It took them a while, but Jaguar Land Rover is finally ready to unveil the new Range Rover Evoque Convertible in full production trim, sporting a fabric roof. So this is  the world’s first luxury compact SUV convertible, and it looks really good – with the top down, at least.

JLR took its sweet time over this, not just because developing a soft top SUV is really hard, but because it is, in essence, a gamble. Sure, a lot of people are going to be intrigued by the idea, but if it turns out the drop-top SUV is less well-rounded as its hard-top brother, Range Rover Evoque Convertible will have difficulties finding customers.

But that is later, after the car is thoroughly tested by top journalists and consumer advisers. For now let’s shift our attention to that roof, a fabric soft top with Z-fold mechanism that makes it lay flush with the rear bodywork when down. It takes 18 seconds to go down and 21 seconds to come back up, and it can be operated on the move at speeds up to 30 mph.

Despite the roof apparatus, Range Rover Evoque Convertible still offers 251 liters of cargo space. The interior is as luxurious as ever, boasting 10.2-inch touchscreen infotainment, InControl Touch Pro, 3G connectivity, and a new Roll-Over Protection Device featuring deployable roll-over bars hidden in the rear bodywork.

Available with the Si4 petrol and 2.0-litre Ingenium diesel engines, Range Rover Evoque Convertible goes on sale from Spring 2016 starting from £47,500 in the UK.