TAILGATING A CLASS ACT
WE HAVE a bit of a problem with this Range Rover Evoque. Park it next to our reigning Car of the Year, the Volvo XC40, and they appear the most natural of rivals. The Swedish incumbent is a few millimetres longer and taller, not to mention a little more generous in wheelbase, where the second-gen Evoque is broader in the beam. Their footprint on the road is virtually identical, and both will appeal to those looking for a non-german premium compact SUV. In the Star Wars
stormtrooper specifications as seen here, they look like two interpretations of the same recipe. But they diverge in one very significant regard.
Present for inspection is a base model 147kw Evoque P200 S that’s been dressed up with the R-dynamic cosmetics and wears a list price of $65,650. The XC40 is a range-topping T5 R-design, packing a chunky 185kw and it retails at a mere $55,990. Driving the Volvo down to meet the crew for the comparo, this test felt like a bust right from the outset. And when the Evoque pulled in next to the XC40 wearing Pirelli mud and snow tyres versus the lower-profile P Zeroes of the Volvo, it looked like the gap between the two would widen still further.
Land Rover has worked at preventing the second-gen Evoque from succumbing to middle-age spread. It’s much the same size as before, with more intelligent use of space inside meaning that it no longer feels as cramped in the back as the style-driven original. The PTA platform that underpins it is allnew and impresses within the first few hundred metres.
Suspension refinement is top-drawer, the steering is sharp but not neurotic, the pedals are beautifully weighted and, best of all, the Evoque rides with a genuine plushness that was missing from its predecessor. It’s not relying on anything particularly clever either, the combination of passive dampers and a bit of tyre sidewall giving it an ability to erase minor imperfections from most road surfaces.
The 2.0-litre four is a little vocal when pushed, but 320Nm of torque is sufficient to allow the ninespeed transmission to keep the revs sufficiently low to work around this problem. Push the car harder and it’s clear that the gearshift logic isn’t the sharpest, with the driver better advised to use the stick or the wheel-mounted paddles to keep the engine on the boil.
The cheap-feeling plastic paddles are one of the few bum notes with regards to materials quality in the Evoque’s cabin. This car has the $600 optional Touch Pro Duo screen set-up which is a must-have, and the extent of soft-touch materials and metal finishes elevates the Range Rover’s cabin to a point beyond even the classy XC40. Minus a panoramic sunroof, there’s more headroom in the back of the Evoque and marginally more kneeroom, but despite this, the sharply rising window line means that it could feel claustrophobic for smaller kids.
It’s a good deal less clever in terms of standard equipment though. Look for items you’d have every right to expect at this price point, such as adaptive
Land Rover has worked at preventing the Evoque from succumbing to middle-age spread
cruise control, autonomous emergency braking, a head-up display, a wireless phone charging pad or a DAB radio and you’ll come up dry. Our test car totted up to more than $75K as-tested and still suffered these fairly fundamental specification shortfalls.
The closest model to the XC40 T5 R-design in the Evoque range is the P250 R-dynamic SE at $75,840, and from there you’d still need to add options to bring it up to spec. Still, some of the headliner equipment pieces aren’t available elsewhere in the class. A $550 smart interior rear-view mirror is one such refinement, transforming into a high-definition video screen when rear vision is obstructed by passengers or luggage and improving visibility in low light conditions.
Compared to the Range Rover, the Volvo feels a little stiffer-legged, a lot quicker, and broadly similar in terms of internal accommodation. Despite the driver’s hip point feeling lower in the XC40, it doesn’t corner as flat as the Evoque. Over-drive the Range Rover on bitumen and the limitations of its tyre become apparent. It’s also fairly easy to find the rebound damping running out of answers when cresting speed humps. At sensible speeds it’s extremely measured and genuinely impressive.
It’s debatable whether the Evoque has become a prettier car as it’s morphed from Gen 1 to Gen 2. The The high window line, jutting dash and bulging binnacle give the Evoque’s interior a cloistered, intimate feel. Materials quality is hard to fault; feels properly premium in here higher, more rounded Velar-style front end now looks slightly at odds with the set square rear. The XC40, by contrast, is a more cohesive, if somewhat less adventurous, piece of styling. What’s nevertheless striking about the Evoque is how little Land Rover saw fit to change a nine-year-old design; a testament to the inherent durability of Gerry Mcgovern’s original shape.
Picking a winner in terms of pure talent is no easy task. The Volvo’s a sharper drive on road, but the Evoque counters with superior off-road chops and some delightful details. In truth, both will likely be bought on the strength of brand loyalty, but it’s impossible to ignore the XC40’S massive price advantage. Levelling with our Car of the Year is an achievement for the latest Range Rover Evoque. Parity on price could have seen it carry away the win here, but, as it stands, it’s yet another scalp claimed by the redoubtable Volvo. There’s no shame here for the Evoque. It’s unfortunately hobbled by its sky-high pricing, but there’s substance here to back up the style statement.