LR identity

Everybody said that about the RRC........................... they didn't do too badly with P38 on the outside as it wasn't the looks that spoiled the car it was the too complex for the time electronics that did for it. I suspect they will have a problem replacing L322 with L405 too. LR cannot ignore sales to developing markets like Russia and China, but it's a pity we all have to suffer the gawdy bits that those markets like, why they cannot do special "totally tasteless" trim versions for those markets and leave the rest of the world to have the "conservative" version I don't know. Leave the stick on shiny bits to the aftermarket stick-on people like Powerful.co.uk

hear hear!! get rid of the 'big fat gypsy wedding bits'!!

Have to admit that I have a contrary view on this….

So here goes the heresy…. I'm a city kid who drives an SUV because

1.) I like the space in the back for my two dogs (Golden Retrievers)
2.) I like the raised ride height i.e. being able to see why exactly I am stranded in the middle of a sea of cars five lanes wide on the freeway
3.) I like being able to drive over the potholed roads / life's other little knocks without having to slow to a crawl
4.) I like knowing that once in every blue moon if i have to take the lesser travelled path i can do so without scraping the bottom of the car on every rock i.e. game lodges (we have quite a few of those down here)
5.) I like the way it looks…

That out of the way, another confession - I have never really considered buying any other LR vehicle. I toyed with the idea of the RRS but always thought it too big (single guy and two dogs….).

Along came the Evoque and without any regard for whether it actually goes off road or is any good off road I plonked down the deposit because it ticked all the boxes (my boxes that is). My decision had nothing to do with LR or the heritage of LR, if anything the only bit taken into account was the risk given the patchy reliability record and the fact that RR has a horrendous resale value.... I've learned quite a bit since then about LR and the history and have an appreciation for the heritage but that only affirmed my decision, not influenced it.

Will I take it off road? Rarely, it's just not my thing. Do I care whether everyone with a Discovery / Defender points and laugh at my 'soft roader'? No I don't (Despite every motor journalist saying this thing goes off road, everyone not buying an RRE points out at length that it really is just an overpriced, tarted up FL and no good off road - ignorance? perhaps, but that is the perception and if you really buy this because you want an off road vehicle every time you go for a pint at the pub you will have to endure this…have a read on pretty much every other LR forum and see the comments)

So without wanting to trample on anyones heritage, the fact remains the RRE is a whole new category of product for LR. It was never conceptualized to appeal to the LR Heritage buyer. It was always designed for and is being marketed to people to whom the core values of LR (best 4x4 by far etc.) has no intrinsic appeal/value i.e. that's not why they buy their cars. I think it truly remarkable that they've been able to bring this product to market and actually attract buyers who also own / have owned a Defender before.

LR are doing an Apple here - they are not simply building a better version of their previous laptop, they are inventing a new category of product that pulls people who'd never consider the brand to the brand (Think iPod / iPhone / iPad - 95% of people who bought those would never have bought an Apple computer)

If you want to drive over mountains / trees / rivers / (add your own fantasy landscape that you just have to driver over ) get a Defender. It's a nice square box on wheels that does just that, built for purpose.

If you want sumptuous luxury, the visual appeal of a sports car / coupe / grand tourer, the compact size and economy of a hatchback / small sedan and yes let's acknowledge that elephant in the corner, the prestige brand value that comes with the RR brand then perhaps the RRE is the right car…. oh and yes apparently it also goes off road.

So badge or no badge, makes no difference. How many TT driver's when asked what they drive answers Audi? How many Scirocco drivers answer Volkswagen? Most LR owners think sticking LR on the Evoque is an embarrassment to the brand and devalues it and for what it's worth a lot of Evoque owners will probaby look at that little oval on the back of their car and wonder if sticking that there was really necessary. The brand at play here is not LR or even RR. The brand being established here is Evoque.

I prefer it with the badge on. The range rover launched in 1970 didn't have the land rover badge on it until the 1989my as the cars were supposed to be separate from each other also, unless I am mistaken FFRR and RRS are the only two that have had the LR badge on the steering wheel.

I heard that the RR from now on were being badged as such?

Does it really matter! The cars are built by Land Rover, Range Rover is only a brand of Land Rover

If the Evoque wasn't a Range Rover I don't think I would have gone for it!

(28-08-2011 11:14am)evoqueboy Wrote:  If the Evoque wasn't a Range Rover I don't think I would have gone for it!

And if we are all honest neither would any of us.

So you are buying into the name and not the car? I am under no illusions my Evoque will not come anywhere near the finish or ability of eany of my FFRR's or RRS's but I need to have a smaller car that I can get in my garage - the Evoque came along in the nick of time as if my local Audi dealers had followed up my 2 visits and 5 phone calls to their showroom I would probably be driving an A6 Allroad now.

I was buying this car regardless of badge, when I first put down a £500 deposit it was still called the land rover lrx no mention of it being badged as range rover, I then changed my mind due to lack of information from land rover and went with 11my freelander. IMHO I think it is a bit shallow that you would buy a car because of the badge. Also the range rover should have the LR badge on it as this is a hallmark of distinction and is what all other 4x4s aspire to.

Rant over.