FASHION

are to go on a camping holiday, and the Beckham reference
is relevant, as we’ll see in a moment. Evoque was far more at
home in (and under) Liverpool.
The clue lies in the badge. This is a Range Rover and not a
Land Rover. Although just as capable as any four-wheel drive
from the company, it majors on style and comfort more than its
ability to get down and dirty. And it does the job. Everywhere
we went in Liverpool (and we went to some strange places – the
tunnel was followed by a run through a water splash in the
Albert Docks in the centre of town), it turned heads. Much of
this is down to its concept car looks. There are two versions of
Evoque, a five-door and a rakish three-door that Land Rover
likes to call a Coupé, no doubt to justify the extra £1,000 it’s
asking for two fewer doors.
But it’s this Coupé version that really does the business.
Little changed from the LRX concept car of a few years back,
this is a film star of a car. The exterior is a wonderful mix of
rugged and sophisticated with the roofline swooping down at
the rear to the point where it almost meets the rising waistline;
the rear window is more of a letterbox. That dramatic roof
line grabs a fair amount of headroom in the rear, though the
rear seats have been cleverly sculpted so that adults will fit;
mind you, getting there though the tiny slot behind the folded
front seat takes a degree of flexibility that not everyone over
the age of 16 may still possess.
Once inside, though, the cabin is spectacular. The driving
position is 4x4 high yet still manages to feel low and sporty.
In part that’s down to the rakish centre console, the hooded
dash instruments, the circular auto gear selector and, if you’re
prepared to pay a little extra, the sports seats which wouldn’t
look out of place in a racing car. The materials used are first
class and the fit and finish is as good as anything from Audi
or BMW but then this is a Range Rover, after all. And there’s
plenty of opportunity to personalise the interior. There are three
interior ‘themes’ – Pure, Dynamic and Prestige – and there are
others to come, including one created by Victoria Beckham; let’s
just hope she doesn’t go the Footballers’ Wives route.
There’s substance as well as style. We’ve already seen
how good it is off-road, but it’s even better on-road. On the
motorways, the 190bhp diesel is quiet, refined and punchy
while the ride, especially with the optional MagneRide which
uses electrically charged magnets in the dampers to simulate
the ride comfort expected from an air suspension system,
really works. Evoque handles well, too. There’s precious little
body roll and it feels more like a hot hatch than a 4x4: it’s no
wonder Land Rover is targeting owners of cars like the Audi
TT. And yet those chunky wheel and tyres and the greater
ground clearance mean Evoque handles speed bumps and city
potholes with aplomb.
In fact, the only thing I can find wrong with the thing
is the price. You’ll see adverts claiming prices start at
£28,000, which doesn’t sound too bad except that’s for
the basic-spec two-wheel drive version. The well-equipped
Dynamic SD4 (the 190bhp one with 20 inch alloys, Xenon
lamps, Sat Nav, rear parking camera and so on) starts
at damn near £40k. And that’s before you’ve so much
as looked at the option list (though the full length glass
panoramic roof is a bargain at £460).
It’s a lot for a four-cylinder diesel. But judging by the
bulging order books and the long waiting lists Land Rover
knows exactly what it’s doing with Evoque. I want one. n
IN BRIEF
CaR:
Range Rover Evoque
Coupé SD4 Dynamic Auto
PRICE:
£39,990
ENgINE:
2,179 cc four-cylinder
diesel
PowER:
190 hp
DRIvE:
Four-wheel drive
PERFoRmaNCE:
121 mph max, 0-60 mph in
8.0secs
motoring
calibre
81