By Ian Strachan,
I have to admit, when the Range Rover Evoque hit the streets seven years or so ago I wasn’t quite sure about it. Was this a car which would be true to Range Rover’s values of luxury and capability? The smallest Range Rover ever produced was one of those Marmite cars that divided opinions.
But now I love it. On reflection, it was the Evoque which shifted the Range Rover brand image from being pricey, functional and a little staid to a vehicle of glamour and high fashion.
The latest Evoque – the second generation – is mix of pleasing design, great interior and specification, and off-road capability, plus bags of technology. It certainly deserves the Range Rover name. You get all the luxury, technology, comfort and off-road performance of a Range Rover opr its smaller brother the Velar, but at a lower cost, both to buy and to run. .
On its launch, the Evoque created a new market sub-sector which others eventually got round to copying. Land Rover’s engineers came up with a great product that embodied all of the traditional Range Rover qualities.
I test drove a the Evoque D200 HSE powered by a 204 horsepower 2.0 litre turbo-diesel engine married to a nine speed automatic gearbox. Its sporty credentials are underscored with impressive 21 inch gloss black alloys (£670 option), a sporty black grille and bumpers, tailgate spoiler and smart, perforated dual-colour wraparound leather seats.
The interior is very roomy with the ambience helped by a large panoramic roof (£1,150 option). The seats – like all Range Rovers – are supremely comfortable, with plenty of room for long-legged passengers and 14-way powered front seats with memory. With this £330 option you also get heated rear seats.
The punchy 2.0-litre diesel engine has more than enough grunt. It can get you from 0-60 mph in below eight seconds, with a top speed of 120 mph, while still returning up to 43.8 mpg in mixed driving.
This is a Range Rover, so its off-road credentials are without question. Hill descent control and intelligent electronic traction control are carried over from its big brother, along with full time four wheel drive. When it comes to mud plugging capability this is every bit as much an off-roader as any Land Rover product..
Handling and ride characteristics of the Evoque are superb. No body roll, excellent car-like steering, and supportive, comfortable suspension.
The Evoque is loaded with technology including a 10-inch touch screen display with satellite navigation, a front and rear parking aid, 3D surround camera, lane-keeping assist, voice control, two-zone climate control and adaptive dynamics (an £815 option). Standard equipment on this spec includes automatic headlights, rain-sensing wipers, flush door handles which appear gracefully on unlocking, powered heated door mirrors, cruise control and a powerful DAB radio and sound system.
My test car came with satin chrome gearshift paddles (£250) privacy glass (£420), an electronically deployable towbar (£1,035) premium metallic paint (£970) and a contrast black painted roof (£650) .
Without the extras, this Evoque will set you back £47,310. That may sound a lot but you can pay nearly two and a half times as much for a full size Range Rover with all the extras.
My only criticism, and it’s tiny, is that rear visibility isn’t great with the Evoque’s fairly narrow rear screen. But if you can live with that, you’ll love this offering from the Range Rover stable.
