Price: £28,250
Top speed: 112mph
0-62mph: 10 seconds
MPG: 56.5
I drove my parents to a funeral last Tuesday, of one of their oldest and dearest friends. They met Ann, and her husband Brian, when they all lived in Kenya in the 1970s. They were golden days. Brian had a Range Rover, it must have been one of the first in Africa as the brand only launched in 1970. Our families would go on safari together, kids standing like meerkats on the backseat, peering out of the sunroof as we bounced across dusty savannahs in search of game. Forty years later we’ve swapped the Maasai Mara for a crematorium outside Brentwood in darkest Essex. And, by coincidence, the car we are driving is still a Range Rover.
Brian’s original was beige and basic. Its vinyl seats were designed to be hosed down, but there’s nothing hoseable about this new Range Rover. It’s the Evoque – the most successful Land Rover ever and the model that’s helped JLR (Jaguar Land Rover) move ahead of Nissan to become the UK’s largest car manufacturer. It’s a remarkable turnaround for a firm that was on the brink of collapse a few years ago, and much of the success can be laid at the door of the Evoque.
The little Evoque has all the sophisticated tech, on-road swagger and off-road ability of its bigger stable mates. But whereas those impressive beasts mark you out as a wannabe oligarch, the Evoque slips neatly beneath the “too big” threshold. That means fellow road users are less inclined to waggle a fist at you in that time-honoured mark of respect… Well, that’s how I take the gesture anyway.
This baby Range Rover first arrived on our streets in 2011. Its outré styling made it an instant talking point – many said (me included) that it looked too boxy and too squashed. Had it been stepped on? Five years later it’s still a headturner, but this time I’ve got with the programme and am quite taken with its combination of stealth and muscle.
It’s powered by a choice of two new engines: the Ingenium 148bhp will do all you need, but there is a bigger 178bhp version. Both are driven by a nine-speed auto box. That sounds like overkill, but once you are behind the wheel you appreciate just how smooth the upchange is. You can choose between three or five doors, and two or four-wheel drive.
I’d say stay smaller and simpler and you’ll keep the price below £30,000. Start ticking the option boxes and you’ll have less of a bargain on your hands for a car that doesn’t do a whole heap more.
Inside it’s luxurious and surprisingly roomy. But rear visibility is terrible – the letterbox back screen is little more than a leper’s squint, but a great HD bumper cam takes most of the guesswork out of reversing. The infotainment system is often named as a weakness in Range Rovers, but this new model has a system that’s comprehensive and easy to use.
Would the Evoque cope with Kenya’s toughest tracks? I’d love to find out – it certainly made mincemeat of the wilds of Essex.
Email Martin at martin.love@observer.co.uk or follow him on Twitter @MartinLove166
