Sorry about two Range Rover posts in a row but this deja vu SUV unicorn caught my eye. The 2017 Range Rover Evoque HSE convertible. Fascinated that this didn’t go so well for Nisssan with the two door, faux luxury convertible SUV, and hadn’t realized Range Rover headed down the same path. That said, this 2017 Car and Driver review suggested the Range Rover is actually not a bad car, if what you want is a “niche within a niche.” I also stole the not much sport….line in the headline of this post from Car and Driver.
And I had to borrow the photo of the car with the top down from them, since CarMax rarely (and foolishly) provides photos of their convertibles with the top down. This Range Rover Evoque has the 2.0l four banger good for 240hp, and it is not fast by any means. But it rides well. Disappointed that new it sold for close to $60,000 and is only discounted by 25% after three years.
Fortunately, it has some manufacturer warranty left and perhaps the MaxCare warranty isn’t too expensive. I’d think long and hard about getting MaxCare – I mean CarMax shot the marketing photos with the car already in the garage! So if a convertible two door SUV is your thing, find this one owner California car here in Sacramento.
Not being the first to compare the Range Rover Evoque convertible to the Nissan Murano Cross Cabriolet I went looking for reviews on the Nissan and found this great piece from Bloomberg (of all places). Turns out the Nissan Murano Cross Cabriolet never sold well during its 2011-2014 run as a $45,000 upscale convertible SUV, and yet as a used vehicle has found a following. Bloomberg says they sell very quickly now.
On a lark I searched the CarMax website and found they actually have one! It’s a 2012 model with 80,000 miles, and sells for only $14,998. Hell, you could buy three used Muranos for the price of the Evoque, although the Murano never got favorable reviews back in the day. In the 2011 Car and Driver review, they suggested that “drivers will hate this car” but “skippers and their crew will love it.” The photo below is also “borrowed” from Nissan, since CarMax don’t photo topless cars. Sigh.
The Murano has the tried and true 3.5l V-6 engine good for 265hp, although it’s mated to the hated CVT transmission. Both the Murano and the Evoque are AWD, and have seat heaters, Bluetooth, and a rear view camera. But only the Murano has a heated steering wheel! The four owner, accident free Murano Cross Cabriolet is available here in Salt Lake City. 