Jaguar Land Rover India will launch their first convertible SUV in India in a few weeks from today. The launch is set of the March 27,2018. Now the concept of a convertible SUV is not new, even Mahindra has a concept SUV convertible on the horizon. However, Land Rover’s Evoque convertible has been around in international markets following its debut at the 2015 Los Angeles Motor Show. Now details on the launch will be out soon, but from what we could gather on Land Rover’s India official website, the Evoque convertible is likely to use JLR’s latest 2.0 litre Ingenium petrol engine that was first used on the Velar launched a few weeks ago. The 4-Cylinder mill makes a pretty solid 240 hp (10 hp less than it does on the Velar) and 340 Nm of torque. Power will be sent to the wheels via a 9-speed ZF Automatic that sends power to all four wheels. To put that in terms that make sense, the convertible SUV will also be able to make a 0-100 run in a staggering 8.1 seconds and continue all the way up to 217 kmph.
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The website also specifies that the Evoque convertible for India will be available with fully-loaded HSE Dynamic form and will get features such as adaptive LED headlights, leather seats, navigation and ambient lighting. Now if you’re wondering about Body flex, considering that the drop-top is essentially a Range Rover Evoque that went under a really low bridge. The Evoque’s reinforced monocoque which is what sets it apart uses reinforced door panels to make up for the lack of the roof. The fabric convertible roof is electrical and can be operated in around 20 seconds while the vehicle is travelling at speeds of up to 48 kmph. Land Rover says the roof uses an acoustic inner lining in an effort to reduce road noise and enhance cabin insulation.
Land Rover have even added a wind deflector as an optional extra, which is supposed to reduce air draft from the back when the roof is lowered. And finally, in case, you thought Land Rover missed the fact SUVs sometimes topple over, you are wrong. The Evoque convertible has a pop-up roll bar that deploys if the vehicle detects chances of a roll-over. Now while Land Rover have obviously shyed away from putting a price on the Evoque Convertible for India, we suspect that the Evoque convertible will cost around 85 lakh once launched.
