Land Rover has decided to extend its luxury division Range Rover as customers wanted a luxury SUV, but more compact than the current 4×4 “limousines” designed for supreme comfort both on and off-road. Thus, a few years after launching the concept of LRX, Evoque was launched – a compact SUV built on the Land Rover Freelander platform but using elements of premium Range Rover models. In terms of design Range Rover Evoque is the most spectacular SUV ever in the series launched by the British manufacturer. In this chapter the only one that has also seen such a design revolution was BMW X6 when it was launched in 2008.
Evoque’s key competitors are BMW X1 and Audi Q3 but they have only five-door versions, while Evoque can be “cool” in the coupe version and more “family like” in the five. The Coupe model has currently no competitor. Once you sit in the car, you notice that the interior is more than generous for front-seat passenger and driver and a little smaller for the back-seats – where we have two seats and not three as we expected. In the top end versions, front seats are electrically adjustable, the trunk is big, it has 550 liters which could be increased by folding down the rear seats to 1,350 liters. Evoque can have a comfortable interior or a sport-oriented one, depending on the version chosen. For example Dynamic and Dynamic Plus come with shell-type front seats (or sport), which is probably the most sporty seats ever fitted to a Range Rover. They look sensational, have a good support for the whole body and, despite the power settings, are quite strong. For those who want comfort, Prestige is equipped with armchairs.
In the cockpit you can not miss the spectacular design and finish worthy of the luxury segment, not just the premium. The leather is present in abundance and the first impression is exuberant luxury. Almost all interior elements are taken from Jaguar and this is a good thing that can blow the minds of car addicted people. In addition, we also have a storage space behind the console, an idea that is copied from Volvo. Meridian Audio System is very powerful at the top of its 825 watts and costs 1,290 euros.
We shouldn’t forget about the Terrain Response system, unique in this segment and the SUV world, but somehow is extra on Evoque because the sport version of the SUV does not seem to be designed for off-road, but for a gravel lot. The electronics works perfectly in tandem with the differentials if you leave the system to do its work. Evoque is very fast and most importantly, fun to drive. The engine develops 190 hp and 420 Nm and is connected to the new eight-speed transmission. Inside the car, you can barely hear the engine up to 2,000 rpm but over 3,000 rpm is too noisy. The couple has a high value but the great weight of the car requires the increase of the rpm repeatedly over 3,500. This results in noise inside the car and a minus point for comfort.
