Take It Easy

Dhruv Saxena spends a day relaxing in the lap of luxury with two of the hottest droptops in India, the new Mini Cooper Convertible and Range Rover Evoque Convertible. This is sure to be some experience.

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I love the concept of open-top motoring. An early morning drive, a late night ice cream run, or a drive to enjoy the post-rain chill, a convertible is THE car to for such occasions. In India though, convertibles cater to a very niche audience, the reasons for which are rather obvious. Our climate is predominantly hot and when it's not being that, it's usually raining in most parts of the country. Dust and pollution are major issues plaguing most cities and all this means that convertibles don’t exactly seem the most sensible form of transport. Despite all this, convertibles are slowly catching on as evident from the spike in launches in this segment over the last couple of years. Amongst these new launches are the Mini Cooper Convertible and a very off-beat but strangely appealing Range Rover Evoque Convertible. Both cars hail from the UK, come with a retractable soft top and make use of 2.0-litre petrol engines, but that’s where the similarities end. While the Mini charms you with its cutesy looks and go-kart driving feels, the Evoque challenges convention with its drop-top SUV body style. The two sit in very different price brackets with the Mini retailing for Rs 37.10 lakh (ex-showroom) before options, of which there are many, and the Evoque Convertible priced at Rs 69.53 lakh (ex-showroom).