This is Land Rover’s idea of an open top compact SUV, the Range Rover Evoque convertible. The idea of an open top Land Rover isn’t new, its within the off-road DNA of the company. But a convertible luxury compact SUV Land Rover offering for the masses is new, even though the idea of open top motoring isn’t. And Land Rover aren’t being shy about the marketing saying of the Evoque as being “the world’s first luxury compact SUV” and “bold design, no compromise”. However the idea of an Evoque convertible was first realised back in 2011.   There is a reason why Land Rover is making the Evoque convertible, research suggests the global compact SUV market is expected to grow by 20 percent over the next five years. Always feed the market what they want but a convertible version of the Evoque is still a risk. Will people want to buy one? In key markets like the US, Middle East and China maybe yes.   Chopping the roof off any vehicle means you loose structural rigidity, Land Rover have strengthened the Evoque’s chassis to counter any loss such loss. The fabric roof is said to be lightweight and retracts in around 18 seconds at speeds of up to 30mph. Even with the hood folded away out of sight there is still a useful 250-litre bootspace. The Evoque convertible also features an aluminium Roll-Over Protection device which is integrated within the body and deploys in 90 millisecond’s should such an incident ever occur for it to be used. The Evoque convertible also debuts a new/next-generation 10.1-inch infotainment touchscreen. So you can ensure a direct route to the hair salon on the Brompton Road. Despite all the exterior glitz the Evoque will also feature Land Rovers renowned off-road technology so you can plough the streets of Knightsbridge during the morning school run.   A 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 should ensure the Evoque is a convertible for those all important trips to the nail salon. Land Rover’s full suite of lightweight, all-aluminium four-cylinder petrol and diesel engines will be available. The most popular is expected to be the 2.0-litre Ingenium diesel engines offers fuel economy up to 55mpg (5.1 l/100km) and CO₂ emissions as low as 149g/km. You would think chopping the roof off any vehicle would be cheaper to make, after all there is less steel and surely fabric is cheaper. Well it doesn’t quite work like that. When the Evoque convertible goes on sale from Spring in 2016 it will cost you £46k for the entry level model based on a TD4 HSE Dynamic. Ouch and ouch.