Evoque vs Q3

After recently buying our Evoque and a Q3 I thought I'd post a little review of the two:

The cars:

2016 Audi Q3 SLine Plus, 2.0tdi Quattro (150bhp) manual (bought brand new)
2014 Range Rover Evoque Pure 2.2 SD4 manual

(I'm not a fan of autos)

Equipment:

Being the top of the range the Q3 is better equipped. The best bits for me though are the LED 'All weather' headlights. These are superb like daylight at night, it also has the dynamic rear indicators that swoop when they operate.

In comparison the Evoques Halogen headlights look dim and for a prestige car, cheap.

It also has other nice things like Sat Nav and a powered rear tailgate. Incidentally like the Evoque it opens on the key but you can't shut it using the key, you have to press the button in the tailgate, you can however shut it using the interior switch if the ignition is on.

The ambient lighting is a nice touch in the Evoque and something that isn't even an option on the Q3.

The interior lights are very poor in the Q3, I didn't realise this and now wish I'd have opted for the Interior light LED upgrade pack. The Evoque has LED in the front and much better rear lighting.

The Audi MMI system is ok but has been problematic, an update has pretty much sorted it but its a smaller screen and all controlled from the MMI buttons. To me its a bit fiddly and counter intuitive to use. Also only at 80watts and 6 speakers its not the best sounding system, especially compared to the Evoques 380w Meridian system. The only downside with our Evoque is it doesn't have Satnav.

The Q3 has roof side bars as standard so only a roof rack is needed, whereas the Evoque needs side bars and the roof rack. This just seems another way to fleece customers of money by LR IMHO.

Interior:

Quality wise the Audi us without doubt better screwed together, the fit and finish overall is better I'd say with higher quality plastics throughout.

However the Evoque has a nicer, far more luxurious feeling interior, sumptuos leather seats (the Audi is Leather/Alcantara) and feels a far more special place to sit. Also the leather/stitching effect on the Evoques dash is a very nice touch. The thing for me that lets it down a bit is the finish used on the centre console and buttons, seems an old fashioned and cheap finish like something out of a Rover 45!

You are much higher up in the Q3 and the seats are definitely more supportive.

The engine in the Evoque is much quieter in the cabin than the Q3, even pushing it its quiet, the Q3 is much noisier. But Road noise is higher in the Evoque.

Interior Space and boot:

The Evoque has more interior space but this means it has a smaller boot than the Audi.

Engines:

This would probably be a fairer comparison with a 15my Evoque with an Ingenium engine but mine is an SD4 so I can only go by that.

The Evoques 2.2 SD4 engine is definitely quieter but it has quite a bit of Turbo Lag, its a bit quicker than the 150bhp 2.0tdi but not as much as you'd think, on paper they are very similar. If you opted for the 184bhp tdi Q3 thats a fair bit quicker.

Or if you want to spend £50k on a Q3 instead of a top range Evoque the the RSQ3 with 380bhp is an absolute monster.

The Q3 also uses AdBlue.

Driving:

The Q3 is definitely more of a drivers car, its more agile and theres less body roll, it also feels a much lighter car. That said it has an awful turning circle (feels more like a Defender in tight spaces because of this!) and the steering is incredibly light and doesn't give much feedback. The brakes feel sharper on the Evoque and do inspire more confidence. The gearbox is heavier to change on the Evoque and feels less precise, I have to say its very similar in feel to a mk7 Transit, but that said whilst precise feeling in the Q3 once its in gear theres a lot of slop from the gearstick.

Overall I actually prefer how the Evoque drives its a more relaxed long distance car.

Exterior:

Again the Audi seems to be better screwed together, the doors shut with a precise clunk and fit and finish is spot on. Paint quality on both cars is very good and both seem to resist stonechips well.

However the Evoque is a much prettier car. The Q3 looks frumpy in comparison, proportionally away from the Evoque the Q3 looks pretty nice but side by side the Q3 just looks fat.

Overall both are superb cars. The Q3 is a very well made car and it 'feels' like it'll last whereas if I'm honest I don't get that feeling with the Evoque, and reading the issues on here vs the ones on the Q3 forums thats probably not far from the truth.

And the press reviews of the Q3/X1/Evoque that puts the Evoque last overall is pretty fair imho.

But for a car that makes you feel 'special' and draws the most looks, the Evoque wins all day long, I can't stop looking at it and I love driving it far more than the Q3. To me as nice as it is the Q3 just feels like a posh VW (which it pretty much is) but the Evoque feeks like a proper prestige car.

Buying with your head the Audi Q3. Buying with your heart its the Evoque.

Heres our two cars side by side:

Great comparison but you are missing one vital comparison............... I doubt that your Q3 would get onto a wild hillside let alone across it like your Evoque was designed to do. Your review does highlight where Evoque (and all Range Rovers in the family) fall down - they offer no more (and often less) than the opposition for an awful lot more money.

Interesting comparison, thanks

You don't mention the reletive cost as its a Pure vs SLine Plus, and given that the Evoque fairs pretty well at 5 years old

Dynamic Suspension makes a difference in the Evoque for the body roll. Yes it does feel heavy.

Gear change in the Evoque I would so is very positive almost too much so, it's great in the higher gears, just a bit clunky in 1 2 3

Relative cost isn't as much as you think. The Pure is £31.5k plus the few options mine has puts it I would guess at £32.5k.

The Q3 has a list price of £34.5k (including the option we added of heated seats) but had a £4500 dealer contribution so actually cost less at £30k

Also the Evoque has much much higher residuals than the Q3, so for a car you won't lose as much money on the Evoque is a better buy.

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(23-10-2016 08:58am)XFullFatTim Wrote:  Great comparison but you are missing one vital comparison............... I doubt that your Q3 would get onto a wild hillside let alone across it like your Evoque was designed to do. Your review does highlight where Evoque (and all Range Rovers in the family) fall down - they offer no more (and often less) than the opposition for an awful lot more money.

Thats is a good point and I meant to mention it but forgot. I agree the Q3 would be ok in a wet field but that's about it. You can spec hill descent control as an option but its a bit pointless on the Q3 imho

Nice write up, i looked at the rsq3 and an sq5 but opted for the evoque purely on looks in the end. I also think that audis are better screwed together than any range rover, we have an a5 cab, just not as plush.

Wish the evoque had a 3 litre diesel option, for me that would be prefect.

Steve