The Opinion: Range Rover Evoque

The EvoqueHyundai Genesis Coupé V6...United States of America, 2008 > present has changed Land Rover’s image from a car manufacturer favoured by wealthy country gentlemen and yummy Chelsea habiting mummy’s to one that is the epitome of stylish modernity.

The junior Range Rover is certainly not a car that you would take shooting and nor is it one that you would be able to pick up a gaggle of unruly school children with.

I will look at it in two ways; the first will be objective and will deal with whether the Evoque is to all intents and purposes a good car. The second is more subjective and I will try to explain my own feelings about a car that has moved away from the traditional roots of the midlands based company. I spent a weekend with the car and had the opportunity to take a couple of rugby playing friends out in it, put a dog in the boot and drive it over a range of surfaces.

Here is my mini assessment of the Evoque:

The styling of the Evoque might be a bit too much for some

© photo by Autoviva, licence: Attribution

Styling

The Evoque has been universally praised for the way it looks, from the day it was shown under the code name LRX at the New York show until its release in 2011. There are some very nice touches as well that really do differentiate it from the FreelanderLand Rover FreelanderUnited Kingdom, 1996 > present2 series
79 versions
107 photos
2 videos
that I feel myself comparing it to. Externally it looks sleek and it does a much better job of pulling off the trick of being a 4X4 Coupe than the pioneering BMW X6BMW X6Germany, 2007 > 201324 versions
77 photos
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.

Black is often one of the ‘best’ colours for new cars, but the Evoque looks better in white, a colour which suits its character better. The major question is whether the Evoque’s looks are in keeping with the Range Rover brand? I think most people would agree that they are.

Interior

Our three door test car was a ‘Prestige’ which comes with a leather wrapped interior, and if you want the mini-Range Rover experience it is this car that will suit the best. The leather seats are comfortable and relatively supportive and the leather dashboard in particular lends it an air of quality.

I am still not a big fan of the navigation system though, which is not as good as its German counterparts and for a Range Rover the rear accommodation is barely acceptable. Admittedly my two golfing buddies are not the smallest of individuals but I would still expect a car with a Range Rover badge to transport us comfortably.
So, the Evoque coupe really is just that...a coupe.

The Prestige trim comes with leather interior

© photo by Autoviva, licence: Attribution

Performance

We only tried the manual, but the gearbox is both accurate and imbues the Evoque with a reasonable level of performance which the six-speed automatic would sap, lagging behind its more modern eight-speed rivals.
Linked to the 190bhp SD4 engine the Evoque had enough performance to make decent progress, but it never felt fast; although if you wanted that you could have the 238bhp petrol. What was more disappointing was the turbo lag and slightly gruff nature of the engine.

Ride and Handling

This is where the Evoque scores highly in my book. What it lacks in engine refinement the Evoque makes up for in the way it soaks up bumps and flows down the road. It soaks up road imperfections at low and high speed without building in excess suspension travel, indeed, despite being an SUV the Evoque has little body roll to speak of and the body control when changing direction is superb. The steering is also excellent, being precise if not ultimately feelsome.

Overall

The Evoque gets and 8/10 rating. The lack of ZF’s excellent eight-speed automatic gearbox and an engine that does not quite live with the ride and handling count against it. The Interior and exterior are both superb, but ultimately a little more space in the rear would be welcome. However, one cannot deny that the Evoque is a superb piece of engineering and a world away from the clunky Land Rover Freelander that it shares some styling cues with.

Land Rover Evoque 2.0 Si4 Prestige Automatic 2011 122 cu in 177 hp 135 mph 7.6s

Land Rover Freelander 2 2.2 SD4 HSE Automatic 2011 133 cu in 190 hp @ 4000 rpm 109 mph 8.85s

view full comparison

My opinion

This is where I get to let loose a bit. My opinion about 4X4 coupe’s is reasonably well known and it goes something like this: If you want a 4X4 buy a practical one that plays to the strengths of the concept and if you want a coupe then buy a car with a low centre of gravity that will be a joy to drive. Quite simply I can’t see the point of trying to make a 4X4 sporty – it is hampered from the outset and ‘sporty’ often just means a rock solid ride.

Has driving the Evoque changed my opinion? It is certainly the best 4X4 coupe to drive, managing to handle well and ride well at the same time, so it scores some points there. Despite extolling the virtues of the styling above I must also confess that its ‘fussy’ features aren’t for me either, they are, quite simply, too bling. Victoria Beckham was involved in the design process and I’m not sure that’s a good thing in my book.

I still felt a little silly driving the Evoque. I’d still buy a Porsche CaymanPorsche Cayman Gen.1 [987]Germany, 2005 > 201215 versions
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to drive and a full size Range RoverLand Rover Range Rover (modern) Gen.3 [L322]United Kingdom, 2002 > 201243 versions
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to go out to lunch with friends and the Evoque seems a little bit pretentious to me. My friend described it as a clutch handbag: it is much more stylish than the full size version but nowhere near as practical and it shouts ‘look at me!’ I’m afraid I’d rather slip under the radar.

Other articles from this series:

The Opinion: Why I am enthused about the Porsche Macan

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