Last Friday Jaguar Land Rover launched the newest Range Rover in South Africa – the highly anticipated Evoque Convertible. If you’re not aware, it’s regarded as the ‘world’s first premium convertible SUV’. I was lucky enough to get to drive the vehicle in an intimate media event in Pretoria, starting off at Tasha’s Menlyn Maine.

evoque-tashas

If you know the Range Rover brand, specifically the Evoque, you’d know the target market is mainly female. So JLR invited a bunch of ladies (and a guy!) for a some spoils and to experience the car in both an urban and off-road setting, as the car is the “convertible for all seasons”. Not pictured above is the amount of people crowding around the vehicles. I snapped this as soon as I got there, but when folks arrived to the shopping centre, they got a bit up close and took loads of photos. The attention started there…

If you’re stylish and wanna be seen in places… AND you have R1-million to spare, the Evoque Convertible is for you! If that’s the case, go for the red or orange 😉 It’s definitely the standout colours… as if the vehicle doesn’t already get all the attention. I personally prefer the white one, I think it looks best, and shows off the design and lines better. I got to drive the 2L turbopetrol version last Friday, and hopped into the black one for reasons I’d rather not mention on this post 😉 But you might be able to spot it below.

evoque-black

I absolutely loved driving this compact SUV. It’s the first time I’ve had the opportunity to drive a Range Rover. After the last couple of months of driving the XC90 and F-Pace… I’ve grown to love these big vehicles, mainly because it’s so comfortable and luxurious inside. The Evoque Convertible felt no different. It’s a huge car, with a huge presence. My favourite thing about SUVs is going over speed bumps like normal, ha.

If you wanna go topless on the vehicle, it can only be done when you’re driving less than 50km/h. It’s all automated, you just hold the button down throughout the time the roof folds away and within 18 seconds it’s down completely. Oh, and you don’t have to worry about it obscuring your view, it’s completely flat in the back. I loved driving it along the highway; and on Sport mode it’s so easy to forget what speed you’re doing 😉

evoque-driving

A standard feature on the Evoque Convertible is the In Control Touch Pro infotainment system that was introduced on the F-Pace, along with a fancy Meridian sound system + subwoofer and 10 speakers; and basically a mini computer with hard drive. The JLR folks preloaded some music onto the hard drive for our roadtrip, so we had the most amazing sound while driving, and disguising the wind sounds that you’d expect from any convertible.

We got to drive a bit off-road on the route to the Cradle of Humankind. You can drive between urban and dusty roads/getaways in and around Gauteng easily with the Evoque Convertible. It’s very much a city car, and an off-roader. But you knew this.

I’ve written a bit more about the vehicle in a First Drive post on Cars.co.za if you want to take a look here: http://www.cars.co.za/motoring_news/range-rover-evoque-convertible-2016-first-drive/42907/

I absolutely enjoyed driving the Evoque Convertible… let me just leave it at that, and not weep about the price tag!

evoque-orange

Thank you for the experience, Jaguar Land Rover!