Cmon Evoque

What we like:

Very beautifully penned bodywork

Luxurious interior

Real offroading ability

Rear camera is great for those who transport bikes

Overall ride quality

What we dislike:

No wireless charging pad

Poor fuel economy (especially since it has assistance)

Awkward loose tray

Transmission not smooth enough

Expensive

Range Rover takes signature design cues from the previous Evoque, carries them over into the second generation car, and 8-year old inspired lines have never looked fresher!

Land Rover’s premium marque was responsible for starting the trend of coupe-like SUVs, and were quickly emulated by the likes of BMW and Mercedes-Benz.

While the new car is unmistakable as an Evoque, and would probably occasionally mistaken as its predecessor, it is new from the ground up.

Distinctive LED Headlamp design also seen in the Range-Rover Velar, and a high front grille lends to the Evoques high-riding appearance. Like its larger sibling, it also features retractable door handles, which delivers a neater side profile.

There is a carry over of quality and design cues, seen in the larger Velar. The minimalist design of the dash highlights the upper of the Evoque’s dual 10” high-definition glass touchscreens, which fronts the Touch Pro Duo infotainment system. Connectivity through Apple CarPlay and Android Auto is available, and also features a 4G WiFi hotspot for up to 8 mobile devices.

There is a removable tray, which hides dual cup holders along the centre console… a feature which I feel that they have not put enough thought put into it; as it would be a chore to stow it away while driving, just so that you could place your cup into the holders. Speaking about trays, the Evoque also lacks a wireless charging pad.

Compared to competing “SUVpes” or “CoupUVs” (they both don’t have a nice ring to them), you sit “on”, instead of sit “in” the seat, which delivers a more commanding-SUV-like than car-like experience for the driver. 14-way seat controls also means that finding that ideal seating position is easy.

In making the user experience a natural one, the Evoque is the first car under the Land Rover stable to feature Smart Settings technology, which learns about driver habits, and pegs it to the key fob or mobile phone used, and even adjusts the seat and steering position upon approaching the car.

Range Rover have also addressed the lack of rear legroom, by extending the wheelbase by 21mm, and have improved on the interior’s packaging for better rear passenger accommodation. The sloping roofline does not do any favours to the driver’s rear line of sight, especially when all three seats at the rear are filled.

Range Rover has countered this with an innovative Clearsight Rear View Mirror, with a camera which is mounted on the fin antenna. Rear imagery is embedded in the rearview mirror, and activated with a flick of a switch under the mirror. Especially useful for those who have a thing for mounting their bikes at the rear end of the car.

So quick question… what can we do with the world’s plastic problem?

Well Range Rover has a solution for some of it…. You place it under your bum… Or at least you can opt to do so. Apart from its selection of leather seating surfaces, they also offer Dinamica suedecloth upholstery; in which a percentile of its makeup is derived from recycled plastic, including PET bottles. The Evoque uses up to 33kg of natural and recycled materials in each car, including plant-based materials… after all momma said you should have your greens.

Luggage space has also been improved upon, the Evoque now boasts a VDA 472 litres of cargo room, a 10% improvement over the previous car. With its 40:20:40 rear seats folded, cargo capacity extends to 1,156 litres. The rear seats however do not fold flush, and ramp upward, which also means that transporting of long-fragile items may be an issue. The boot lip however, is almost flush with the boot floor, and complements the powered tailgate, making the process of loading and unloading easy.

The new Evoque is powered by Jaguar Land Rover’s award-winning Ingenium 2.0 litre turbocharged engine. Our First Edition variant test car delivers 249bhp and 365Nm from as low as 1,300rpm (the R-Dynamic model does 200hp and 320Nm). Acceleration is further helped by their new 48-volt mild-hybrid drive system, a first for the brand.

Drive is provided to all four wheels through a ZF-sourced 9HP48 transmission, which is also shared with the Land Rover Discovery Sport. Performance is more than decent, with the baby Range Rover doing 100km/h in 7.5 seconds.

Hybrid drive aside, its combined cycle 12.3km/l comes across as quite hungry (in contrast, the top-tier high-performance Volkswagen Golf R, which also has all-wheel drive, runs on a high-performing 2.0 and no hybrid assistance does 14.1km/l), part of this is due to its heafty 1,893kg kerb weight.

While most SUVs are road-going cars, the Evoque also has to check the offroading box. The new Evoque is able to ford through water, this time up to a depth of 600mm, 100mm more than its predecessor. ‘Terrain Response 2’ monitors driving conditions, and selects the correct terrain setting. Drive mode selection can also be done through a neatly integrated virtual selectors set within the infotainment unit; ensuring that in the event that you feel the need to go off the grid with larger Land Rover boys, you’re able to keep up. In keeping with its off-roading “box-checking”, its respective approach and departure angles of 19.5 and 30.6 degrees, enables the baby “Rangie” to tackle decent amount of lumpy terrain.

Back on the road, the suspension does a good job of soaking in the bumps. Pitching the Evoque around some tighter bends, reveals a little bit of body roll, due to its suspension which has a lean to comfort.

We do feel however, that the ride could be a little more refined. That 9-speed gearbox, may have well-spaced ratios, but I notice that it does jerk a little at times, which puts a dampener on an otherwise good drive.

Driver assistance systems like its Adaptive Cruise Control helps to keep to a safe distance while trailing the car in-front. Steering Assist, helps to centre the Evoque, based on lane markings. The Evoque is also equipped with a Driver Condition Monitor, which alerts the driver to take a break, if it detects that rest is needed.

The new Evoque is quite an improvement over the previous car. Land Rover has taken pains to sort out the little niggles which plagued the generation one car.

The new car is not perfect, but offers a pleasant experience, that is if you can get past its thirsty engine.

And thank goodness, it was not “designed” by a Spice Girl!

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