Slightly Dissapointed after test drive.....

Hi everyone, I've been reading everyone's posts now and thought I'd just give my impresions from my test drive.
Like most people, I've been struggling to decide between the prestige and the dynamic, so I drove them both.
My first drive was the prestige 5 door in SD4 auto form, and I must say the interior was beautiful.the leather everywhere definitely make you feel as though you're in a quality product.
The drive was very smooth, with an excellent driving position. What I did notice was that the window sills were just below my shoulder, so putting your elbow on them is a no no. At the moment our main car is a Disco4 HSE, and if you drive that, I would say the drive is very similar, except in the bends and corners where the RRE remains very flat with very little body lean. Bumps are soaked up nicely and the seats are very comfortable. The steering wheel is a nice size too. Driving at speed, there is definitely more road noise though, and the engine is more vocal when you put your foot down. I had the family with me. Well as a guy from land rover, and space wasn't a problem either. I'm 6th 3in but could still sit behind the drivers seat when it was set up for me. With both my boys in there booster/child seats(4 and 2yrs old), my wife could seat comfortably between them in the back. Slight problem for families is that even in the booster seats, neither of my boys could see out the windows, and on longer drives that could be a problem.
The 2nd car was the 3 door Si4 dynamic. My wife took one look and didn't even try to get the child seats in the back. She stayed at the dealership with the boys, so I'd say the 3 door is a no no for families also.
The petrol is a beauty to drive, very responsive and fun. The adaptive dampers make a noticeable difference IMO, with bumps being felt more in standard drive compared the the prestige. In dynamic mode, it's even more noticeable, and the steering wheel firms up even more. I don't think the ride is too harsh, as the seats cushion Zhou very well from the sharper bumps. All in all, I loved it. Not too sure about the leather though. Personally it reminded me of the basic leather you get in a vw or Audi before you upgrade it. It's ok, but hardly special, and for the price you pay, I expected better. The bigger downside was that I only returned 18 mpg, which was awful for this size car.
So overall I loved it, and would personally choose the prestige over the dynamic. When you're driving, you can't see the outside, but you can theninside, and I would prefer the luxury interior, as the exterior is hardly ugly anyway.
The reason I'm slightly disappointed is when I compare it to my disco 4. My disco comes with all the trimmings(premium leather, dab radio etc) including 3 sunroofs(1 that opens) and keyless go(as standard on the she). With the heated steering wheel, tow bar and privacy glass, I paid £44,000. now to get similar spec in the RRE I'd be paying £43,000g(as more cost effective to get the lux pack), as panny roof and keyless not standard
It just strikes me that the RRE is a little overpriced. If it had a 3ltr engine in it ok, but a standard 2.2ltr ford engine from the mondeo, is it justified
For £42,000 I could get the Q5 fully loaded with the 3 ltr engine and decent performance to boot(0-60 in 6.5 sec) and similar mpg to the Sd4, pr for slightly less could get the new X3 with similar performance but much better emissions and fuel economy(and slightly bigger with a view out the back)
The only prob is I think the BMW is ugly and the Q5 to harsh a ride, and I love the evoque. But I still have the nagging feeling it's slightly overpriced.
Am I wrong in thinking this!
My car is an A4 avant 2.0tdi multitronic which is what we were going to trade in against it. We'd never get rid of the disco4. If you want a do anything car with lots of room, I can't recommend it enough

Hi and well done. I think what you've said is very flair and a balanced review.

I agree that's it's a fair old chunk of money for what is a moderately sized car...but it's a special one. Like you I'd have like a three litre diesel but in a straight choice between the q5 and x3 I'd still pick the slower, less economical RRE.

To me a car should make you feel special and although I've owned some nice cars over the years I can think of very few that I actually said to myself whilst driving it " this is a great car". The Evoque is one of those cars however and that's after only a very short ownership. Yes I agree that it's not going to win the bragging rights at the standing start sprints but it's pleasantly wafty enough to get you there briskly, if a little audibly. And after all it's a real Range Rover and boy does it look good.

I think my 24 yr. summed it up for me. He bought a new Golf GTi last month
And has been doting over it ever since he got it, polishing it at almost every opportunity. However, when my car arrived he was gutted and acltually asked me to park it next to his brother car as he felt that the Evoque made his look plain in comparrison. Cheers YT

Hi Craig,
interesting review, You're not wrong, your opinion is your opinion, The issues of the leather in the Dynamic and the cost of the lux pack is a big concern for many on this forum, but that's the way Land Rover have taken to market it. Most would love the Prestige seats in the Dynamic for £36000, but I guess that's not financially possible or against their marketing strategy. I for one would not buy the BMW Blob or the Audi bore and dont want a Disco 4 and am prepared to pay for the Evoque... If not the Lux pack, which maybe i'll regret.

I love the look of the Dynamic and enjoy the trick suspension more than my need for the leather. If you hadn't seen the Prestige leather would you still have been concerned by the Dynamic leather?

In the end, You pays your money, you takes your choice!

I truly prefer the Dynamic perforated leather than the "saggy" Prestige but that is my opinion.

I must admit, I prefer the leather in the Dynamic as well.

Everyone seems to think that the Evoque is dodgy value because it's small...I'm not sure I get this...in fact, quite the opposite! I was sold on the Evoque because it gives me a big car driving experience in a smaller more practical package. I don't believe, speaking purely from my experience only, that there is another smallish car that can offer the ride quality and the luxury interior of the Evoque.

Assuming you can everything you need to in the Evoque, why on earth would you want a bigger car and see it as being worth more??

Once upon a time, we used to think that the bigger the HiFi we owned, the better it was and the more we were prepared to pay for it. Then, some clever people worked out a way to achieve the same quality in a smaller package and we started to pay more, the smaller it is...no idea when this happened, but it has happened. This is how I see the Evoque situation...we have always had to have a big car if we wanted gadgets, luxury interior, offroad ability and quality ride...this is brilliant! And rather than comparing against the Disco and the RRS in a negative way based on value, we should surely be saying how great it is that we can downsize whilst not downgrading...and that we don't have to pay any extra for the privilege!

Think of a Laptop...MacBook Pro v MacBook Air...the Pro is better but the Air sells for more because it's small!! Image the MacBook Air was as good as the Pro and was slightly cheaper...everyone would be raving about the value! Well, the Evoque is the Air in this instance...so unless the RRS and Disco do something (that you actually need) that the Evoque doesnt, why would anyone want one or think it's better value than the RRE?

Unless it's all about size and ego???

Hi Craig,

I have some sympathy for your point of view. We too have a D4 HSE which we too will only ever replace with another one or whatever LR decide to do with the Disco next. Like you I think that in relative terms the D4 offers significantly better value for money. The Evoque is commanding a premium because of its unique nature and the fact that it's RR branded.

As it stands I'm willing to pay that premium but occasionally the common sense angel whispers in my ear and then I just go online and look at one again

I do sit back every so often and think whether we have made the right decision.

Especially when you can get something like a Jag XF 3.0V6 diesel with the 8speed auto for the same kind of money, but then i think for where i live its two big.

I want that level of comfort and luxury in a practical package, and in this respect none of the usual suspects (Merc, Bmw, audi etc) meet that criteria. Did consider a GLK but next to the evoque it looks like a dogs dinner.

(29-09-2011 02:33pm)GibEvoque Wrote:  I do sit back every so often and think whether we have made the right decision.

Especially when you can get something like a Jag XF 3.0V6 diesel with the 8speed auto for the same kind of money, but then i think for where i live its two big.

I want that level of comfort and luxury in a practical package, and in this respect none of the usual suspects (Merc, Bmw, audi etc) meet that criteria. Did consider a GLK but next to the evoque it looks like a dogs dinner.

Hi there, I understand the dilemma but I've just sold a 2011 xf diesel s portfolio and it was a lovely car with more power (and better power delivery) than the Evoque and it was beautifully trimmed. I wouldn't trade it back for the evoque though. In a couple of years from now I'm sure the Evoque will have better engine choices but the present one is hardly a poor relation. I'm sure you'll fall in love with it and for my two-penneth both top trims have nice seats but the Prestige beats the dynami.......no comebacks! Regards YT

Thanks everyone for the replies. I like the analogy with the laptops. I guess LR have got it right with price as still going to get one(guess I had a case of cold feet). Rsk21, you're right, only have to look at one and I want one. I remember the first time I saw one on the road, damn near gave myself whiplash as it went past. Guess you can put a price on desirabilty.
I'm now trying to think about my drive in the dynamic and whether i liked it so much because of the petrol engine or the way the AD worked, which you could definetely feel. I'm def going for the SD4 auto as don't want two cars that are expensive to run. prestige, dynamic, prestige , dynamic. choices choices my initial choice was orkney grey in dynamic with privacy and verve interior, but then again, prestige in black with vibe(like ambiance but wth kids not too sure it'll work)....i give myself a headache thinking about this

(29-09-2011 06:51pm)Craig_d1 Wrote:  Thanks everyone for the replies. I like the analogy with the laptops. I guess LR have got it right with price as still going to get one(guess I had a case of cold feet). Rsk21, you're right, only have to look at one and I want one. I remember the first time I saw one on the road, damn near gave myself whiplash as it went past. Guess you can put a price on desirabilty.
I'm now trying to think about my drive in the dynamic and whether i liked it so much because of the petrol engine or the way the AD worked, which you could definetely feel. I'm def going for the SD4 auto as don't want two cars that are expensive to run. prestige, dynamic, prestige , dynamic. choices choices my initial choice was orkney grey in dynamic with privacy and verve interior, but then again, prestige in black with vibe(like ambiance but wth kids not too sure it'll work)....i give myself a headache thinking about this

I think that all of the colours work well but I'm delighted with my choice of OG Prestige with privacy. It looks great!