6 Month Review

I love it, it gives me everything I need from a Range Rover but in a smaller package.
The height of a FFRR (and D4/Defender and RRS on occassions) is an issue for inner city carparks - I simply cannot take my Defender on standard suspension into any NCP multistorey carpark, also in access height the FFRR had problems in some carparks in town (I suspect those that don't want commercial vehicles parking in them) as NCP seem to have lowered the barrier height at some that I used to be able to park in and then suddenly my FFRR couldn't get under the raised barrier!

The Evoque minus points for me :
Auto Gearbox - mine has an inconsistant gearbox - sometimes it gives velvet smooth changes others are very jerky and the car will have it looked at shortly. I doubt that the 8 speed gearbox will do much to improve the car, maybe a software upgrade for the current one would cure it's jerky changes. I think the programming has been for improved economy as mine wants to change up way too early even after using the paddles to force it back to a lower gear it doesn't want to learn new habits.

Wind noise - at cruising speed I have a constant wind rustle around both mirrors or from the seals. There are upgraded seals avialable but my car has not yet had them fitted. Possibly the fitting of laminated side glass would cure this - it did for the FFRR. I also think that as the cabin is generally such a quiet place to be that wind noise appears to be more than it really is.

Interior - I have already worn a smooth shiney patch on the drivers door casing as the arm rest on that side is too low for me so I rest my arm at a slightly less uncomfrortable height on the window sill, same with the cubby box lid cushion - its in the wrong place to be comformtable. I have had 4 Rangies with proper foldable centre arm rests, you don't have to use them if you don't want as they fold away BUT once you have had them. you sure do miss them.
I have no complaints about interior space whatsoever, yes the seats could move a bit faster but as I rarely carry rear seat passengers that isn't a problem for me as a single guy driving one up most of the time. Yesterday at the offroad event I attended there was a display Evoque and the comment I heard more than any other was "I'm amazed how much head room there is - I'm 6ft 4 and don't even need to have the seat right back yet I still have room for my 6ft tall son to sit behind me." The show car had no pano roof and it had privacy glass and a black interior - I didn't hear any complaints from the many diehard landy people about the coupe being dark and dingy in the back which did surprise me!

I have the Plus seats, I can honestly say that I have never had more comfortable seats in any other car, including the Volvo I owned years ago. BUT really they are not £3000 more comfortable than the Prestige seats (and having no armrests on them is MEAN!) Also why no heated rear seats - even my RRS SE had them and all my other Rang Rovers have had them.

Folding flat rear seats would aid the versatility of the rear space too by liberating a couple more inches of height over the current design, I could not get 4 x 19" wheels and tyres into the back of my car without risking damage to the rear seat backs so had to use my Defender to recover the winter wheels and tyres from town. This might not be a problem for the Evoque but for the Coupe , it needs every bit of help it can get.

Otherwise I will give an overall 9/10. I was well aware that I was not getting a luxury Transit van when I brought mine, I needed a car that I could get into my garage, which Evoque can do, JUST, with 5mm each side to spare. If I had wanted a luxury load lugger I would have brought a D4 HSE. I'm not in any rush to order an L405 FFRR to replace my RRE - I have the means but not the desire, I don't believe it's looks move on from the RRE either.

Great read guys! Keep the responses coming...

(01-04-2012 06:05pm)Token Wrote:  Hi all

When I first got the Evoque I genuinely thought is was the perfect car for me…and for a good 3 months I struggled to find fault…however, six months in and I am now able to take a much more objective review.

I have decided to complete the review based on the areas that are important to me in a car and I have scored out of 10

Looks: 9/10
The Evoque is a terrific looking car, especially in Dynamic spec and I am delighted with the Orkney Grey and the 20” Shadow Alloys…the very fact that none of the main modification companies (i.e. Kahn) have managed to improve the looks, suggests that it is about as good as it can be. I have knocked off a point because the lettering should have been black and colour coding of bumpers / wheel arches could have been better.

Speed: 8/10
I have been very happy with the acceleration of the SD4; I have marked it down a couple of points because unless the gearbox is in ‘S’ mode, response from stationary is poor…which means I keep my car permanently in ‘S’ mode.

Economy: 6/10
I have only achieved an average of 30mpg over the 6,000 miles the car has covered which is disappointing given that the majority of the miles covered have been motorway miles. I am reasonably heavy footed but I previously achieved 23mpg from both my FFRR and my 911…I would expect a car such as the Evoque to be achieving 35mp as a minimum.

Ride: 8/10
The ride is excellent in my view, and the way that the car works when cruising or when driving rapidly is fantastic…I am genuinely impressed with this and haven’t personally driven a car that can compete in terms of versatility. It does lose a couple of points though because the versatility means that there is compromise in all situations.

Interior: 5/10
I have heard others say that they find the driving position to be excellent, but I personally struggle to find a really comfortable driving position, and the positioning of the left foot rest is appalling. The dash looks nice enough and has a reasonably luxury feel to it, but doesn’t come close to a ‘proper’ Range Rover. The absence of the traditional fold down armrests are a real mistake, they would genuinely transform the comfort and would probably recover at least another 2 points in the scoring…their absence also takes away one of the LR’s USP’s. I thought initially I would like the pop-up gear selector, but I still have to look when selecting a gear, whereas with a traditional ‘stick’ I’ve never had to…personally I would prefer the ‘stick’. I also immensely dislike the feel of the buttons on the steering wheel.

Gadgets: 6/10
I really loved the gadgets when I first got the car and I still love all the functionality…particularly the Digital Radio, the TV, the dual screens, the Cameras, and the incredible stereo…but…the iPod interface is difficult to use and slow to respond, the reversing camera takes way too long to engage (I’ve normally finished reversing before it engages!) and the SatNav has a complex interface. I’ve knocked the marks down quite a lot for these seemingly trivial issues, but they really do impact the experience.

Practicality: 2/10
This has been my biggest disappointment…the boot space is woeful…you can’t even get two sets of Golf Clubs in the boot without folding the rear seats. By the time you have the kids in the car, the Cargo Barrier fitted, the electric Coolbox and the dog in the boot, there is no room for anything else. Forget taking some deckchairs and picnic stuff…it really is too small. It is important to note at this point that this is not the fault of the car, it is the fault of the purchaser (i.e. me!) for buying the car! However, I really hope that this was going to be the perfect all-rounder for me and it’s not so I am very disappointed.

Premium Feel: 5/10
The car has a luxury feel to it but only to an extent…the lack of decent noise insulation and the poor gearbox really compromises the experience and as stupid as it sounds, the lack of fold down armrests doesn’t allow for a ‘Regal’ seating position.


I’m sure that many will disagree with me on various aspects of the review, but as much as I love the car in so many ways, I wish I had gone for the Sport or the FFRR and I am considering swapping…the alternative is to buy a 2nd car (probably a Defender) to cope with the days when I need the additional space. So if anyone wants to swap with me or sell me a Defender then get in touch!

fully agree on all that Token. I feel let down by the mpg particularly and regret losing my RRS for the RRE, which was specifically for that reason. To me, it is 'just a car' the first time I have ever felt a LT product to be 'just a car'.

I mentioned earlier in this thread about the quality of the switchgear in the Evoque. Well today I had the chance to compare this with a Brand New Jaguar XJ Premium Luxury which belongs to a former partner in our firm. I must confess I was quite surprised to see a £65k Jag with exactly the same Steering Wheel, Window switches, Seat buttons etc etc So I assume these are used in all the high end spec JLR Products.

Funnily enough, one of my fellow partners in the firm who also owns a BMW, was out with a client in his New FFRR, top of the range, whatever that is, and he did say to me he was surprised at the quality of the interior of such an expensive car, said it wasn't as good as he would of expected for a £70k plus car, so its not just the Evoque that gets the Crap switchgear, now I don't feel so bad!!

"Just a car"! I'm glad I disagree because otherwise I'd feel sore and my wallet would be sorer! I'd feel like I just fell for the hype and James May's choice words! Go outside and look at the Evoque and report back immediately. I suppose you would say Jennifer Lopez is "just a woman" ..... I really dislike the tendency of some people to stop appreciating beautiful things, designs, snow capped mountains etc.

I'll never stop appreciating the Evoque - such a great package. I miss my last sportier coupe but it had limitations with it's great looks, none of which the Evoque has.

Simply - I love mine! I did the research before I bought, waited with anticipation and every time I see it I still smile
Of course everyone will have differing views as we all expect our cars to do different things but I'm glad I've got mine and thanx JLR

Now 6 weeks in myself and loving it like the first day I picked it up

Looks: 9/10
In Switzerland its quite hard to get a car that stands out... people have too much money so frequently have Ferraris, Lambos etc.. but I do find that the Evoque gets extra attention, Is a beautiful looking car in a segment filled with "me too drones"... pop the 20" style 6 (I also have the diamond cut 19" as winter wheels) on and I think it really transforms the looks for the better.

Speed: 8/10
I find the accelerator has a lot of feel to it... give it a tap... and it moves "efficiently"... give it a real poke and (once the gearbox catches up) it can fly... maybe not quite how a sports car does but I find it deceptively quick in what is a very quiet interior.... also very stable at speed and switching to dynamic mode makes it a bit more direct. I don't make much use of the Sport setting, might give it a shot.... Only downside as alluded to above is a gearbox which can be a bit slow to catch up...

Economy: 7/10
While I will always hope for better, I am getting 8.2 l/100km based on the first 2300km, I expect I can get this down to 7.5 without too much effort, while somewhat off the advertised figures I still think its pretty good. Some points off here purely for falling short of advertised figures.

Ride: 9/10
Love the ride.... buttery smooth but with a good feel and with dynamic mode it allows to transform to the mood you are in.

Interior: 8/10
Love the interior, liking the reversing camera and really finding that it can get me in and out of spaces I would have otherwise given up in.... it does take some seconds to startup but find that my the time I fix my seatbelt etc... its all ready. Panoramic roof is great... draws great comments from all passengers and makes the cabin a light and airy place (I have the black interior)... Only criticism is of the ambient lighting, I would ilke a mod to make much stronger as its barely noticeable.

Gadgets: 8/10
As Above, camera is great... also got the standard meridian stereo (380w?) which is really great... also like the GPS as I find it easy to understand and quick... Don't know if I could live without the Auto Tailgate, did not think much of it when ordering but love it. Touchscreen can be a bit slow to react, falls a bit short of the iPhones & iPads we are used to...

Practicality: 8/10
I knew what it was when I purchased, boot size it decent... I fitted roof bars and will get a Thule box for larger capacity when needed.

Premium Feel: 9/10
Maybe relative to what the owner has driven before but I find the full leather experience a very premium one and my wife agrees.

I would order another in a heartbeat... I would maybe add the surround cameras as I enjoy the camera vibe

(02-04-2012 08:53pm)Evoqess Wrote:  "Just a car"! I'm glad I disagree because otherwise I'd feel sore and my wallet would be sorer! I'd feel like I just fell for the hype and James May's choice words! Go outside and look at the Evoque and report back immediately. I suppose you would say Jennifer Lopez is "just a woman" ..... I really dislike the tendency of some people to stop appreciating beautiful things, designs, snow capped mountains etc.

I'll never stop appreciating the Evoque - such a great package. I miss my last sportier coupe but it had limitations with it's great looks, none of which the Evoque has.

+1 I think the people that do not appreciate their cars have picked the wrong colours.

Generally I agree with the original post and here is my 2 months short review (compared not to THE BEST of THE BEST but to my original expectations):

Looks: 9/10
Very good looks but rarely a car can get a 10/10

Speed: 8/10
Good for a 4-pot engine but the tranny is indeed lacking - driving grandpa style it's OK but just a little bit more aggressive driving makes the tranny run very jerky

Economy: 7/10
Only grandpa-style driving allows for semi-acceptable mpg (like 24 US mpg). Not the case with other cars I have driven

Ride: 9/10
Toyish. Lack of solid planted feel but I did not expect that from a smaller car as RRE is

Interior: 8/10
Eye pleasing but indeed the lack of arm-rest (in whatever comfortable form) is not great. In addition, the dashboard dials are not very sophisticated - a bit of a cheep look especially the red Dynamic Mode color. Some plastics are cheep and the seam on the door panel leather is not good looking


Gadgets: 8/10
I expected quicker (reasonable) response from the inputs - it's annoyingly slow. Also, fairly poor usage of the display real estate. Generally pleased with the features but I do not care for any other cameras but the rear one - not sure if I'll ever use it especially with such a display lag

Practicality: 8/10
The intention was to have a 4X4 local hills capable car that can get us around town inexpensively and in style. I generally got what I expected but I did not see the boot to be so low volume and fuel economy as it is. IMHO it's a car for the smallest possible family (2 or 2 + 1) who does limited outdoor stuff or has a larger car for such occasions.

Premium Feel: 8/10
Yes but again it's very toyish. I knew I was getting this car not for the performance, solidity, cargo, power, .... Our reasons for getting it are listed under Practicality - it was not supposed to be a practical car per say. And this is why I still consider it being girlish. It has great and fancy look but everything else is just so so - the wife was totally OK with it. I knew I would not drive it much but this leads me to

VALUE IMO (this is not rated based on my expectations but an overall concept of what you get for what you paid): 7/10
As a toy it's great. As a car it's between the average and great. You add to it the reliability and the service and the value goes a bit down.

Think it’s rough to give a review after only 1 month and 1000 miles since collection. I can only add that that the gearbox SD4 (Auto) has hesitation on approaching junctions etc. that needs remedy, apart from that it’s totally fine and a great product. Really happy thus far with the purchase…