Fair weather or foul, we go the extra mile…
Words: Aurora Eastwood
England is a country with nine months of winter followed by three months of bad weather. The driest week since July last year was at the end of February this year. It only rained twice that week. Since then, we have been rained on, snowed on, and then more recently, the tap has been left on. The big non-binary gender-neutral person in the sky has a bath that has overflowed and the whole country is a squelchy sodden mess. England is, in short, the absolute worst place in the world in which to have a convertible car. The worst.
Even colder countries have more sun than us. Pluto gets more sun than us. And yet, the UK is the second most popular country in Europe for convertible cars. This, and not the weather, must be why Land Rover decided to make a drop-top Evoque.
Given the off-road heritage (and capabilities) of the badge, at least the Evoque can get you where you want to go no matter how potholed (that’s us), rutted (also us) and muddy (yes, still us) your roads/farm tracks/drive may be. If, and it is a BIG IF, the sun comes out, you can make the most of the few nanoseconds of vitamin D, as the roof comes down really rather quickly. Oh dear, it’s chucking it down again – no probs, the roof goes back up equally as fast. And you can do it on the fly.
It feels all solid and comfortable and expensive. It’s quick too, like a nicely schooled polo pony. It’s got nifty features, like various options for self-parking for all the millennials, and surround-cameras that mean you don’t even need to bother turning your head to look behind you (disclaimer – please DO turn your head) when driving!
You can get two child seats in the back (at this stage of my life this sh*t matters), even an i-size rear facing one. Although as I discovered, my rear-facing daughter was a bit annoyed at the wind in her face. This was disappointing, as I thought I was raising her to have more grit. There is still time though, as she is only two. To be fair, it was about 4-degrees Centigrade the entire time we had the car, so the plaintive cries of ‘I’m cold, Mummy’ were justified.
I wasn’t cold. I was in the front. It was lovely and warm in the front. I recommend being in the front if the roof is down and it is 4C outside.
It is still raining as I type. I am pale and wan. I can feel my bones crumbling to dust. Buy the Evoque convertible because it will stop you getting rickets.
Range Rover Evoque Convertible
Price: 47,650 – £53,085
Engine: 2.0 petrol or diesel
0-62mph: 8.1secs – 10.3secs
Max speed: 121mph – 135mph