Range Rover Evoque Convertible finally ready to hit the streets and dirt roads

Land Rover has been readying the driving world for the Range Rover Evoque Convertible ever since it released concept designs four years ago. Earlier this year, it revealed more details, and finally released this hound to European buyers this week with what it's calling the world's first luxury compact SUV convertible.

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While the Ranger Rover Evoque Convertible was previously displayed and touted at several world events, the company was relatively stingy on some of the details related to the new vehicle.
It was clear that the convertible was going to be equipped with the same drive train choices available on the coupe, as well as refinements like its InControl touchscreen vehicle monitoring and infotainment system, and generous use of LED lighting inside and out. What wasn't as evident was how Land Rover was going to ensure a level of usability, safety and vehicle stability on a four-wheel drive equipped convertible, whether the top was up or down.

Storage space in the trunk of most convertibles is a typical issue, but Land Rover designed the Evoque Convertible so the trunk capacity (251 liters/66 gallons) remains the same – regardless of the position of the convertible top. It also incorporated a ski hatch between the two rear passenger seats that allows owners to slide a couple of pair of skis or other long items from the trunk into the passenger compartment.
To ensure driver safety, the Evoque Convertible is equipped with two aluminium rollover bars that deploy within 90 milliseconds of detecting a rollover situation. There's also the same combined thorax and head airbag combination offered in the coupe, but Land Rover equipped the convertible with additional sensors to ensure the airbags or rollover bars don't deploy in extreme off-road situations.

Additional bracings to the chassis, larger diameter anti-roll bars and a retuned suspension add to the overall on- and off-road stability of the vehicle. For those who might want to test the Evoque Convertible's off-road capabilities, Land Rover claims it has the ability to scale 45-degree gradients, safely tilt to 35 degrees before rolling, and wade through water up to 500 mm (19.7 in) deep.
For European buyers interested in being one of the first to own the Evoque Convertible, you'll be looking at a list price of €44,700 (US$50,475) for the SE version, about an €8,000 ($9,000) premium over the similar version of the coupe. Land Rover is also offering an HSE version of the convertible for €50,700 ($57,275), and that mostly gets you variations in internal and external lighting, a more powerful entertainment system and seats with more adjustments.