Talk about the cars you like in ONE.MOTORING Forum's Road Tests.
Forum

Introduction, styling

While there are some concept cars out there that go past the bean counters and into production virtually unchanged, there are some that will look visually less exciting when they go into production. Range Rover though has a habit of putting its concept study models into production virtually unchanged. The Range Stormer concept for example went to become the Range Rover Sport albeit with two extra doors while the Land Rover LRX concept from the 2008 Detroit Motorshow is now the Range Rover Evoque.

Thanks to its LRX concept car looks, the Evoque has been one of the most highly anticipated SUVs in recent times and it is now on sale here in both two-door coupe and five-door forms. Both body styles are available in three trim levels - Pure, Prestige (the version tested here) and the sporty Dynamic.

If you'd Google for images of the LRX concept, I'm sure you'll agree that the Evoque pictured here looks exactly like the car in those images bar running on smaller wheels. It is the Evoque's nose that will capture anyone's attention first and foremost - those slim wraparound headlamps housing arc shaped LED daytime running lights, a slimmer, less upright version of the Range Rover grille, LED fog lamps just look plain gorgeous.

Other than their different wheels, Pure, Prestige and Dynamic models can be differentiated by the colour of the grille - different shades of grey for Pure and Prestige and satin black for Dynamic. In addition, Dynamic models feature a deeper and sportier aerodynamic kit. Two-door coupe models can be further differentiated by the lower roofline at the rear as well as their bonnet vents. The latter look like they are come from the Jaguar XFR.

In Prestige trim and running on optional 20-inch wheels, the Evoque just looks marvellous. This is one car that'll make you walk around it to admire its design details each and every time before you get into it and drive off.

Performance, ride and handling

You won't find a big rumbly V8 under the Evoque's wraparound bonnet. Instead, lying in there somewhere is the rather familiar Ford sourced EcoBoost 2-litre lump that is also used in various Volvo 2.0T and T5 models. Range Rover calls the four-pot the Si4. With the aid of direct injection and a turbocharger, the 1999cc four-pot churns out 240bhp and 340Nm.

You won't find a big rumbly V8 under the Evoque's wraparound bonnet. Instead, lying in there somewhere is the rather familiar Ford sourced EcoBoost 2-litre lump that is also used in various Volvo 2.0T and T5 models. Range Rover calls the four--pot the Si4. With the aid of direct injection and a turbocharger, the 1999cc four-pot churns out 240bhp and 340Nm.

Performance is reasonably good - a 0-100km/h time of 7.6 seconds and 217km/h is just slightly down on the sprightly Audi Q5 2.0 TFSI's impressive numbers of 7.2 seconds and 222km/h. Even though it is basically the same motor as Volvo's T5 models, the Evoque's motor somehow feels slightly different on the power delivery and engine acoustics front. The Evoque unit's peak torque of 340Nm is 20Nm more than the Volvo unit but it feels like it needs some revs before it'll deliver the punch while mid-range torque is obviously more potent than the Volvo motor.

The Evoque shares most of its underpinnings with its Freelander 2 stable mate but you'll never know this when you consider how different the two feel on the road. For a start, the Evoque steers sharper than the Freelander 2 - the Evoque's helm responses instantly to any driver inputs. The Prestige model we tested does suffer from some body-roll in the corners. Dynamic models though come standard with MagneRide magnetic dampers, which are optional on the Prestige model - these sophisticated dampers, also featured in cars like the Audi TT and Ferrari 599GTB Fiorano should further improve the Evoque's body control and cornering stance when Land Rover's patented Terrain Response is set to 'Dynamic' mode.

Range Rover admits that the Evoque will never be as good off road as its Range Rover Vogue or Sport models but it is still suitably equipped to tackle the rough stuff better than any of its competitors. Like its bigger stable mates, the Evoque is equipped with Range Rover's Terrain Response system for better control, traction and stability in the rough.

Terrain Response offers four different driving modes - General Driving, Grass/Gravel/Snow, Mud and Ruts, and Sand. The system maximizes traction and stability on each of the different surfaces through the vehicle?s electronic brain and traction aids. Selecting Mud and Ruts for example, will have the drivetrain allowing a small degree of wheel-spin to maintain vehicle momentum. As previously mentioned, Dynamic models and cars with the MagneRide dampers option have an additional 'Dynamic' mode as part of their Terrain Response arsenal.

In addition to Terrain Response, the Evoque is also equipped with Hill Descent Control (HDC) for maintaining the right speed when it goes down a steep slope, something that the Evoque is quite adept at thanks to wide departure and approach angles.

Interior and conclusion

Underneath the gorgeous looking bodywork is a surprisingly spacious and well-appointed cabin. The Evoque's dynamic looking exterior somehow gives one the perception that interior packaging has been compromised to give it that svelte shape and styling but this is simply not the case.

The boot's loading lip might be relatively high but the trunk space is well sized and has a deep and wide load area while rear passengers have more than sufficient leg and knee room to be comfortable even on long journeys.

Up front, the various knobs and switches are chunky, well labelled and easy to use, in true Range Rover style. The switchgear might not look or feel as good as say an Audi Q5's but they somehow have that hewn from solid feeling. The touchscreen menus for the infotainment system are hugely intuitive to use. The front seats not only look the part but also are both comfortable and supportive while the relatively tall driving position gives the driver a commanding view ahead. The view out of the rear window though, is best described as dismal.

Overall quality and perceived luxury are high on this Prestige model. The upper sections of the dash and door trims are covered with the best cow hide the English country side can offer and everything in here feels expensive like a premium car should.

In Prestige spec, it also comes kitted out with a push button start system, front and rear parking sensors, rain sensors, auto bi-Xenon headlamps, two-zone climate control, powered front seats, panoramic glass roof, Park Assist for parallel parking, powered tailgate, sat nav, Bluetooth connectivity, cruise control, an 11-speaker Meridian audio system with in-dash CD changer, 19-inch alloy wheels and so on.

The Evoque has certainly lived up to its hype thanks to a highly competent package underneath the skin that matches its beautifully proportioned looks. The Q5 and X3 will face some very stiff competition from this one.

Oneshift.com is the new, hip authoritative website for the passionate car enthusiast who wants to have anything and everything to do with cars. Backed by a community of strong enthusiasts, including a professional panel of road test journalists, Oneshift has under its wing a supportive, growing car community that houses members of every age from different walks of life.