6 Month Review

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!

Swap for a Defender? You will probably rate this one higher than 2/10 for practicality but you'll rate it lower than the Evoque in all the other areas that you find important.

I am still in the early stages of learning about the car and I find the overall package could not be beaten.Just on the looks alone I will be buying another one,it makes me smile every time I see it.The only niggle I have is the heated screen filaments are distracting on a night.To all you people out there that have not had their cars delivered yet,don't be put off by other peoples views..The Evoque is amazing!

This is our first LR product and on the whole we really love it. But I must admit that I am a little disappointed with the quality of some of the interior fittings. The plastic parts, of which there aren't many in the Prestige, are very questionable. The flimsy switches on the steering wheel for the Cruise Control and the Radio etc are not good and would be what I would expect to find in a Budget Brand to be honest along with the DIABOLICAL quality of the Electric Seat switches which will probably fall off in 12 months!! And the Awful Plastic used for the Glove box!!!!

But, the Leather is Exceptional to me although maybe proved wrong in 12 months, but it certainly looks better quality than my BMW leather. But the general feel in the BMW switchgear is Much heavier and higher quality.

Is the level of quality in the RRS and FFRR the same or do they have better switchgear? and if they do why the hell don't they put it in the EVOQUE, cause it certainly ain't Cheap!!!!

But the looks make up for this Lack of quality on the inside

We all differ in our opinions of course - I think the car is quiet, refined, a bit too roly-poly but exudes a feel-good factor which is hard to beat at the price. I think the Dynamic interior is fit for purpose and a welcome alternative to swathes of saggy leather.

Buttons on the steering wheel? They're fine. Arm-rests? No thanks, they encourage a sloppy driving style, your hands should be at a quarter to three which unless you are genetically more closely related than most of us to a chimpanzee, precludes their use. Interior space? It's not the Tardis and I think the packaging is pretty good. And so on and so on.

My Evoque sits alongside and perfectly complements my 4 other cars - Subaru, Porsche, Mercedes and Ferrari and I would buy another in a heart-beat, especially if it came with 300+ bhp and sports suspension.

I agree with some points but I don't agree with the practicality statement, for me the car is very practicle but for those with kids that need to carry a lot of kit not so. The car is very practicle for what it was designed to be, a small compact crossover designed more for the city than the rough, and never been advertised as an all round family load lugger.

On the style/luxury aspect the car fairs well. You will never get that feeling of 'grandeur' behind the wheel of the evoque, the one and only place you will get that is from 'the' Range Rover. LR set out to produce a compact car with influences from the FFRR. So in one respect you are correct it isn't a 'Range Rover' it is merely a model in the RR brand.

Other than that your review is fair. To all owners who await there cars, it is great and I am well chuffed with it.

As i've just been reminded on another thread, Token has the coupe and there's no doubt it will not be the best choice for carrying all the clobber he wants to including dog and children, golf clubs, kitchen sink and the rest. We all know the rear seats in the coupe are for occasional use only because of the time taken to get in and out and coupe buyers should make their choice with that in mind and not then moan about it.

I think if you really want a load-lugger, it needs to be the Disco or other RR; the whole point of the Evoque is LR carving out a new market for themselves which has more than succeeded.

I agree Mark, I think perspective buyers should think long and hard about how and what they use their car for before buying an Evoque.

(01-04-2012 07:11pm)J77 Wrote:  I agree Mark, I think perspective buyers should think long and hard about how and what they use their car for before buying an Evoque.

+1, that's why I kept the Freelander c/w towbar as the family car (inc dog). The auto lever is also now used in the Sport and Disco (albeit 8 speed).

Thanks for the honest review Token. I think it was very interesting. Heres my take on your scoring and how I would rate the Evoque in the catagories you scored.

Token - Looks: 9/10
My take - I can't believe you took a point off because of the color of the lettering which can be switched easily and the colour coding of bumpers / wheel arches are definately acceptable. I would say 10/10 because you were correct in saying no tuner has made the Evoque look better. In fact I think they all made it look worse.

Token - Speed: 8/10
My take - Since you have the SD4 vs the Si4 I can see why you marked it down a few ticks. I think the Si4 is the choice for performance until they come out with a 300hp version. I would say 8/10 is good for the SD4, 9/10 for the Si4 and when the 300 hp version comes out we could give that one a 10/10

Token - Economy: 6/10
My take - I can see why you rated the Evoque low here. All the early data pointed to great fuel economy and no one seems to be getting that. I think any car you buy really does not get the fuel economy their supposed to. Your lucky to see 30 mpg or better. I am just hoping for an average of 22-25mpg with the Si4. Its better than the 12-14 mpg I was getting. If I see what fuel economy I am looking to get I would give it at least a 7.5/10 because if I wanted 40mpg I would have bought something else.

Token - Ride: 8/10
My take - For what the vehicle is...a Sport Utility Vehicle they have done extremely well in blending the off road capability with the handling prowess of a sports sedan. I agree with an 8 out of 10 on that one.

Token - Interior: 5/10
My take - While I don't agree with you on the driving position which probably depends on the individuals height and weight, I do agree with you that they didn't need to do the Jaguar rotary knob. Although it does give it an extra touch of class. So I think a 5 is way to low but since I am getting a dynamic and not a Prestige I would go with only a 7 or 7.5/10. They should have offered the Prestige leather seats and dash as an option in the dynamic. I am not the biggest fan of perforated leather on the seats, but I love the Dynamics exterior too much.

Token - Gadgets: 6/10
My take - If the iPod and rear view camera is as slow as you say then a 6/10 is probably a good score. I would hate to have reversed out of a spot before the camera comes on. But, I will live with that. Maybe they will have a software update that fixes that.

Token - Practicality: 2/10
My take - This is definately based on ones lifestyle. Since I don't have kids...or a dog...and I don't golf it is definately a more practical vehicle for someone like me. I also live where we have very nice summers, but alot of rain and snowy winters. Also have several areas with potholes to deal with. I think the Evoque will be a great all-round vehicle that provides the performance I am looking for coupled with the nice amount of utility, a beautiful exterior and interior, with descent fuel economy throw in. So Practicality for me would definately be at least a 9/10 if not a 10/10.

Token - Premium Feel: 5/10
My take - I agree with you on the lack of noise cancelling insulation, I agree that the interior could be better, and if the electronics are slow that warrants a point off. I think Land Rover was focusing alot on the sustainability and on the materials used so there had to be compromises. The vehicle does have a premium feel compared to alot of other vehicles out there so I would give it a 7 to 7.5/10. For the money we are paying for the Evoque it could use some tweeks in this catagory.

Thanks again Token for your review and it would be great to hear other forum members take on these catagories.