Range Rover Evoque Review

Everyone few decades, there comes along a car that single handedly takes a manufacturer that is on the verge of loosing its identity to a new level of design philosophy, technology and of course, overall lust. The Range Rover Evoque in recent times has been one such car that took Land Rover from being a typically British manufacturer that made large and luxurious SUVs that were boxy and slightly boring to one that became a design icon overnight. And although initially a few people did pass the Evoque off, sales figures quickly made it the most popular car Land Rover has ever made. In India too, the Evoque has done well both in terms of sales and of course being the preferred car of choice for many luxury car buyers who are looking for a stylish and practical car.

Exterior styling  rating_4.5_rating

The Range Rover Evoque is the coolest looking modern SUV in the world. In fact, even with its compact proportions, the Evoque could possibly be one of the coolest SUVs ever made. From the LED festooned headlights to the new age Range Rover signature grille to the large wheels that look right at home, the Evoque is a design icon. And with its almost coupe like stance and slim greenhouse that reduces the overall height of the car, the Evoque looks as sleek as the latest iPhone.

We also like how the Evoque gives the chance to customers to personalize and customize the car in a few different ways....almost like a Mini does. With its floating roof design, the Evoque looks best in a contrasting two tone combination. We also like the flared wheel arches and the black combination side skirts that come with a chrome accent piece. Tying up the design at the rear, the trademark tail lamps, which have in turn inspired Land Rover’s entire range are indeed a work of art when you look at them closely. The bumper, with its raised stance and matte silver accents too looks like it could take quite the beating in an urban jungle like Bombay. The only design element that I personally dislike on the whole car though is the plain-jane exhaust tip. The Evoque can certainly do with an integrated exhaust outlet of a twin chrome tip of some sort in the future.

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Interior & space  rating_4.5_rating

In terms of sheer styling, Land Rover is close to the top of the food chain. The simple yet elegant styling combined with the floating centre console is a real treat. The Evoque’s seating position and dashboard makes sure you feel like you are suck into the cabin just like a sedan instead of floating over everything like is the case with most other SUVs. The way the dashboard is angled also helps in adding a sense of sportiness to the Evoque. The central screen is huge and easy to read, but as with every single JLR car today, the infotainment software needs a serious upgrade and feels old. Although there are no fancy AC vents, the gear selector knob does rise out from the dashboard adding to the drama.

As expected, the Evoque comes with a set of seats that you could easily replace your large old armchairs back home with. Comfortable yet firm enough to provide support, the Evoque’s leather seats are a great place to be. At the rear though, the Evoque does seem a little cramped mainly due to the sloping roofline and the generally smaller dimensions of the car. The rear does offer AC vents and independent infotainment screens where one can watch a movie. The boot though is quite handy and comes with a decent amount of space that would easily swallow up all your weekend luggage.

Features & Equipment  rating_4.5_rating

As expected from a car that costs over Rs 50 lakhs, the Evoque comes stuffed to the gills with everything that you can want. There is a reverse parking camera along with a park assist system that is quite handy considering you cannot see out of the miniscule rear window. You also get a large single piece panoramic roof that adds a ton of drama to the car and seven shades of ambient lighting that add to the Evoque’s interior appeal. What you do not get though are a set of heated and cooled front and rear seats and a massaging seat option, both of which could be highly appreciated while driving in a city like Bombay. We were also impressed by the Meridian speaker package that the car we drove came with.

Ride and ease of driving  rating_4.0_rating

When it comes to overall ride comfort, Land Rover products are known to have things quite sorted. The Evoque, being a sportier car though does have a hint of stiffness to it. That said, it is still as comfortable if not a tab bit more as any Rs 50 lakh SUV and is a pleasure to drive. Being compact also helps in the city as the Evoque snakes its way through thick traffic without much of a fuss. That said, as we mentioned earlier, the Evoque is quite a pain to park due to the tiny rear windscreen that gives you absolutely no bearings at all and makes you glad to have a rear view camera.

Handling & braking  rating_4.0_rating

Being an SUV, you might expect the Evoque to handle with a level of vagueness. Well, it doesn’t. In fact, the Evoque’s handling is far from it. Although it is no sports car, the Evoque does handle pretty well and is well sprung too. There is just a sense of overall solidarity between components that is not found in the likes of other Land Rover products like the Freelander for instance. What does disappoint us a little though are the brakes. We do not know whether the car we drove in particular has a certain degree of brake fade, but the Evoque’s brakes are certainly not up to the mark as compared to some of its other competition. The Evoque also comes with a host of off-road pre-settings on its suspension. You can choose between the standard setting, snow, rocks and of course, sand. Although one cannot really expect most Evoque drivers to test out any of these settings, having driven the Evoque over some demanding terrain in the past, we can safely say that this iconic SUV can pretty much handle almost everything that you can throw at it.

Engines & performance  rating_4.5_rating

One thing that you will never feel short off in the Evoque will be power. Sensibly, Land Rover only offers the diesel engine in India. The 2.2-litre engine, combined with the new 9-speed gearbox is actually one of the better diesel engines in the segment and makes 255PS of peak power and 420Nm of peak torque. Now to the main reason why we are driving this car again nearly four years after it was launched. Well, the 2015 Evoque gets the new 9-speed ZF automatic gearbox, which when launched was the first ever 9-speed gearbox in the world. So has this made the Evoque more responsive than ever before? Well, yes and no.

In D mode, the Evoque still takes a little more time than it should to get through gears especially when asked to downshift with a degree of urgency. As with every other JLR product we have driven recently though, slot the knob into S mode and everything becomes much quicker and taughter than before. And of course, if you do want to feel like a race car driver in your luxurious SUV, you can always tug at the paddle shifters. All in all, the Evoque is certainly a car that will not disappoint you on the road.

Price and Fuel efficiency  rating_4.0_rating

Land Rover recently slashed the prices of the Evoque when they started making it in India. With the range starting from Rs 49.24 – 56.72 lakh, the Evoque, with its good looks and boatloads of character does make a lot of sense when compared to some of the other cars in the segment like the Audi Q5, BMW X3 and of course, the Volvo XC60. The Evoque is also quite fuel efficient returning a mileage figure of 13.32kmpl.

Verdict  rating_4.0_rating

The Range Rover Evoque is one of those few cars that is hard to find fault with. It might not be the most sensible car to buy in its segment with a slightly interior especially at the back and a rear windscreen that you cant really look out of but take one look at that glorious exterior and you will know what we are talking about. And as an added bonus, it also drives really well. The Evoque, even though it is almost 4 years old now is a great car to consider if you have about Rs 50-60 lakhs to spare on your new car. And of course, you can always take pride with the fact that it is in fact made in India by an Indian company. All in all, a great package indeed.