Mauritius Blue, SD4 Pure, Tech Pack, Cirrus Leather.
I'm not one to choose a bottom of the range model, but this is a company car and only just scraped into my allowed list, probably due to good residuals. When my alternate choices are A4, 320d Sport, Accord, ....., why would I not go straight for the Evoque?
Had last minute nerves about the choice of colour as very few people choose blue, but it looks great in real life with the light interior - even the wife gives it a double thumbs up. Arrived home without telling her anything about it, so you can imagine the look on her face
She was straight in it and off up the road!
Initial Impressions
First check was the touch screen. Happy with the responsiveness, but a little slow with postcodes when it recalculates which letters/numbers are valid for next input. Next check, the radio. Having DAB in car is a revelation and appears to sound better than equivalent FM stations but that might just be cos they're louder. Next check a phone call. The wife has always moaned that I sound like I'm on Mars in previous cars. Not so with the Evoque. Calls are almost as good as direct from the handset.
Driving
Very quiet for the type of vehicle. It makes you want to ease away from standstill, but then gives you the midrange to push on later. I'm not used to a 4x4 but can this car corner! I drive a quiet A road to work and know every bend and max cornering speed for an Accord, 320d, and Z4 35i. Ok, I'm lying about the Z4 - I'm too scared to corner balls out in that! But the Evoque with 4WD grips way harder than the exec saloons and you just don't realise how fast you're going sometimes. Couple that with an uneven road surface and the difference is even more pronounced. It takes a moment to settle into a bend (Adaptives would help here) but once set it really does corner well. A big thumbs up. Motorway driving is effortless, cabin quiet, and consumption adequate up to 70. Any faster and the huge bulk coupled with power/wind resistance being a cubic formula causes mpg to drop. 36-38mpg at reasonable speeds, 30-33mpg when pushing on, 38-41mpg while bubbling along at 40 in traffic.
Build Quality
Everything feels well put together and solid. The doors requirer a firm slam to close fully and I wish the boot would close fully when you pull down on the internal handle as it invariably part closes which is a pain. Auto boot is another option I would have specced given the choice.
Comfort
Front seat legroom is excellent and the seats well made. Not had rear passengers yet, but I'm sure rear space is adequate for occasional use. The boot is smaller than expected and being unable to folder the rear seats fully flat means less flexibility, but that isn't the point of this car. I have issue with the under thigh sections which I have no idea why they exist other than to cause discomfort to some drivers (several I have spoken too). This is a big problem but I'm finding ways to alter my driving position to work around it. I just shouldn't have to. The (tiny) wife has complained the passenger seat isn't height adjustable, but that's the crap you have to put up with when you don't spec extras. It's something that should be standard on £30k+ cars though in my opinion. I'd be surprised if a child could see over the dashboard.
Overall
My initial impressions were good, and nothing (seats excepted) has changed my opinion in the first 1000 miles. This car was chosen to cope with the commute to work, trips to the south of France, a snow covered sloped driveway, and crossing the peak district in visit relatives in winter, and I have every confidence it will cope admirably.
My review after 9 days and 1000 miles
![[Image: 124529.png]](http://badges.fuelly.com/images/smallsig-uk/124529.png)
![[Image: 1004887.png]](https://badges.fuelly.com/images/smallsig-uk/1004887.png)
