ROAD TEST: Range Rover Evoque Dynamic SD4

OVERSTEER ROAD TEST: Range Rover Evoque Dynamic SD4

The smallest Range Rover ever (or should that be so far?) has recently worried the bearded, wooly knitted hat-wearing traditionalists by daring to be modern. Is it all style and no substance or can the Evoque give the boring gits something to stick in their pipes? We take a look…

It has to be said that the traditional enthusiasts of Land Rover – and its more luxurious offspring Range Rover – are a funny bunch.

The loudest of them tend to obsess over things like ground clearance and whether or not they have a socket to fit the obscure-sized nut that is either only just holding a vital part on, has seized up entirely or has simply fallen off and disappeared.

They wear funny knitted hats and moan about how Land Rover used to make great cars, but the new ones are too poncy and soft and they would never buy one and why can’t they just keep making the Defender because it is a real off-roader and that silly DC100 concept is an insult and if they just kept making the Defender as it is then everyone would buy it and the company would flourish but they won’t buy the new one because it is not like the old one which they should just keep making because it is better. Despite the fact that they never have, and never will, buy a new one in their lives.

So that is why they hate the Range Rover Evoque.

Now, that alone is enough to make me like the Evoque. On the other hand, the adoption of the walking skeleton that has never read a book in it’s life, Victoria Beckham, as a “design consultant” is enough to make me hate it again.

So those things combined, overall, I am largely ambivalent about the Range Rover Evoque. However after spending some time with it, I have to admit that the ambivalence has turned into a sort of grudging respect.

Despite the fact that it is a blingy, over-styled, cynical marketing ploy on wheels, it is actually a very good, very capable car…

Outside

Of course, looks are very subjective, but there is no doubt that the Evoque is a very good looking machine indeed. Unless, that is, you are one of those hardcore Land Rover nuts who gets offended when the brand does anything that doesn’t have wavy panels and exposed rivets. But then you, my friend, are in a minority and, therefore, don’t matter to Land Rover because, believe it or not, car manufacturers have to make cars that appeal to the majority, not a couple of hardcore enthusiasts who are buried in the past and only buy a car when it is fifteen years old…

The exterior largely expands on the cues started on the last Range Rover – blingy headlights, big chrome grille, etc – and stretches them wider and blingier than that. While it is in no way a particularly large vehicle, Land Rover has nicked an idea from BMW in making everything look particularly wide by the cunning use of horizontal lines and layers, giving the Evoque quite an imposing look and stance for something basically the size of a Honda CR-V.

While the coupe – or three-door hatch in normal terms – is the rock star in terms of swoopy looks, the five-door is not only more practical, but also more manly looking.

As usual, Land Rover’s determination to have the Evoque seen as a luxury vehicle has seen them go a bit over-the-top in terms of gimmicky bling (the puddle lights that project the outline of the car onto the ground at night, for example) but the basic package is a very well designed, attractive thing indeed.

Inside

Inside the Evoque is very special. Depending on what options you tick, that is.

This car had a far more serious and sober interior than a three-door we sampled recently, which looked like the aftermath of a truck carrying unfortunately discoloured cows crashing into a transvestite burlesque club.

The darker interior was far easier on the eye and showed off the fantastic quality of the materials used far better than the searingly garish options.

And that quality is simply remarkable. Even the plastics have a brilliantly solid, quality feel to them, while the leather-work is stunning. The touch screen entertainment unit is as annoying to use as it is in the Evoque’s larger siblings, but still makes a fantastic noise, with rich, full mids and thunderous bass.

The leather is clearly from the highest quality cows and the fit and finish throughout the cabin is superb.

Seats are comfortable and supportive, while the ergonomics throughout are top-notch. In short, the interior feels every bit what you would expect from a smallish vehicle that costs more than$100,000. Which is fortunate.

Under the Bonnet

This particular Evoque boasts Land Rover’s impressive SD4 diesel engine under the bonnet. The 2,179cc diesel engine pumps out 140kW of power at 3,500rpm and 420Nm of torque at 1,750Nm and that is enough to propel the Evoque from a standing start to the legal open road limit around 8 and a half seconds.

Growling with an obvious (perhaps slightly too obvious for such a luxurious car) diesel vigour, the SD4 is eager enough to haul the Evoque around and will provide more than enough grunt for the majority of people who will buy it.

The SD4 engine is hooked up a slick and impressively smooth six-speed automatic transmission that transmits drive to all four wheels.

On the Road

The Evoque is a mixed bag on the black stuff, with the extremely firm ride at odds to the luxurious interior. It seems to fall into that odd segment of SUVs that try to be sporty yet, largely by virtue of their high ride height and centre of gravity, simply aren’t…

A firm ride is all very well if you have a low centre of gravity to attack corners with, but is utterly redundant if you are raised up on stilts. Which, like all other SUVs, the Evoque is.

Not to say that the Evoque can’t attack corners and isn’t particularly impressive through them, because, for a SUV, it actually is. But it simply doesn’t need the firm ride that can actually turn quite harsh over broken pavement.

Handling wise, the Evoque hangs on well, but does have a strong tendency to understeer if you go in too hot. The steering is distant, but sharp enough and overall, the Evoque is better suited to fast cruising, rather than maximum attack. Which makes the hard ride even more baffling.

Off the seal, the hard ride is also limiting, with progress across rough terrain a slow, bumpy affair. The off-road electronics are as capable and impressive as they are in other Land Rovers, but although the Evoque has more than decent ground clearance underneath, the ridiculously low front essentially neuters its ability off the road.

You don’t have to get very far off the beaten track at all before you strike a situation that the low front stops you from getting past, despite the rest of the car being more than capable of tackling it. Some kind of purpose-designed front air damn for off-roading as part of an off-road pack – like Volkswagen does with the Tiguan – would be the ideal solution and I am surprised Land Rover hasn’t thought of it…

Verdict

As a big luxury in a small package proposition, the Evoque is a winner. Even the harsh ride can’t spoil the opulence of the interior and the sheer striking quality of the looks, or even the package as a whole.

The asking price is a relatively big ask, but you do get what you pay for in terms of quality and luxury. Just not necessarily sportiness or that legendary Land Rover off-roadiness…

Going for one with smaller wheels would no doubt eliminate a lot of the criticism surrounding the ride quality and remove the only real black mark against the Evoque, because, let’s face it, the lack of frontal ground clearance isn’t going to bother a potential Evoque buyer in the slightest. So stick that in your funny knitted hat Mr. Land Rover Enthusiast.

Range Rover Evoque Dynamic SD4 Specifications

Price: $102,990 ($123,130 as tested)
Body type: 5-door wagon
Drive: Four-wheel drive
Engine Type: Inline 4-cylinder diesel
Engine Capacity: 2179cc
Max power: 140kW @ n/a
Max torque: 420Nm @ n/a
Fuel Consumption: 6.5L/100km
C02 emission: 174g/km
0 to 100kph: 8.5 seconds
Front suspension: Macpherson strut
Rear suspension: Multi-link
ABS Brakes: Yes
Air Bags: 7
ESP: Yes
Air Conditioning: Dual zone climate control
Lap/diagonal belts: 5
Satellite Navigation: Yes
Electric seats: Yes
Burglar Alarm: Yes
Panic Button: Yes
Wheel type: 19-inch alloy