Flashy crossover with a punchy performance

Ask me what’s the most striking car in the market today and the answer will be the Range Rover Evoque.

There’s a few hundred of the Evoque sold in Thailand, but most are through independent importers.

However, I got the Evoque Coupe SD4 from City Automobiles, which is the authorised dealer of Land Rover (as well as Range Rover). City Automobiles has recently gone through major restructuring and is back in business, particularly with the Evoque, which makes up 70 per cent of its total sales. Other models include the Defender, Freelander, Discovery and Range Rover, which has just been officially introduced at the Motor Expo.

The Evoque’s strongest attraction is basically its design. Based on the LRX concept vehicle, the Evoque carries on the off-road concept in a highly contemporary manner. Having seen many previous models from both the Land Rover and Range Rover line-up, which is often on the bland side, it is kind of hard to believe what you see here.

And what you’ll notice when comparing the LRX and the Evoque is that there’s not much difference between the concept and the production vehicle. As a result, the Evoque carried over a high level of “Star Wars” elements in combination with the “urban beast” character.

Step inside and you are now convinced that this is the perfect vehicle for Darth Vader – the demo car I got was glossy black, came with aluminium interior trim and the only missing option that would have completed the package was a light saber.

There’s a rotary gear dial (which is shared with Jaguar models) that slowly rises up from its housing once the engine is started – another cool feature that will impress Lord Vader.

The materials used and the build quality is great, although some of the electronic functions may be a little difficult to guess without the owner’s manual.

The Evoque comes with a wide range of trim levels, and that’s why it’s priced between Bt3.599 million and Bt4.899 million. The Evoque I drove came with the Pure and Pure Plus Pack (Bt3.999 million), which includes goodies such as a high-end Meridian entertainment system, Bluetooth, leather upholstery, powered driver’s seat, electric tailgate and glass panoramic sunroof with power blinds.

There’s 550 litres of luggage area that increases to 1,350 litres once you fold the rear seat backrests.

The Evoque, with full-time 4WD, is based on the same platform as the Freelander, and has a unibody construction like a passenger car rather than a body-on-frame construction like typical off-roaders. Nevertheless, it still has class-leading off-road performance with 215mm of ground clearance, a 25-degree approach angle and a 33-degree departure angle (22-degree ramp angle). It also has a wading depth of 500mm.

The 2.2-litre diesel power plant pumps out 190hp and 420Nm of torque, giving the Evoque a punchy performance. Acceleration from 0-100km/h takes 8.5 seconds and the top speed is claimed at 195km/h. Meanwhile, fuel economy is approximately 15km per litre on average.

The 6-speed transmission not only features a dial-type gearshift, but also steering wheel paddle shifters.

The Evoque features Land Rover’s Terrain Response System, which allows you to fine tune the vehicle to various surfaces. But I reckon paved roads would be where the Evoque would remain most of the time. And in this case selecting the Sport mode will improve the performance when you want to go a little faster.

The ride and handling is more towards passenger cars rather than off-roaders, although there’s a good level of shock and vibration if you are expecting Range Rover ride quality. It’s a much younger interpretation, and the electronic dampers can even stiffen up further if you select the Dynamic mode. 

The steering is also quick and well-weighted for a flashy crossover like the Evoque, adding to cornering fun. The standard wheels are 17-inch alloys, but the Evoque does look much better with 19-inch rims like the “Sparkle” wheels fitted to the car tested.

The ABS-governed brakes, discs all-round, come with Brake Assist as well as Cornering Brake Control.

Driver assistance systems include Hill Start Assist, Hill Descent Control, Gradient Release Control, Gradient Acceleration Control, Dynamic Stability Control, Traction Control, Roll Stability Control, and more.

The Range Rover Evoque I drove was another wonderful car that I hated to return when the test-drive was up. I loved the design, the character, even the emotions and the discreet luxury it offered. This is probably what makes it a highly popular choice in the niche car market. But then when you look at the price tag of this little beast, it just makes you weep. This is a Bt4-million (could be almost Bt5 million depending on options) compact crossover that no matter how well-built or well-equipped it is, is simply expensive.

Of course, there are a large number of choices in the market like the BMW X3, Audi Q5 and Volvo XC60 that may come with more reasonable pricing.

However, the Evoque beats them all when it comes to standing out from the crowd.

 

Range Rover Evoque SD4 5-door hatchback

Engine: 4-cylinder common-rail diesel with turbocharger

Displacement: 2,179cc

Bore and stroke: 85x96mm

Compression ratio: 15.8:1

Max power: 190hp/3,500rpm

Max torque: 420Nm/1,750rpm

Transmission: 6-speed automatic with paddle shift

Ratios: n/a

0-100km/h: 8.5 secs

Top speed: 195km/h

Average fuel economy: 15.3km/litre

CO2 emission: 174gm/km

Suspension (f/r): MacPherson strut/multi-link

Steering: powered rack-and-pinion

Turning circle: 11.3 metres

Brakes (f/r): vented discs/discs with ABS, BA, CBC

 

Dimensions (mm)

Length: 4,365

Width: 1,965

Height: 1.665

Wheelbase: 2,660

Front track: 1.625

 

Weight: 1,670kgs

Wheels: 17-in alloys

Fuel tank capacity: 58 litres

Price: Bt3.999 million

Distributor: 

City Automobiles Co Ltd