EVERY LITTLE COUNTS
The new Range Rover Evoque has matured with great richness, if not without flaws
One millimetre. That’s how much overall length has been added to the Range Rover Evoque during the redesign that has just delivered it from its first full model generation to this, its second. On width, the difference is a relatively profligate 4mm. Hardly seems worth mentioning. On overall height, the car has actually shrunk by 11mm. Compactness matters to the Evoque driver, says Land Rover. So how come this seems like a car that’s mushroomed in size and become at least one fighting weight classification bigger, if not more? It’s the result of a telling change of product strategy for Land Rover. Eight years ago, the visual appeal of the first Evoque was given such priority that there was even a three-door version with a lower, more rakish roofline. That was before the global compact SUV segment exploded. The sheer force of competition this car must face today means it needed to become a more serious, rounded, practical and multi-talented prospect than the car it replaces just to tread water. Although the second-generation version is still smallish and transverse-engined, and still uses an all-wheel-drive system, you’d be quite a bit less likely to say that about it. But for the door hinges and some inherited if widely updated powertrains, this really is an allnew car. And that’s true right down to the model platform. Evoque II becomes the first one to adopt Jaguar Land Rover’s Premium Transverse Architecture: a platform that allows lightweight mixed-metal construction while also permitting both 48V mild-hybrid electrification. The platform will also allow for a plug-in hybrid next year. The Evoque gets a nine-speed automatic gearbox, as well as a redesigned all-independent suspension. There’s a choice of four diesel and three petrol engines at launch. The enlarged lithium ion battery for the car’s mild-hybrid electrical circuit is carried under the back seats. And if all of that sounds heavy, you’d be guessing right. Despite that mixed-metal construction, the 2.0-litre petrol-turbo P250 we drove is 66kg heavier than its like-for-like predecessor. More revealingly, though, that’s almost 200kg heavier than an equivalent Audi Q3 45 TFSI and more than 100kg porkier than an equivalent Volvo XC40 T5. Luxury costs weight, Land Rover would reply, as does off-road capability. But that’s a lot of extra mass for any relatively compact car to carry around. Suffice it to say, you can feel that weight in more than one facet of the Evoque’s driving experience, although not always as a detracting factor. The car has weightier steering, marginally more permissive body control, longer-wave ride gait and more stable, dampened-down handling response than the previous Evoque. Land Rover has quickened the car’s overall steering ratio and calibrated its variable power assistance to help it into tighter corners. But around the straight-ahead, that rack remains fairly slow, prioritising good long-distance motorway stability over a sense of incisiveness. This needed to be a relaxing car to drive over long distances, and it is. The outright performance of the P250, though, is a little bit underwhelming. If the Evoque’s mass is a problem for it anywhere, it’s definitely here. The car is fairly swift in full stride but not in any way authoritative enough that most would guess they were driving a car with a hot hatchback-level of power. Of greater significance is that the engine’s torque doesn’t seem quite enough to make it feel particularly effortless on the road. The engine is certainly quiet and smooth but doesn’t have the accessible muscle to keep the car’s nine-speed gearbox from becoming a touch hyperactive when you want to move along more briskly. Still, what a quiet engine it is, even when worked hard. On standard passive dampers, the suspension fillets the road surface as effectively as that of some luxury cars costing more than twice the Evoque’s price. It performs with remarkable suppleness because the ride certainly doesn’t feel wallowy. More genuinely luxurious character flows from the richer trim elements of the car’s interior. Land Rover’s dual-screen, double-decker touchscreen infotainment system is really a sophisticated technical highlight, while the leathers on the fascia, doors and seats are lovely. Rear occupant space is better but probably still not class-leading. Otherwise, what could you find fault with? Well, the cabin isn’t so materially rich or expensively hewn everywhere you look. The odd bit of wobbly trim and shiny moulded finish have survived into the Evoque’s second generation. You might also miss the more standout styling and agile handling of the first-gen car. Overall, this Evoque ought to give its owners much more to be grateful for than to regret. It’s a slightly different kind of Evoque. But from its new comfort levels to its improved richness and practicality and remarkable on-board technology, the Evoque has really come of age. For the record, this tester wasn’t one of those who thought the Evoque unworthy of a Range Rover badge in the first place, and I don’t see how anyone could think so any more.