The Range Rover Evoque is the crossover for fancy folks who want to bathe in luxury while remaining under the radar. What do you need to know before you buy an Evoque? Don’t worry, we’ll tell you everything right here in our Buyer’s Guide.
If you’ve got a gargantuan Range Rover in your garage and you’re thinking “Man, everyone notices me everywhere I go and I don’t like that” then the Range Rover Evoque is the perfect car for you. It’s not only more efficient than your behemoth, but it’s a lot more reserved.
Our Jason Torchinsky drove his family around in the Evoque and found it to be a pleasant ride, offering a quiet cabin, decent handling, good ride quality and a very plush interior. This, combined with the Range Rover’s tasteful styling, results in a CUV that offers all the amenities of a luxury SUV but without the Hey Look At Me-factor. As Jason put it in his review:
In the end you have a crossover that has no glaring faults on the road but looks handsome, respectable, and less douchey than a BMW, Merc, or Audi. If you buy one of these instead of am Audi Q5, I will personally come to your house and give you a pat on the back.
Handsome? Respectable? Not douchey? These are good things.
What’s New About The 2016 Range Rover Evoque
The Range Rover Evoque debuted as the Land Rover LRX Concept at the 2008 North American International Auto Show. That car was tweaked, renamed the Evoque, and launched as a 2012 model year four-door and two-door compact luxury CUV.
The standard engine was and remains a 2.0-liter turbo four based on Ford’s EcoBoost design. Bolted to that engine was a six-speed automatic transmission routing power to all four wheels.
The second model year, 2013, added an automated parking system, off-road navigation features for vehicles equipped with Nav, and a slightly tweaked front grille.
In 2014, Land Rover ditched the old six-speed auto in favor of a ZF nine-speed unit. In addition, Active Driveline, which offers active differentials and torque vectoring, became standard across the board. Aside from a few additional driver-assist features, the 2014 Evoque is very much like a ‘13 model with a better transmission.
The 2015 Evoque saw some alterations to the driver-assist features as well as a few changes to options and standard features, but is largely unchanged from ‘14.
More changes came in 2016, when Land Rover added full-LED adaptive headlamps to the Evoque’s resume. Aside from the new lights, the ‘16 Evoque got new bumpers, a new grille and a fresh tailgate spoiler. In addition, the interior got new seats, new door panels, a new instrument cluster and a few other nice modifications. The addition of hands-free gesture control for the power lift gate and a few changes to standard and optional content round out the changes for 2016.
Which One We’d Buy
The Range Rover Evoque comes as a coupe and a four-door (Land Rover calls it a “five-door”). The four-door model comes in four trims: SE, SE Premium, HSE and HSE dynamic, while the coupe comes in only one model: SE Premium.
All models come with 11.8-inch front vented rotors and 11.9 solid rear discs. Suspension all the way around is strut-type, and power steering is electric.
If we had to buy an Evoque, we’d grab the HSE model. It comes well equipped with four-wheel drive, Hill Descent Control, rain sensing wipers, automatic xenon headlamps with Auto Highbeam Control, memory power mirrors, fog lamps, dual exhaust, 19-inch alloy wheels, power heated leather memory seats, rearview camera, panoramic glass roof, blind spot monitor, Park Distance Control, passive entry, automatic climate control, gesture-controlled power tailgate, 11-speaker Meridian audio system with 380W amplifier, eight-inch touchscreen, and much more.
All in, we’d be staring down the barrel of a $51,470 luxury cute ute. Definitely pricey for a small CUV, but if you’re looking for something just as plush as your Range Rover but a little less ostentatious, the Evoque is your car.
Jason Torchinsky put it best in his review: “Do you want a car with a nice interior and a nice view that doesn’t make you look like an asshole? Buy this Evoque. It won’t be cheap.”
[Build Your Own Range Rover Evoque]
Important Facts At A Glance:
MSRP: $41,475 Top Speed: 135 MPH
Acceleration: 7.1s to 60
MPG: 21 city/ 30 hwy / 24 combined
Engines: 2.0-liter turbo I4
Max Horsepower/Torque: 240 hp/250 lb-ft
Max Advertised Towing Capacity: 3,500 pounds
Curb Weight: 3,615-3,680 pounds IIHS Rating: Not Yet Rated
Transmissions: 9-speed automatic
Drivetrain Layout: Front engine, 4WD
Photo credit: Land Rover