With the Range Rover Evoque, Land Rover has taken the step from the dirty to the lifestyle class. Now the second generation is at the dealer, who has dressed up even more.
A delightful small SUV, in coupé style with a stylish tin dress - from Land Rover? When the British showed the Detroit LRX study in 2015, they were amazed. The English, of course, who are known for rough, edgy mud-walkers, suddenly want to enter the lifestyle segment? The decision for the Evoque, it is now clear, was one of the best that Land Rover has made in recent years: after its market launch eight years ago, the smallest Landy quickly conquered the hearts of buyers, now around 800.000 buyers opted for generation one worldwide. That is now history, since the beginning of April the second Range Rover Evoque has been available from the dealer for at least 37.350 euros: It appears a little more delicately drawn - but for the time being does without the extroverted three-door and convertible versions. In the end, they weren't as popular as hoped.
Number two maintains the crisp 4,37 meter proportions and has only been carefully reground. Visually, the new Evoque is based on its big brother Velar, mops the narrow LED lights that illuminate the street with matrix technology on request and the door handles recessed in the body. Technically, however, everything is new except for the door hinges. Land Rover's smallest, however, is not allowed to use the aluminum substructure of the Velar, as there is still plenty of steel in the platform and makes the compact SUV weigh at least 1.787 kilograms - and only if you use the basic model with front-wheel drive and manual transmission. The Evoque quickly scratches the two-ton barrier with two or three handsome guys, who thanks to the slightly longer wheelbase can now also find a good place on the back seat. And: Apart from the front-wheel drive diesel entry-level version, all variants are equipped with nine-speed automatic and all-wheel drive as standard, which are also significant. But the mass also has its advantage: in the compact SUV range from BMW X2 to Volvo XC40, the Evoque actually looks the most solid and robust and scores with a torsional stiffness that you would expect from a Land Rover.
In order to move the mass, there are currently six engine variants available: in addition to the 110 kW / 150 PS base, there are two other diesel engines with 133 kW / 180 and 177 kW / 240 PS to choose from, which have three petrol engines (from EUR 43.600) 147 kW / 200 PS, 184 kW / 250 PS or 221 kW / 300 PS. All rely on a charged two-liter engine, which - except for the hand-operated version - receives electrical support. A 48-volt network with a belt starter generator pushes along when accelerating and recovers energy when braking. However, this does not make the engines really economical; the Evoque exceeded the promised six to eight liters on our test drive by a few liters. The medium-sized Otto and the most powerful diesel, which with their around 250 horsepower had no problems with the small, heavy Evoque, were ready for the first exit. But they are not really sports cannons either, and you are rarely pressed really hard into the seat, which is optionally covered with leather, fine Kvadrat fabric or a eucalyptus blend. Above all, the somewhat inharmoniously coordinated automatic system takes a bit of panache out of the engines, the converter responds very late to gas commands, keeps the gears unusually long, and often switches hectically with intermediate sprints.
In addition to the diesel and petrol versions, Land Rover plans to submit a plug-in hybrid within twelve months. It is not known whether a potent SVR version will follow. After all: Dynamics enthusiasts can now - regardless of the motorization - resort to the R-Dynamic equipment with a sportier dress. The Evoque would have tolerated even more power, but in any case, the quite tightly tuned SUV can be asked for the corner surprisingly briskly despite its weight. There are optional adaptive dampers, but the Landy does not become a soft glider even in comfort mode.
Speaking of optional: the new Evoque can of course still be properly upgraded for money. Anyone who takes full advantage of the trunk, which has grown to 1.383 liters, will be pleased with the rear-view camera, for example, which shows the view from the rear window at the push of a button as a live image in the rear-view mirror. Other delicacies that are subject to a surcharge are the colored head-up display, the panoramic roof, the seat heating, the massage seats, the digital instrument panel or the second infotainment touchscreen in front of the gear lever, which leaves no space for real buttons and switches. And, of course, there is also a new off-road feature in the price list: For the first time, Land Rover is offering a "transparent bonnet": cameras on the front film the surroundings as they roll and use them to calculate a real-time image of what is currently under the front end. After all, the Evoque, lifestyle or not, is a real all-terrain vehicle.
