MZANZI ISSUE 16

Regional Feature
Range Rover Evoque
Now that you have a better idea of the journey we undertook, the
only question left is how did the Evoque perform? Perhaps the best
way to describe this is my response when asked mid-journey what
it was like to drive her. It was simply this: “I’m not driving, I’m flying.”
The ride simply couldn’t have been more comfortable as we flew
along the roads from one destination to another.
In order to discover how best to drive the Evoque, before the trip I
signed myself up for the Jaguar Land Rover Experience. Branches
in both the Western Cape and Gauteng offer owners – or as in my
case – not yet owners – the chance to learn how to get the best out
of the vehicle. We were also given challenging obstacles to navigate
and learned how to get out of tricky situations. Let me tell you, the
Evoque was no kid on the course. There was only one obstacle we
couldn’t attempt and that was purely based on the ground clearance
being slightly less than that of her bigger brothers.
Very quickly I was used to the slick features including Lane Keep Assist,
Adaptive Cruise Control, Blind Spot Assist, and very impressively a
rear-view window which was actually a colour screen fed by a rear
camera. Of course with the terrain selection option, the vehicle was
able to calibrate itself to provide the best response to the specific
terrain we were in.
She may be the first in the line-up of Range Rovers, but there is
nothing least about her, and she was quick to prove that she was
equally at home in berg, beach and bush. Her only limitation was
having to remain behind when we ascended the chain ladders on our
dramatic Drakensberg hike, but when we got back to the vehicle, I
could have sworn she winked at me when I unlocked her. The perfect
combination of personality, pleasure and power.
• Jared Ruttenberg travel-blogs under the name @JAREDINCPT –
you can read more of his articles at www.jaredincpt.com.
116 |ISSUE 16|www.mzanzitravel.co.za | MZANZITRAVEL