2012 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque Reviews

THE baby in the stroller is crying and mum and dad are trying to placate the child until their attention is distracted by the vision coming down the street. Like the Monaro, Mini (the first one) and E-Type Jag, Land Rover's baby Range Rover Evoque has the ability to distract passersby - even from crying babies - and evoke a mixture of envy and admiration. It is an icon on any street. But there is a price to pay for this adulation.VALUEThis is a capitalist's dream car and a consumer's nightmare with a choice of two body shapes, two drive systems, three trim levels, three engines and two transmissions. In all, 30 model variants, ranging in price from $53,395 to $77,395. And in July there will also be an entry level eD4 110kW diesel model available with two-wheel drive from $49,990. The price range overlaps the BMW X1 and X3, and starts cheaper than the slightly bigger Audi Q5.The Pure trim level has 17-inch alloys, LED front fog lights, leather-trimmed seats colour audio display with eight-speaker sound, rear parking sensors, driver information centre, climate control airconditioning, push-button start, Bluetooth with audio streaming and an "Oxford leather" steering wheel with controls for phone, audio and cruise control.Prestige adds full leather interior with real wood trim, xenon headlights and touchscreen for the 380-watt Meridian sound system with 11 speakers and two USB ports. Dynamic has a sporty feel outside and in, but has no extra equipment.Just like the Germans, it's the added extras and sometimes even the most basic of options that sends the price soaring. Try $1300 for metallic paint, for starters. That's pretty steep when most charge about $500 and Subaru doesn't charge extra at all. And how about $1495 for keyless entry which is now standard with some small cars?There are a couple of feature bundles which save on buying some of the items separately, but do you really need things like "mood lighting" and special mats? The only option box I would tick out of pure indulgence is the Meridian sound system. Meridian Audio is a British boutique hi-fi manufacturer and the aural results are simply stunning. One of the best in-car audio systems you can get.We tested two models - Pure SD4 automatic at $59,875 and Dynamic SD4 automatic at $73,375 - but with various option packs, plus a few extras, the retail price (minus on-road costs) leapt to $68,375 and $94,284, respectively.TECHNOLOGYThere are two turbo engines - petrol and diesel - but the 2.2-litre turbo diesel comes in a choice of 110kW peak power output or 140kW. They are available with either a six-speed manual transmission or the tried-and-true ZF six-speed automatic. The new 2.0-litre Si4 petrol engine has output of 177kW. It combines direct fuel injection, turbocharging and twin variable valve timing and comes only with the ZF transmission.All are offered with all-wheel drive, which has the same Terrain Response electronic system used in the Freelander on which this car is based. This system is exceptionally effective and easy to use. Just dial in the terrain surface (gravel, snow etc) and away you go. Sort of four-wheel driving for dummies.The two-wheel-drive model will be powered by the 110kW diesel engine. The touchscreen satnav is a bit cumbersome at first, but basically foolproof and the Bluetooth was easy to pair and reliably hooked up first time, every time. All controls have a quality feel.STYLINGSome vehicles are stunning only from certain angles or are let down by their interior. Evoque is simply stunning from ever angle and is supported by a modern but comfortable interior in all trim levels. Gone is the ostentatious "English country gentleman's club" feel. The three-door model looks sleeker and almost "pimped" with a sloping roof line and slitty rear windows.Unfortunately, it's form over function with very difficult rear access and a claustrophobic rear compartment. The coupe comes with two back seats or a no-cost three-seater bench option.SAFETYThis is a five-star safety car with seven airbags and a host of driver aids such as hill launch assist and hill descent control in the four-wheel-drive models, plus chassis electronics, corner stability, rollover stability and trailer sway control.They come with reversing parking sensors which are vital as there is very little rear vision. A reversing camera does not come standard. However, you can get the $900 Surround Camera System with tow assist that helps you guide on to the hitch without getting out of the car or you can get it as part of the $5900 Tech Pack with the Prestige and Dynamic trims.Vision out the front is no better with massive truck-sized wing mirrors that blot out the view of cyclists, bikers, pedestrians, dogs and street kerbing. Even if you don't run over a little old lady with a dog, you are likely to clip a kerb or two.DRIVINGWe first tested the petrol model in the Carsguide Car of the Year judging at Ford's You Yangs proving grounds in Victoria. It is a smooth, refined and lively unit that ably punts the car along the worst of the country's back roads.Despite our best efforts, it was difficult to wrong-foot the SUV that doesn't have the lurching effect of many others in its class. It's not quite up to the X3's driving dynamics, but it isn't far off. Despite its commendable off-road characteristics, ride is still comfortable. The turbo engines are also quite potent and have minimum amounts of lag. When the boost does come on, it isn't uncontrollable. The diesel is very quiet, except for a gentle clatter at idle.The cabin is also quiet and it is a pleasant place to be, especially when the Meridian sound system is cranking out some classic rock.VERDICTThis is a decision for the heart, not the head. Turn your neighbours' heads and indulge your senses. If you hate your passengers, get the three-door model." high safety and simple cabin layout are highlights''

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.

THERE is much more to the new 2012 Range Rover Evoque than a design job that's the automotive equivalent of a Prada handbag. The shape and style is enough to ensure its success, and has created a worldwide order bank of 20,000 cars including 150 deposit-paid buyers in Australia, but it's not enough - nearly - for Land Rover and its long-term followers.So the Range Rover Evoque is genuinely capable when the bitumen stops, even through the sort of deep water, ruts and muddy country that would have an Audi Q5 or Volvo XC60 driver making a quick U-turn. There is a front-drive model that will be best for the bright lights of big cities, but the focus at the moment is on the four-wheel drive Evoque that's coming out of the blocks first with a starting price of $53,395 in Australia. It will hit showrooms in November and promises the driving ability that justifies a Range Rover badge on the tail."It's got to be authentic. We couldn't put a car on the road and then not have it perform the way you expect it to perform as a Land Rover or Range Rover," says Evoque team leader, Murray Dietsch. "Put it up against anything in its class and it will rings around it." But there is a problem with that. No-one really knows the Evoque's rivals. The compact prestige four-wheel drives are obvious, especially for the five-door family-focussed Evoque, but the three-door model - which designer Gerry McGovern insists is a coupe - could be shopped against other trend setters including the Audi TT and Mini.The starting price for the 2012 Range Rover Evoque in Australia is a tasty $49,995. But it's not that simple, as the top end runs up to $75,895. The base price is possible because of the equipment, driveline choices and three engines. So the starter car is a front-wheel drive, six- speed manual with a 110kW diesel engine and Pure equipment. The flagship car is the four-wheel drive Prestige with 177kW petrol engine and six-speed automatic. When you look at a lot of its rivals, including the Q5 from $63,400 and the XC60 from $54,150 with front drive, it is well positioned. Even the BMW X1, a favourite with yummy mummies, costs at least $57,400. Still, an automatic is almost mandatory in a car like the Evoque, which is far more likely to be used as a car than an SUV. And a lot of people are also going to splash on things like the parking camera and satnav which are essential in the luxury class despite the effect on the bottom line. Land Rover is still waiting for feedback from buyers but is expecting 70 percent of people to go for the five-door body and only 40 per cent of Evoques to go off-road, company chief Phil Popham tells Carsguide.Almost everything under the new Range Rover Evoque's good looking body comes from the Land Rover Freelander II. That's good news for everyone, from the accountants at Land Rover to serious off-roaders. The only real difference off-road is that the Evoque is a little short of front clearance, but otherwise Land Rover's excellent Terrain Response system does more than enough to compensate for low-range gears.Buyers will make the final choices, but the baby Rangie can come with all the stuff you might find in its big brothers, from parking radar and camera to dual-zone climate system, hard-drive navigation, rear infotainment screens, keyless entry, electric rear door, adaptive headlamps and more. Just like the latest Ford Focus, there is also a system that can parallel park almost automatically.Engine choices run from the baby 2.2-litre turbodiesel with 110 kiloWatts/380 Newton-metres to the 2.0-litre petrol turbo with 177/240 and the top-end 2.2-litre turbodiesel with 140/420. The all-wheel drive system uses a Haldex differential in the rear and the suspension is fully independent with struts at each corner, with a magnetic-ride suspension on the Dynamic models.The new Range Rover Evoque has been about design since before it was born, as the car began as the LRX concept. It started as a three-door called a coupe and was quickly updated with a five-door body, which Land Rover says is aimed at families with the three-door for young city singles and coupes with bicycles and dogs.The roof looks pinched down tight, and it is, but the cabin still has space for four adults and the ambience is just what you would expect in a Range Rover, with plenty of leather but none of the old-fashioned woodgrain panelling. The design makes visibility a bit tough, even at the front and with those big wing mirrors, but that's a price buyers are expected to pay quite happily.Five-star is almost a certainty for the Range Rover Evoque, even ahead of any NCAP testing. There is lots of extra-strength steel in the body, seven airbags and ABS and ESP as you'd expect, and corner brake control, with the added comfort of Range Rover grip in all conditions.The 2012 Range Rover Evoque delivers on all the promises. It is fun in the city and can get seriously muddy without getting stuck when you head off the bitumen. The cabin is plush and welcoming, it's quiet and smooth on the freeway, and its off-road ability is beyond the reach of the sort of people who buy in prestige SUV shops. The two turbodiesel engines have great pulling power and there is the promise of emissions as low as 133grams/kilometre of CO2 and economy as good as 4.5 litres/100km.What's not to like? The rear vision is very ordinary, there is some turbo lag in the petrol model, and the magnetic ride system is probably too firm - almost BMW runflat jiggly - for Australian roads. The mirrors also cut some vision. Otherwise, the Evoque is a very mature young thing that will work for a wide range of buyers. The three-door looks just as chic on the roads as it does in motor shows and has more than enough seat and cabin space for couples.The five-door is no bigger inside, but rear access is a lot better. The level of equipment reflects what you pay but the basics are all there from the Pure starter car, the Dynamic even gets red dash lights when you switch driving modes, and the Prestige is fully loaded.Carsguide cannot judge the front-wheel drive Evoque because it's being held back. But after driving the four-wheel drive model in a huge range of conditions, from motorways and muddly Welsh hills to a giant tunnel beneath Liverpool - yes, really - there are no complaints. It is a real Range Rover and that says enough for anyone, regardless of how they might want to use the Evoque.In reality, there will be far more yummy mummies in showrooms than farmers with boots and that's exactly the way the Evoque and has been designed and delivered. There are a couple of small foibles, but they are minor and will not stop it becoming a runaway success.Just what you would expect. The 2012 Range Rover Evoque a Range Rover for a new century and new buyers, delivering on the brand's off-road promise but with the sort of city chic that opens up plenty of new possibilities for anyone.