classy evoque is big on style and tech

IT’S been 12 years since Land Rover wowed the world with its bold LRX concept and then turned even more heads three years later by presenting the Range Rover Evoque production model that looked almost identical.

And now, with time having flown by as it does, we have a secondgeneration Evoque. Land Rover has played it safe here, with evolutionary styling that doesn’t quite have the wow factor of the original, but it has inherited plenty of classy vibes from its bigger brother, the Velar.

Entering the Evoque is quite an experience, especially at night where those puddle lamps with shadows shaped like the car have been inherited from the previous model. But now you also get pop-out door handles, as per the Velar.

But if we’re talking about posh Velar vibes, the real party is inside, where the upper half of the range (SE and HSE spec grades) get the company’s flagship Touch Pro Duo infotainment system. Or, in simpler terms, more screens than your nearest sports bar.

In addition to a 31.2cm digital instrument cluster, the system gives you two vertically-stacked central touchscreens that each measure 25.4cm across, although the bottom one stretches deeper and incorporates real rotary switches, which is both an elegant and user-friendly solution.

The screens are highly configurable too, so if you want to use the top screen for navigation, for instance, you can configure the bottom one to show climate, music or vehicle settings. My wife and I found this useful on a weekend trip to Hazyview in Mpumalanga recently, where she could have the whole bottom screen to DJ on, while I enjoyed having the map up top.

In addition to that, the HSE model was also fitted with perforated Windsor leather seats, which are 16-way electrically adjustable up front, as well as a very nice Meridian premium sound system, Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop & Go, powered tailgate, Blindspot Monitor and a R-Dynamic design pack that includes 20-inch alloy wheels.

Even if go for the base model, you still get things like dual-zone climate control, ambient lighting, front and rear parking aids, a single 25.4cm touchscreen and 18” alloys.

There is plenty of fancy stuff on the options list, including the R8 400 360-degree Surround View system which comes with the innovative Ground View system that uses cameras to show you what’s underneath the front of the vehicle. You can also have Matrix

LED headlights for R20 000, Head-up Display for R12 000 and Adaptive Suspension for an extra R12 900.

The Evoque is built on a new mixed-material platform that’s said to be 13% stiffer than before, and although it’s a similar size to its predecessor, a 21mm longer wheelbase does liberate a bit more cabin room, while the luggage capacity is now listed at 472 litres.

That said, it’s not the most spacious or practical vehicle. However, Evoque provides a tolerable amount of space in a more compact package for those to whom style, elegance and technology are important.

Our test car was fitted with the

2.0 turbo-petrol engine, which is reasonably brisk. Fuel consumption was a bit high, with the trip meter recording 8.7 litres/100km on the down journey and 9.7 l/100km on the way up. |