Does the world need a convertible SUV? If you ask Nissan, the answer is no, but Land Rover thinks there’s a business case for such a car in the premium segment.
After going back and forth on the production of a Range Rover Evoque Convertible that it had shown as a concept back in 2012, the British firm decided to green light the project setting a release date for 2016.
Our spies caught Land Rover engineers testing prototypes of the open-top Evoque on two separate occasions, under very different conditions: in snowy Sweden and at Germany’s Nürburgring racetrack.
For what it’s worth, both testers where front-wheel drive models fitted with Jaguar-Land Rover’s 2.0-liter diesel engine, which in the 2016MY Evoque, is available in 150PS (148hp) and 180PS (178hp) trims. Naturally, the Evoque Convertible will offer AWD iterations as well as a 240PS (238hp) 2.0-liter gasoline turbo.
The scoop shots confirm that the production car will be almost identical to the study, sans some upgrades introduced on the tin-top 2016 Evoque, such as the LED lighting, new grille and tweaked bumpers, and a revised rear-end styling that incorporates a boot spoiler.
Land Rover has gone for a retractable cloth-top solution together with a special roll-over protection system that takes into account the fact that it may be driven off-road – whether that will happen in real life, is another question… Inside, it will have a four-seat layout.
Photo Credits: CarPix for CarScoops
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