In the already insane world of SUV’s where the Hummer H3 is the size of a small bedroom and the South African built marauder, the size of a small 1BHK, bigger is better is the way of life. This is just the design philosophy that Canadian armoured SUV builders Conquest has adopted. We are sure most of you have never heard of the company, given that it’s the unlikely combination of Canada and defense put together. Despite this, its efforts have borne some really large fruit in the form of the XV and now it’s budget (by their standards) car called the Evade.
Conquest first entered the spot light with its ultra-luxurious, heavily fortified and massive SUV called the XV. The end result of a rather heated affair between a Gurkha military vehicle and a Ford F-350 truck, their flagship SUV boasts some pretty astronomical numbers. Powered by a 6.8 litre V-10 its produces 400bhp and earth moving 2215Nm! of torque – fortunately, only 100 such example will be produced.
Wanting to cater to a larger audience, as the XV costs 629,000 Dollars (Rs 3.5 crore excluding taxes) Conquest has introduced its first un-armoured vehicle Evade. Based on the Ford F550 chassis, it has been built using a combination of steel and aluminum and is priced at much relatively cheaper rate of 579,000 Dollars (Rs 3.19 crore)
The hand-built SUV shares many of its parts with the newer model of the XV. This includes the new headlights, grilles, roof scoops and hood. Some of the newer features specially made only for the Evade are the roof mounted search lights, night vision camera and generous use of touch screen technology. The Evade can run on both petrol and is available with both options separately.
On the inside, it boasts a 2+2 seating and all frills luxury. Other interior include a driver-passenger partition which can be replaced by a flat screen TV. A third sunroof and laptop trays are also available. Is this a new trend for cars or a passing fade, only time will tell, however the Evade will most certainly leave its big mark wherever it goes.
