JLR unveils first compact SUV Convertible
The first edition of the South African Festival of Motoring (SAFM) may have come and gone, but the history of the. 4-day event show stoppers would continue to make news headlines till the next edition next year. It was a historic moment when Land Rover unveiled the world’s first luxury compact SUV convertible at the South African Festival of Motoring in Midrand, Johannesburg.
The new Range Rover Evoque Convertible combines the bold design and refinement of Evoque with comprehensive specification and a sophisticated folding roof to create a no compromise, all-season convertible. Its ground breaking and distinctive shape of the original Range Rover Evoque lends itself to an elegant convertible design and the new model sits at the pinnacle of the Evoque portfolio as the most exclusive and capable convertible in the world.
As the fifth member of the Range Rover family and the first ever convertible, the highly desirable new model combines traditional Range Rover luxury with a distinctive four-seat design and versatile storage. It has been engineered to meet Land Rover’s most rigorous standards, ensuring exceptional structural rigidity, trademark refinement, outstanding levels of safety and unrivalled breadth of capability.
During the unveiling last week at the Kyalami Prix Circuit Exhibition ground in Midrand, Gerry McGovern, design director and chief creative officer of Jaguar Land Rover group, said “Range Rover Evoque Convertible is a vehicle for all seasons. Its uniquely distinctive design and world-class engineering adds another dimension to the Range Rover family, further enhancing its desirability and appeal.”
The global SUV market is forecast to grow by 20 per cent over the next five years and Evoque Convertible will play a key role in continuing Range Rover’s 45-year success story, pioneering an all-new SUV sector. Convertible’s eye-catching exterior design is made possible by a sophisticated fabric roof that has been shaped to create a crisply defined silhouette that remains faithful to the original design.
Its Z-fold mechanism lays flush with the rear bodywork for a sleek, uncluttered appearance when lowered. The fabric roof is the longest and widest currently fitted to any vehicle on sale today.
The fully automated roof stows in 18 seconds, and can be raised in 21 seconds, at speeds up to 48km/h. When closed it provides high standards of refinement with a layer of acoustic insulation ensuring interior comfort on a par with five-door Evoque.In addition, the position of the roof doesn’t affect loadspace, with a generous 251-litre boot offering unrivalled practicality for a convertible.
At the heart of the high-class cabin is an all-new, high-resolution 10.2-inch touchscreen with Jaguar Land Rover’s next-generation InControl Touch Pro infotainment system, which debuts in a Land Rover. Raising the standard of connectivity for the brand, the highly responsive and super-fast InControl Touch Pro offers seamless smartphone integration, door-to-door navigation, a premium sound system, as well as wireless and 3G connectivity.
Safety hasn’t been overlooked with a Roll-Over Protection Device featuring deployable rollover bars hidden in the rear bodywork. It deploys two aluminium bars within 90milliseconds in the unlikely event of a rollover situation to create a survival space for occupants.
The Evoque Convertible is powered by Land Rover all-aluminium four-cylinder turbocharged petrol, producing 177kW and340Nm. In addition to outstanding refinement and performance, it also offers superb efficiency.
Available in Convertible is underpinned by Land Rover’s world-class all-terrain capability, using the same advanced technologies as Evoque five-door and Coupé derivatives. A customary choice of four-wheel drive powertrains combines with Land Rover’s nine-speed automatic transmission, Terrain Response system, Wade Sensing and All-Terrain Progress Control to ensure Evoque is a convertible for all seasons.
MIKE OCHONMA