I can’t help but smile and nod to a company that has enough guts and confidence in its styling department to pretty much leave a car design as is, even when that company’s going through some challenging times with over-dependance on diesel, Brexit fears and a questionable investment policy in China.
Land Rover design director Gerry McGovern stands by his conviction that when you’re on a good thing, stick to it. After all, the Range Rover Evoque has sold over 770,000 units since its 2011 launch and one of the main reasons for its strong sales is that inspired penmanship. This new Evoque may look similar to the outgoing model, but according to Land Rover, only the door hinges carryover. Wanting to maintain the same gorgeous lines and proportions that won World Car Design of the Year back in 2012, McGovern is adamant that the up-slanting beltline and down-slanting roofline proportions are what characterizes the Evoque and so cannot be sacrificed.
At our launch in Greece recently, it was immediately obvious, at first glance, that the crossover looked almost identical to its predecessor and that the design team leaned heavily on a ‘keep-concept’ strategy, even with the car’s appalling rear vision. It was also plain to see that while they did not want to change the styling, they did want to improve rear visibility so added a new ‘Clear Sight’ digital rearview mirror option to give driver’s a more comprehensive look at the rear blind spots, which are of course still there. It does take some getting used to, but offers excellent graphics and field of vision.
The old Ford C1 platform is gone, replaced by the company’s all-new Premium Traverse Architecture which will underpin many of JLR’s SUVs going forward including future electric models. The whole concept seems to be about how to add more without adding more because the car is basically the same size. Yes, the wheelbase is 20mm longer so there’s now enough knee space in the rear for a couple of six-footers. At 591 liters, the trunk is bigger, there’s extra storage area in the cabin and even the fuel tank is larger.
With the new platform comes revised and lighter suspension which offers enhanced handling traits and has cleverly been designed with electrification in mind. While a plug-in hybrid is in the pipeline, the gasoline and diesel engines we sampled on the launch were fitted with 4WD and Land Rover’s first-ever 48V mild hybrid system consisting of a 15kW integrated starter/generator and a lithium-ion battery under the floor. This allows the engine to shut off at speeds under 11mph, while this combination is said to improve fuel economy by six percent and lower CO2 emissions by eight percent.
We tested two of the six powertrains, the 2.0L turbo gasoline and the 2.0L turbodiesel. The gasoline 4-cylinder produces 246hp and 269 lb-ft of torque and sprints from zero to 62mph in 7.5 seconds, which, given its curb weight of over 1820kgs, is not quick but acceptable. Meanwhile the 237hp turbodiesel takes 7.7 seconds to reach 62mph but delivers beefy bottom-end torque.
While the new 9-speed auto gearbox is more responsive than that in the predecessor, it is a smidgen reluctant to change down and still tends to hunt and wander on occasion depending on revs or driving conditions, but overall does the job nicely.
Given the size and weight of the Evoque, I found the engine choices more than adequate. Okay, so the powerplants are not explosive but they do suit the car’s character, and deliver quieter, smoother and more refined highway cruising than before. The diesel offers beefy low down torque but is a little noisy at speed. In contrast, the gasoline version isolated vibration and noise better and overall, just felt more adept on the road.
Body roll is well controlled and the steering is nicely weighted and accurate, if not a little light on center. Of the two versions, I’d lean towards the gasoline model which offers the best combination of power delivery, refinement and handling. Ride quality is much more compliant than in the 2011 model with lighter spring rates delivering improved comfort, better straight-line stability, a quieter ride at highway speeds and an optional adaptive suspension helps if you plan to drive your Evoque hard.
Both the cabin and cargo areas have grown marginally too. The new Evoque benefits hugely by inheriting a Velar-like interior from its big brother. Very hi-tech and futuristic, the ambience feels like one grade above rivals in the segment. The optional dual control infotainment system can be a little slow to respond to touch, but it’s an improvement on the old version. Land Rover took us over 500 grueling kms across Greece and I was as impressed with the crossover’s performance and handling on-road as I was off-road.
On a challenging off-road course that included steep hills, a shallow river and a dry rocky river bed, I carefully chose one of four modes of the Terrain Response 2 system to deliver the best traction and ride for that road surface. With advanced hill ascent and descent modes, the Evoque was as talented at delivering perfect incline hill starts as it was maintaining controlled, low speed descents. Kind of like X-ray vision, the new Clear Sight Ground View also allowed me to virtually see-through the hood to help place the front wheels around rocks, curves or parking lots or as we did, traverse a railway track. This is a welcome feature and one that many will applaud.
The Evoque is an immensely important model for Land Rover. That’s why it has kept the tried and proven design formula while tweaking basically every shortfall and highlight the first generation had. It is more grown up, and offers class-topping ride and comfort, more luxury, better on- and off-handling and ample power, more composed high-speed stability plus a look at what will happen with electrification in the near future. All in all the new Evoque elevates the brand and makes rivals Audi Q3 and Volvo XC 40 stand up and pay attention.
