Join us on our first test of the 2019 Range Rover Evoque. Land Rover’s brand new SUV is undoubtedly better than the model it replaces, thanks to new mild hybrid engines, more interior space and a more sophisticated infotainment system.
Eight years ago land rover launched a car that would change the brand forever before then its suvs were handsome enough burning quite a boxy functional sort of way but then along came evoke and suddenly it was as much about fashion and glamour as old money and off-roading now i’ve been doing this job for more than 10 years and during that time i can’t remember
Anything that has come close to the launch of the original evoke for hype people just couldn’t believe it was essentially a motor show concept car called the lrx it was actually going to be put into production and would even be reasonably priced at least by the standards of premium suvs so how do you go about replacing such a style icon well the answer is by being
Very sympathetic to the original design the same reason that porsche doesn’t do anything radical when it launches a new 911 and neither does mini every time it replaces its hatchback that said it isn’t too hard see the influences from the bigger range rover of a la here like the broader lights at the front and the rear and the pop-out door handles but although
The overall look of the new car is quite similar and it’s almost exactly the same size it’s actually very different underneath where rc nothing’s for our very first experience of the new evoque so stay with us to find out what it’s like on the road off it and how it stacks up for space interior quality tech and running costs but before we get started remember that
We don’t just do reviews here at what car we can also help you get a great discount when buying just head over to our website wot car comm or click the link up there in the top right for more details so let’s start with what it’s like on the road which if we were honest wasn’t really a strength of the old model because by trying to make it quite sporty to drive
Land rover actually made the steering feel a little bit nervous the ride wasn’t great either now the good news is this new model is much better in every respect the steering is slower which might sound like a bad thing but it actually gives you a better sense of connection with the front wheels it makes the car feel more composed as well now this isn’t a sports
Suv like a porsche from a car but compared with its direct rivals and i’m really talking about the volvo xc 40 here it actually handles pretty tidally there’s not too much body lean through the corners and there’s a reasonable amount of grip as well the version we’re driving here has massive 21 inch alloys which come as part of a pack that also brings adaptive
Suspension now there’s no doubt the ride is smoother than it was on the old model but it’s still not perfect because you get a little bit choppy along uneven rows it’s still comfortable enough though and we reckon if you stick with these smaller alloy wheel options it will get even better now we’re driving the d 240 which is a 237 brake horsepower 2-liter diesel
And performance is perfectly fine but it never feels quite as quick as you might expect something with this much power – and although it’s quite a smooth engine if you work it quite hard as i am here you can probably hear it gets quite noisy the evoque is a landrover of course so it would be rude not to try at least a bit of off-roading now we haven’t found
Anything particularly out here nothing’s really fancy doing this in a volvo actually 40 or an audi q3 whether or not i’d actually ever need to do this is another matter but it’s nice to know that you can the driving position no complaints at all really you sit nice and high up certainly more so than you do in an audi q3 i’ve got a good for you ahead of me and
The seats really comfy the other thing i really like is this digital display here behind the steering wheel because as well as seeing what speed i’m doing and trip computer information i’ve also got a cropped version of the sat-nav maps which brings us onto the main infotainment system now it’s pretty much exactly the same one that you get in the larger the la
So this 10 inch touchscreen that you can adjust the angle of is nice and sharp and you get plenty of gadgets including apple carplay and android auto smartphone mirroring it can sometimes be a little bit sluggish to respond to commands but overall we reckon it’s better than the system that you get in the volvo xc 40 you’ve also got this secondary screen below
That controls the aircon driving modes and things like heated seats now i know it wouldn’t look quite as clean and minimalist but we would prefer some more physical buttons for some of this stuff because looking down here for some icons while you’re trying to drive is pretty distracting although you do at least get a couple of dolls for adjusting the aircon now
No animals were harmed in the making of this particular evokes interior because well it’s essentially the vegan option now don’t take that quite literally because they’re probably glues made from animal based products in here somewhere but although it feels like suede on the steering wheel it is actually a man-made material and this covering here on the dashboard
Well i don’t know what it is but it’s certainly not leather these seats they are trimmed is something that looks a bit like denim if you’re worried that all sounds a bit low-rent in what’s supposed to be quite a premium suv then i can assure you it really doesn’t detract from the upmarket feel in here although there is of course a genuine leather option if you
Want it as we said earlier the new evoque isn’t really any bigger than the old model but there is a bit more space between the front and the rear wheels and that’s helped create a bit more legroom so this is actually now one of the roomiest cars in the class it’s a similar story with the boot it’s about 10% bigger than before but this time thanks to a different
Rear suspension arrangement you can ignore the official capacity land rover measures it’s cars in two different ways and most other manufacturers but there’s certainly enough space in here for a few suitcases or a set of golf clubs five other interesting things this rearview mirror is a mirror but if i flick the switch here becomes a live feed from behind the
Car which is useful in low-light conditions or when there’s someone tall sitting in the back the new evoque can wade in up to 60 centimetres of water which is 10 centimeters more than the old car and 15 centimeters more than a volvo xc 40 all of the four-wheel drive versions have mould hybrid technology as standard so there’s an electric motor that helps out and
Improves fuel economy in the process a plug-in hybrid model will join the range later the depreciation experts reckon that this badge will help the evoque hold on to its value better than any other car in the class so it should be a great cash buy and surprisingly affordable if you’re buying on pcp finance price you start at 30 1,600 pounds for the 148 brake
Horsepower front-wheel drive diesel model with a manual gearbox which works out to as little as 245 pounds a month so there’s loads to like about the new evoque and we reckon it will stand a pretty good chance against our current class leader the volvo xc 40 when we group test the cars back in the uk later this spring in the meantime head over to our website
Whatcar.com to read our full written review of the new evoque and to find out the latest deals available on any new car thanks for watching and if you enjoyed this video then give us a like and hit the subscribe button so we can let you know about our latest videos
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2020 Range Rover Evoque review – why this all-new SUV is better than ever | What Car? By What Car?
