Is it worth waiting to drive it...?

Hi all

Has everyone that has placed an order, either seen or been lucky enough to drive an Evoque yet? This is the only thing holding me back but I cant see me getting an opportunity to see the Evoque to Summer, at which point, `i may have to wait to well into 2012 to get one!

Have people been given build dates yet?

Borrow a Freelander2 if you want to experience how the engine performs. Haven't driven one, haven't seen one in the flesh and don't have a build date either and I've gone against everything anybody has ever told me and that is not to buy a new model in the first 12 months of production............................ it's the second time I've done that though, 1st was a Range Rover Sport in June 2005

I don't think anyone has driven it, and yes, some of us have placed an order already.
I've sat in the two cars of the Brussels car show and I've driven a FL2 eD4 as soon as my dealer had one available. The engine is good enough for me.

Sittting in an Evoque was my main requirement for putting my signature on the order. I wanted to know I'd be comfortable inside and whether the build quality lived up to my expectations.

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Tim, how did it go with the RRS? Lots of small problems due to the fact that it was too new?

(02-04-2011 10:27pm)FullFatTim Wrote:  Borrow a Freelander2 if you want to experience how the engine performs.

That’s what I did - test drove a 190 HSE - was very impressed with the engine & gearbox. By all accounts the Evoque rides/ handles better - so should be good.

(02-04-2011 10:27pm)FullFatTim Wrote:  it's the second time I've done that though, 1st was a Range Rover Sport in June 2005

How was that for you? A good experience?

Yes it was - I took my TD6 FFRR in for a service on the RRS launch day and came out of the showroom the proud owner of a shiney new RRSport! It had a couple of issues in the first year - it was missing it's fuel burning heater due to a shortage on the production line - installed by the dealership after I pointed out that there was a TSB regarding cars within certain VIN's nd mine was one - and it developed a software glitch which kept putting the car car into limp home mode unless I switched off the engine and left it off for 10 secs and then restarted it, then it would run for hours and hours before the fall came up again - fixed by Land Rover Assist on my drive at home when he got called out after one fraught drivie home from town at 2am on a Sunday..........) Sum total of all the faults I had in nearly 3 years of ownership. The TDv8 RRS I had never missed a beat but it did eat front suspension bushes quite quickly, but in 28000 miles it was 100% reliable, same for the Disco1 V8, TD4 Freelander1 and the Defender (I still have that and it's done 78000 totally reliable miles since 1996). All that ever went wrong with my TD6 FFRR was a Xenon headlight lamp blew when the car was about 2 months old - fixed under warranty

That’s very reassuring to hear.........

I’ve always gone for newly launched models with other brands and not had any issues (the exception being a Volvo)

I certainly hope all the very well publicised testing on the Evoque pays off for us early adopters....

Ahhhh Volvo........................... I had a 480ES, in three years and 6 attempts to get it to the south of England from Scotland it failed on every journey and ended up on the back of a flatbed. Everybody I knew thought I was mad going from that to a Land Rover. I did consider a Vovo C30 but they have lots of problems too!

Regarding the Evoque - one of Land Rover's weak spots has always been new technology and even though 1000's of people have a problem they deny it's a problem - it becomes a "characteristic of the car". 2010MY D4, RRS and FFRR all suffered lots of problems with rapidly flattening batteries - it was fixed by Land Rover at vast expense even though they denied there was a problem (I mean a brand new battery being dead isn't a probem? When it happens to 1000's of cars) - so much so that all the cars were recalled to dealers for a "confidence boosting" software upgrade and valet. Now 2011MY FFRR are again suffering with certain cars flattening batteries but LR have done precious little to alleviate the concerns of owners of £82000 cars that they haven't bought a crock of s**t. They will be wondering soon why so many loyal customers are walking away - and LRCS are not in the least bit helpful and often downright rude. Some dealers are fanatastic about handling these problems, but there are some who just shrug their shoulders and say "they are all like that!" which isn't what somebody who has just spend £72000-£85000 really wants to hear