10
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COMFORT6/10
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DRIVING FEEL7/10
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FUEL ECONOMY9/10
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VALUE7/10
“If you have to ask the question, you’re never going to understand.” That’s an often-used trope in the automotive world. It’s usually used by the sorts of people who get offended when you say that their 800 hp muscle car is overkill and pointless.
Polarizing, quirky, unique cars are a good thing.
Those same people then turn their derision to other things. Things like CUVs, or non-muscle-car convertibles. Or luxury cars. This 2017 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque Convertible is all those things in one, and you can bet the “enthusiasts” are queued up to chip in their two cents.
But here’s the thing. This car is not for them. Just as their hot rod is not for everyone else either. And we live in this beautiful world where the things you like and the things I like and everything else between are available (more or less) if you look hard enough.
And for that reason, I bloody well adore the Evoque Convertible. I love it for the same reasons I love Minis, or the Volkswagen Super Beetle, or the 1963 Series II Land Rover I owned in a previous life. That too was a convertible. At least until I sold the roof to pay for a new driveshaft. Then it was just topless. Polarizing, quirky, unique cars are a good thing. They inspire people’s love of cars, a love that manifests in a million different ways and should always be encouraged.
There are many, many people who would as a general rule not buy a car that inspires them. Some people’s wish-list includes: sitting up high, being in something big and safe-feeling, being in something comfortable to drive – and nothing more. Some of those people secretly also want to go topless.
Now they can. The Murano convertible was another way to go topless in an SUV, but that vehicle was never officially sold in Canada, and there’s a strong argument for the Evoque Convertible, being more stylish and having more cachet.
It would be too easy and frankly lazy to poo-poo this car for being a topless SUV. Doing so is a disservice to the millions of people the world over who enjoy interesting things. I had one friend call this thing ugly, I disagree. The lines are neat, and the cheeky little spoiler on the back is proof that the Evoque Convertible doesn’t take itself too seriously.
The coupe set-up is alluring too, and it’s clear that the Evoque designers wanted it to be a two-door from the outset.
My daughter giggled with sheer delight every time she walked up to it, and cackled with glee when I put the roof down. When she saw people on the sidewalk staring at us (not always politely), she waved. Inspiring that sort of response is as worthy a reason for a car to exist as any.
But above all that stuff, this is actually a pretty solid little car – with a few minor flaws.
The 2.0L four cylinder’s 240 hp is solid, as is the 250 lb-ft of torque. The engine is smooth from inside the car though noisy outside, and it pulls strongly when the gearbox cooperates. The nine-speed auto is best left in sport mode. In normal mode there is a significant kick down lag and jerkiness when trying to merge into tight gaps on the freeway. Big throttle inputs require a shift to manual mode or sport mode to be effective.
In sport mode though, the transmission is well-matched, responsive and engaging. There’s enough grunt here to make the Evoque an enjoyable drive even with the extra 266 kg of bracing bringing its curb weight up from 1,670 in regular (four-door) guise to 1,936 kg in this trim.
That extra weight is evident in some crashiness over harder bumps, but overall the ride is consistent and comfortable. The steering is well-weighted and appropriately communicative for a sporty SUV. The chassis is firm and responsive, with none of the body roll you might expect from a 1,900-plus kg SUV. The Evoque convertible is downright agile.
I noted the buttons for Land Rover’s terrain select systems on board too, but without a chance to test it offroad, I can’t speak to the performance. The fact that hill-descent control and terrain selection is present and given Land Rover’s reputation for offroad prowess, there’s every indication this thing could hack many a cottage road.
Sacrifices for form over function are expected, and cargo volume drops from 575 L to 251 L – accessed now via a cute little hatch door instead of a full-height tailgate. There are instances where the Evoque convertible is more practical than the traditional though. For example, when you want to carry something tall. With the roof down you can always put something in the back seat, so in many ways you can carry more things in this than you could in the regular Evoque.
That roof will fold or lower in around 20 seconds at speeds up to 40 km/h, and it is surprisingly well-insulated. At highway speed I was still having easy conversations with my family. At one point I found myself in naughty-naughty land and had to slow down. It’s rare these days for me to get duped into thinking I’m going slower than I am.
The interior design is as sleek and attractive as any Range Rover product, with a large touchscreen and soft-touch dash dominating proceedings. The busy steering wheel still looks and feels good especially with the heating elements turned on. I enjoyed the clear, simple gauges and informative TFT screen too.
Land Rover’s Achilles heel continues to be the infotainment system. It’s a slick-looking and well-featured system with smartphone-linking capability, navigation and even satellite radio playback functions – but it continues to be slow and glitchy. Several times I hit the right arrow on the screen to go back a channel, only for the stereo go forward a channel instead.
The screen froze on me twice and failed to respond to touch inputs at least once per drive. I’m convinced after experiencing these same issues on the 2017 Land Rover Discovery launch that this is a hardware issue, not a software issue. It seems more like the processor or touchscreen is just not up to the complexity of the software and needs to be upgraded.
On the comfort front, the first row seats get massaging, heating and ventilation courtesy of the $1,300 Luxury Seating Package. The seats are all comfortable and there is more legroom than you would expect – I could easily sit behind myself. If you like visibility, the Evoque Convertible scores highly with the roof down. With the roof up, you will probably want to put it back down. The small foxhole slit in the back window is not conducive to seeing things.
On the fuel economy front I came away shocked. Rated at 12.0/8.5/10.4 L/100 km city/highway/combined, I thought I’d probably land at about 14.0, given I drive almost entirely in the city and with the roof down as much as possible. To come in at 10.1 L/100 km after a week is a good result.
As a luxury SUV, the Evoque already ticked most boxes. It has always and unapologetically targeted form over function, and so a convertible coupe edition is frankly, a logical extension of the Evoque’s mission. That the British marque would step out onto this branch alone is worthy of credit, even praise. If what you want is top-down motoring without having to sacrifice the comforts and benefits of a luxury SUV, the 2017 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque is a strong option.
| Engine Displacement | 2.0L |
|---|---|
| Engine Cylinders | 4 |
| Peak Horsepower | 240 hp @ 5,800 rpm |
| Peak Torque | 250 lb-ft @ 1,750 rpm |
| Fuel Economy | 12.0/8.5/10.4 L/100 km cty/hwy/cmb |
| Cargo Space | 251 L |
| Model Tested | 2017 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque Convertible HSE Dynamic |
| Base Price | $65,990 |
| A/C Tax | $100 |
| Destination Fee | $1,600 |
| Price as Tested | $72,790 |
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Optional Equipment
$5,100 – Santorini Black paint $650; Satellite Radio $450; Heated Windscreen $400; Luxury Seating Pack $1,300; Driver Assistance Package (360-degree park distance control, autonomous emergency braking, lane-keep assist, surround-view camera, blind-spot monitor, park-assist) $2,300
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