Land Rover Range Rover Evoque 2012 review: road test

The Range Rover Evoque is part of a response to the green backlash against SUVs, which saw parent company Land Rover singled out in Britain for direct eco-action.

That rattled company execs and although it peaked in the mid-naughties, legislation that mandates lower emissions and punitive taxes continue as aggressively as ever.

So the brand split goes hand in hand with a move to lighten and lessen the impact on the fuel budget, if nothing else. Land Rovers of the past decade, Range Rovers and the Discovery in particular, are heavy even by SUV standards. Weight is the enemy. For Range Rover, Evoque is the answer.

Explore the 2012 Range Rover Evoque range

• Land Rover Range Rover Evoque Dynamic 2012 review
• Land Rover Range Rover Evoque 2012 review: road test
• Land Rover Range Rover Evoque SD4 2012 review
• Land Rover Range Rover Evoque 2012 review

For car watchers everywhere, this realignment promises to be great spectator sport. Widely credited as the first to twig that a luxury SUV made sense with the original Range Rover four decades ago, the brand must straddle the two pillars of its operation while retaining its virtues in both.

The two extremes of its line-up illustrate the challenge. This year, a new version of its Range Rover will ditch steel for aluminium and shed half a tonne. It will aim for greater levels of luxury, pushing the envelope into the SUV void that exists above $250,000 and further eroding the place of the traditional limo.

But will the new one be as good offroad? Three years later in 2015, the venerable Defender will be reborn and must tick boxes for everyone from landed gentry to the UN, so varied is its appeal. Land Rover has only just begun thinking about how this can be done.

Value

So why wouldn't you buy one? Well you might, but you'll want to go in with your eyes open. First, there are one or two inexplicable equipment omissions, such as grab handles for passengers. In a budget hatchback this would be a sure sign of cost-cutting, but it would be a false economy here and there's little evidence elsewhere of down-to-a-price thinking. Until you check the options list, that is.

Some items that should be given, such as vents for rear passengers, turn out to be extra. It would be easy to add thousands to the starting price. The cheapest example I experienced on the test drive was $75,000 and that had the low-powered diesel engine, the least likeable of the three. The most expensive was well over $100,000.

Design

Meanwhile, we can enjoy the first fruit of the splicing, the Evoque. It's a compact luxury SUV that attracts admiration for its design beyond anything I've driven outside of supercars. Chunky but smaller than it looks at less than 4.4m shorter than a BMW X1, it takes Range Rover design themes and pimps them into something that looks fit for the graffiti jungle.

A flat roof and straight belt line converge towards the rear to give a striking ‘visor’ look that's especially appealing as a three-door. There's a bit of unnecessary bling, the bonnet vents on some versions for example, but little to dislike and plenty to admire. If anything, the interior is stronger. A clean, well-organised layout is matched by quality materials and attention to detail, such as sparkling jewel-effect dials. The enduring impression is of inviting, classy luxury.

Technology

The new petrol engine is more powerful than the six-cylinder in the Freelander and respectably quick off the mark at 7.6 seconds to 100km/h. With stop-at-idle on manual models, the diesel SD4 can achieve efficiency of 5.7 litres per 100km.

A front-wheel-drive version, the eD4, arrives in mid-next year to lower the starting price and fuel consumption further. It's also the lightest model by far, at 155kg less the SD4. However, the Jenny Craig regime begins with the new Rangie next year; the smaller Evoque is only 40kg lighter than the equivalent Freelander

Drive

On the road its driving qualities back this up. As SUVs get more car-like in their dynamic abilities, the Evoque is one of the most driveable. My instincts tell me it would be out-manoeuvred by some (a BMW X3), but that won't stop you enjoying the steering and chassis response. If you never leave the tarmac there's still a lot to recommend.

It's no mug off road either. Land Rover's pictogram offroad system means you just dial in mud or sand or whatever and the car takes care of itself. It shares its underpinnings, and diesel engine, with the Freelander but has more ground clearance. There's no low-range gearing, but even the petrol engine has enough low-rev grunt to tackle fairly rough terrain.

Verdict

But the Evoque does deliver a lot of Rangie feel-good in a small and stylish package that will be just the ticket for many, and Posh has yet to work her magic. When it comes to SUVs, Land Rover already knows what we really, really want.