River deep, fashion high
Better in every way, without being bigger, the Mk2 Evoque has a brilliant cabin, new engines and even more o -road tricks that nobody asked for
The outgoing Range Rover Evoque was a Land Rover unlike any other. It sold unlike any other Land Rover, too, by courting a new type of young urban customer, one not interested in going off-road. And now there’s a new one. Spotting the difference is a bit like playing the same game with a new 911 or Golf, but look hard and you’ll discover a better proportioned and cleaner design: shorter overhangs, bigger wheels, less clutter. Note the flush door handles, the cleaner roof pillar design, the removal of the old wheelarch cladding and the tighter panel gaps.
Inside, the upgrades are more obvious. The design is cleaner and more distinctive, the trim and fittings of far higher quality. This includes plastic bottles recycled into fabric that looks and feels like suede. It’s one of the very best interiors around. Think scaled-down Velar and you get the picture, complete with hi-res dual-screen infotainment and, for the first time on a Land Rover, Apple CarPlay.
Cutting-edge tech includes ClearSight Ground View, which uses cameras to show the terrain beneath your front wheels, as if you can see through the bonnet. There’s also a wide-angle high-definition video screen instead of a rear-view mirror, to compensate for the Evoque’s dreadful peek-a-boo rear visibility.
Using a new platform that will underpin JLR’s upcoming smaller offerings, the new Evoque is no bigger than the old one, yet there’s more kneeroom and a bigger boot.
Nearly all Evoques will have 48-volt mild hybrid tech. We’ve driven both four-cylinder diesel and petrol versions. A plug-in hybrid triple is a year away.
Our 300-mile drive takes place in the Peloponnese region of Greece, on well-surfaced motorways and badly-surfaced back roads. It also includes some off-roading, on terrain unchanged since King Leonidas commanded the Spartans. All-terrain capability is surprisingly good. Despite the catwalk image, it can happily play mountain goat. It can even wade through
Sensational interior has gone the full junior Velar
600mm deep water, 100mm more than before.
Yet what most impresses is the on-road refinement. It rides well, is quiet, and very comfortable. On the motorway or in town it’s easygoing and pampering, a peaceful cruiser with very little wind- or engine noise. It feels like a proper luxury car, a class ahead of most same-size SUVs. Steering is good and handling is predictable, if rarely invigorating. It’s a comfortable and relaxing drive. Plus it’s roomy enough and, in its hybrid form, more economical than the old Evoque – though still nothing special.
Don’t buy one for driving kicks. Performance from the hybrid powertrains is disappointing. Neither 237bhp diesel nor 245bhp petrol feels that powerful, hampered by over 1800kg. Plus, the Ingenium engines aren’t the most tuneful or responsive of motors, and can be buzzy when pushed. The nine-speed automatic can also be indecisive, cycling hesitantly between ratios.
It’s targeted at those who want comfort, ease of driving and Range Rover class and capability. And who want stand-out design. On that basis the Evoque is the ultimate à la mode urban SUV. GAVIN GREEN