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Range Rover Evoque breaks new ground for the British marque that pioneered the concept of a 4WD that can be both competent and comfortable. Prior to the introduction in 1970 of a vehicle simply called ‘Range Rover’ it was considered normal for working vehicles to be just that, trucks with a crude 4WD system to give them traction in harsh off-road areas.
Land Rover was very much part of that scene until it came up with the idea of adding another model to its lineup, one that could be used as both a family station wagon and a working 4WD. The rest of the world’s auto makers eventually cottoned onto the idea, coming up with similar vehicles, many of which became nothing more than family station wagons that never travelled off sealed surfaces.
For years, Range Rover resisted this so-called soft-roader trend, but has now produced a vehicle called Evoque. A stylish wagon that – horror of horrors in the minds of the purists – can even be bought with only 2WD. The good news is that the 2WD Evoque can be bought for just under $50,000 in its most basic variant – though it’s not hard to play the options game and add something like 50 per cent to the price.
The best news of all was that the apparently unworkable shape of the original concept – called a Land Rover at the time – has been translated into reality. What looks like a very low roof is actually a clever illusion. Though the Evoque’s roof slopes sleekly down at the rear, the angle is not as steep as it seems as the rising belt line is a major player in the apparently low appearance.
Our test vehicle for the last week has been a four-door Evoque with a turbo-diesel engine and 4WD; the low-cost 2WD won’t be on the market till mid 2012.
We found the front area of the little Range Rover comfortable and pretty spacious for a vehicle of this size. The upmarket design and quality of materials is impressive and we can see wealthy owners of Autobiography Rangies buying a couple of Evoques for their kids based on its interior styling alone.
Range Rover Evoque has sufficient headroom for a six-footer in the back seats, though that’s probably about the limit, so check for yourself if you’re likely to have tall travellers back there.
Legroom in the rear is good if the people in front are willing to give up a few centimetres of their legroom. The view to the side from the back seats suffers because of the aforementioned rising belt line and younger kids will lose their outlook in the interests of fashion.
On sealed surfaces the Range Rover Evoque handles almost as well as a good hatchback. You wouldn't exactly describe it as being sporty, but it comes closer than you might expect. We feels there’s more road noise on rough sealed surfaces than is acceptable in an upmarket vehicle.
Visibility to the rear is not good as the shallow back windscreen gives a letter-box effect. A reversing camera and parking sensors make life safer.
Boot space is good and we had no trouble fitting in a couple of fair sized suitcases without the need to fold down the rear seatbacks.
As it has been designed by Land Rover it no surprise that Evoque in 4WD format is very good off-road. As well as the good suspension setup the Evoque uses many of the electronic traction aids from the full-size Range Rover and the Land Rover Discovery. During the media launch of Evoque a couple of months back we did some moderately harsh bush running, including wading it down a river and climbing and descending hills made damp by recent rain.
Cleverly, the designers have given the 2WD Evoque the same ground clearance as the 4WD, which means it can tackle dirt tracks and the like. It also maintains the macho look desired by SUV buyers.
The four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine in the Evoque we tested produced 110 kW of power and had decent performance without too much turbo lag. It’s noisier from outside the vehicle than that of many diesel cars. However, the sound has a strong note that may well appeal to the ears of 4WD purists. From inside, particularly when cruising, it’s virtually indistinguishable from the petrol engine we also tested at the media launch.
Fuel consumption around town was impressively low at seven to nine litres per hundred kilometres. In this economy version of the engine (it’s also offered in a sports model with 140 kW) it’s possible to get consumption under six litres per hundred on the highway without too much pussyfooting.
Range Rover has produced a stylish, competent vehicle in its new Evoque and we aren’t in the least bit surprised to find its already performing well in the Australian sales race.
AT A GLANCE
MODEL RANGE
TD4 Pure 2.2-litre (110 kW) turbo-diesel five-door 4WD wagon: $53,395 (manual), 55,885 (automatic)
TD4 Dynamic 2.2-litre (110 kW) turbo-diesel five-door 4WD wagon: $66,895 (manual), $69,385 (automatic)
TD4 Prestige 2.2-litre (110 kW) turbo-diesel five-door 4WD wagon: $68,895 (manual), 71,385 (automatic)
SD4 Pure 2.2-litre (140 kW) turbo-diesel five-door 4WD wagon: $57,395 (manual), $59,885 (automatic)
SD4 Dynamic 2.2-litre (140 kW) turbo-diesel five-door 4WD wagon: $70,895 (manual), $73,385 (automatic)
SD4 Prestige 2.2-litre (140 kW) turbo-diesel five-door 4WD wagon: $72,895 (manual), $75,385 (automatic)
Si4 Pure 2.0-litre (177 kW) petrol five-door 4WD wagon: $60,395 (automatic)
Si4 Dynamic 2.0-litre (177 kW) petrol five-door 4WD wagon: $73,895 (automatic)
Si4 Prestige 2.0-litre (177 kW) petrol five-door 4WD wagon: $75,895 (automatic)
eD4 Pure 2.2-litre (110 kW) turbo-diesel five-door 2WD wagon: $49,995 (manual)
eD4 Dynamic 2.2-litre (110 kW) turbo-diesel five-door 2WD wagon: $63,495 (manual)
eD4 Prestige 2.2-litre (110 kW) turbo-diesel five-door 2WD wagon: $65,495 (manual)
Note: Prices does not include government or dealer charges. Contact your local Land Rover dealer for driveaway prices. eD4 models not on sale until July 2012.
FEATURES
ABS Brakes: Standard in all models
Automatic Transmission: Standard in Si4, $2490 option in TD4 and SD4, not offered in eD4.
Cruise Control: Standard in all models
Dual Front Airbags: Standard in all models
Front Side Airbags: Standard in all models
Electronic Stability Program: Standard in all models
Rear Parking Sensors: Standard in all models
Reversing Camera: $5900 package option in Prestige and Dynamic, not offered in Pure
USB/Auxiliary Audio Inputs: Standard in all models
Bluetooth: Standard in all models
Steering Wheel Mounted Controls: Standard in all models
SPECIFICATIONS (Range Rover Evoque TD4 Pure 2.2-litre (110 kW) turbo-diesel five-door 4WD wagon)
ENGINE
Capacity: 2.179 litres
Configuration: Transverse, four cylinders in line
Head Design: DOHC, four valves per cylinder
Compression Ratio: 15.8:1
Bore/Stroke: 85.0 x 96.0 mm
Maximum Power: 110 kW @ 4000 rpm
Maximum Torque: 400 Nm @ 1750 rpm
DRIVETRAIN
Driven Wheels: 4WD
Manual Transmission: Six-speed
Automatic Transmission: Six-speed
Final Drive Ratio: 4.533:1 (manual)
DIMENSIONS, WEIGHT AND CAPACITIES:
Length: 4355 mm
Wheelbase: 2660 mm
Width: 1965 mm
Height: 1605 mm
Turning Circle: 11.3 metres
Kerb Mass: 1670 kg
Fuel Tank Capacity: 58 litres
Towing Ability: 750 kg (1800 kg with braked trailer)
Boot Capacity: 575 litres (1350 litres with rear seats folded)
SUSPENSION AND BRAKES:
Front Suspension: Independent, long-travel coil springs
Rear Suspension: Independent, long-travel coil springs
Front Brakes: Ventilated disc
Rear Brakes: Disc
PERFORMANCE:
0-100 km/h Acceleration: 10.9 seconds
FUEL CONSUMPTION/EMISSION RATINGS:
Fuel Type: Diesel
Fuel Consumption - Combined Cycle (ADR 81/02): 5.7 L/100 km
GREEN VEHICLE GUIDE RATINGS:
Greenhouse Rating: 7.5/10
Air Pollution Rating: 6/10
STANDARD WARRANTY:
Three years/100,000 km |
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